1. The Progressive Era
By: Jackie Krum

2. Child Labor
Children worked hours a day, sometimes up to 19 hours
Work was 6 days a week, sometimes everyday
No paid vacation, sick leave, etc.
Heads dipped into cisterns if sleepy
Sometimes whipped to make them work faster
Received 10-20% of adult male’s wage

3. Child Labor Con’t Used dangerous machinery
Many killed or injured on job
Lost limbs
Ran over by cart
Burned, cut or crushed
Many developed diseases or cancer because of the conditions they worked in.

4. Working Conditions Potteries- poisonous clay dust
Textile- cramped, locked doors and windows, no heating or A/C
Match factory- phosphorus fumes (caused phossy jaw)
Glassworks- burned and blinded

5. Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
March 25, 1911
Killed 146 garment workers, most were between years old.
Had to jump from windows because all exits and doors were locked/blocked off
Led to legislation calling for safety standards

6. Fight Back
Many people were getting tired of the way things were at that time, so…..
Leaders in different work industries worked to pull their coworkers together to form a strike or a union
Some were successful, others were not
Because of these strikes and unions, laws were passed to protect workers

7. Notable Strikes During Era
Harriet Hanson and the Spinning-Room Strikers (1836)
Pullman Strike- 1894
Garment workers’ Strike (Chicago)- 1897
The Anthracite Coal Strikes (1897,1900, and 1902)
Coal Strike of 1902
Mother Jones and Her Industrial Army (1903)
Pauline Newman and the New York City Rent Strike (1907)
Garment Workers’ Strike (NYC and Philadelphia)
The Lawrence Strike (1912)
Allentown, PA strike of 1933

8. Laws
Factory Act 1844
Keating-Owen Child Labor Act of federal government could regulate child labor
Hammer v. Dagenhart (1918)- power of Congress to enact child labor laws
Child Labor Amendment (1924)- Congress’ power to “limit, regulate, and prohibit the labor of person under eighteen years of age”

9. Laws Con’t Railway Labor Act (1926)
National Industrial Recovery Act (1933)- specifically increasing wages and eliminating unfair trade practices
The Fair Labor Standards Act (1938)

10. Assignment
We didn’t go into great detail on the strikes or laws because you will have to conduct some research on them
You (and a partner if you wish)- will choose a law or strike we went over and will report back to the class your findings and why that law/strike was important
Use the class worksheet to help you organize your thoughts and information