Child Labor in America

The history of child labour in America is long and, in some cases, unsavoury. It dates back to the founding of the United States. Traditionally, most children, except for the privileged few, had always worked – either for their parents or for an outside employer. Through the years, however, child labour practices have changed. So have the benefits and risks associated with employment of children. In some respects, altered workplace technology has served to make work easier and less hazardous. At the same time, some processes and equipment have rendered the workplace more dangerous, especially for children and youth. This book examines the current state of enforcement of America’s federal child labour laws by the Department of Labour. This historical issue of child labour in America is also briefly reviewed. In addition, recommendations are made about reforms to strengthen protections for working children from hazardous working conditions. This book consists of public documents which have been located, gathered, combined, reformatted, and enhanced with a subject index, selectively edited and bound to provide easy access.