Health is a Human Right
Race & Place in America

Child Labor

Historically, low-income youth were more likely to work in high-risk occupations such as agriculture, mining, and manufacturing to support their families.  Poverty-related health problems, such as malnutrition, fatigue, and anemia, increased the risks and consequences of work-related hazards that could lead to permanent disabilities and premature death.

In the first part of the 20th century, activists advocated for child labor regulations. In 1938, Congress passed the Fair Labor Standards Act, which included provisions about children.

In the first part of the 20th century, activists advocated for child labor regulations. In 1938, Congress passed the Fair Labor Standards Act, which included provisions about children.

Drivers and Mules, Gary, West Virginia, 1908, photograph by Lewis Hine
Courtesy of Library of Congress, National Child Labor Committee Collection
Native girls packing pineapple into cans, Hawai’i, November 20, 1928
Courtesy of National Archives and Records Administration, College Park, MD, photo no. 86-G-5F-8
Mexican American shoeshine boys at the Old Plaza in Los Angeles, ca. 1930
Courtesy of Los Angeles Daily News Collection, Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA
Latino boys sitting on truck at migrant labor camp, Robstown, Texas, 1942, photograph by Arthur Rothstein
Courtesy of Library of Congress, Farm Security Administration Collection, LC-DIG-fsac-1a34264