The Progressive Era

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this time many children went to work full-time out of necessity. Wages in factories were low, they worked long hours in horrible working conditions. It took many years to get laws passed. The Illinois Factory Act was the first. State legislatures eventually passed laws banning or restricting child labor. It was not until 1938 that the federal government passed the Fair Labor Standards Act. This law banned employment for children under 16, and prohibited children under 18 from operating dangerous machinery. Progressives lobbied for regulations to protect workers, one of the most important efforts was to end child labor. The number of children under the age of 15 who worked in industrial jobs for wages climbed from 1.5 million in 1890 to 2 million in 1910. Business liked children because they performed unskilled jobs for lower wages, than adults. Also, because of the size of children's hands they could easily handle the small parts and tools. Due to low wages it often ...

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forcing legislation banning child labor and setting maximum hours in nearly every state. By 1920, the number of child laborers was nearly cut in half from what it had been in 1910. Most states passed minimum working age laws and prohibited children from working more than 10 hours per day, but enforcement was difficult to achieve.
18th Amendment prohibited the use of alcohol. During this time period the saloons were a business with many business operating under their roof. Saloons would serve inexpensive meals, cash paychecks, and rent rooms. Prohibitionist felt that the mixture of foreign cultures, alcohol and machine politics would undermine American culture and democracy. They ...

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