15 haunting photos from the early 1900s that helped end child labor in America.
When Labor Day became a federal holiday in 1896, over a million children were part of the U.S. workforce. Children were an easy choice for employers, they cost less than adults and didn’t go on strike.
By 1910 that number grew to over 2 million.
The working conditions for these children were brutal and some put in over 70 hours a week.
To call attention to America’s child labor problem, photographer Lewis Hine went undercover to document the abusive conditions in which these children toiled. His disturbing photos would go on to inspire Congress to pass legislation to curb child labor.
Child labor began to decline by 1920, and in 1938, Congress passed the Fair Labor Standards Act. It fixed minimum ages of 16 for work during school hours, 14 for certain jobs after school, and 18 for dangerous work.
Hine’s photographs are courtesy of the U.S. Library of Congress. Photo captions were written by Hine.
-
Women are really responding to this viral Twitter thread about body autonomy. Body autonomy means that a person has the right to whatever they want with their own body.
-
Sexist hypocritical men on Twitter are being embarrassed non-stop by one brilliant woman. Here’s one clever way to fight back against double standards.
-
Mattel adds two Barbies with disabilities to its new line of dolls. Mattel adds two Barbies with disabilities to its new line of dolls.
-
A UK ad featuring a ‘sexy’ Theresa May has been pulled after sexism accusations. The UK has a sexism in advertising ban that goes into effect later this year.
-
Google and Apple are taking heat for publishing the most sexist app on the planet. Need to track your wife or daughter? We’ve got the app for you.
-
Here's what happened to the beauty blogger 20,000 people tried to shut down. Some say she’s a terrible example for young girls.
