LAD #29 Keating-Owen Child Labor Act

In the early 1900's large businesses and corporations aided the United States for economic reasons. However, these large businesses gave little thought to the American people, especially those working for them. Workers in cities suffered gruesome conditions like long hours and little pay. There was no regulation that gave a minimum wage or minimum hours. Often times, children would be working day and night in factories in order to bring in additional profit for their family instead of going to school for an education. Problems in the workplace were worsened for young children because they did not have labor laws to protect their rights and they were often hired solely because they could fit into small spaces and could be payed less than an adult. Organizations like the National Child Labor Committee worked endlessly to put a halt to the atrocities. The goal was achieved with the Keating-Owen Child Labor Act which was being put into action. This made strides to reform many of the hardships working youth faced. Its goal was to restrict child labor which would lead to more open jobs for adult men. The act prohibited the sale of goods produced by child under the age of 14 and mines operated by children under 16 years of age. The Act also prevented children under 16 from working more than 8  hours a day or at night. The Act was soon declared unconstitutional as was the next act, the Revenue Act of 1919. It would not be until 1938 that the Fair Labor Standards Act was finally passed and still remains in place.