Fight for the Children
How One Committee Revolutionized Child Labor Reform
Rights & Responsibilities
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It is the right of children to have the opportunity to pursue an education
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It is the right of children to work for fair wages in non-hazardous conditions
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it is the right of business owners to be independent of government involvement in their businesses
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It is the responsibility of the U.S. government to enforce laws that protect children
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It is the responsibility of parents to ensure the health of their children
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It is the responsibility of business owners to regulate safe working conditions for their employees
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It is the responsibility of the people (by forming the NCLC and other reform groups) to create their rights
This political cartoon by the New York Herald in 1903 illustrates how children were being exploited to support the weatlhy, well-off business owner.
Source: Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Archives
How is this important?
In the 1900s, people felt increasingly responsible for the growing issue of child labor in the nation. Many decided to take initiative and work to reform child labor by fighting to pass laws for better wages, safer conditions, and establish a minimum working age. It is because of these determined people that the National Child Labor Committee was formed. Without them, the plight of children might not have been heard until much later in history as the committee played a critical role in ending child labor.