LAD/Blog #28: Keating-Owen Child Labor Act

After the 1900 Census revealed that 2 million children were working in mines, factories, fields, and stores across the country, the nation was outraged.  Social workers and other prominent individuals began to condemn the treatment of children in workplaces given its negative effect on their health and over all well-being.  The Keating-Owen Child Labor Act was passed in response to this outcry for a solution.  The act established 4 as the general minimum age for work and 16 as the minimum age for work in mines.  In addition, children could only work a maximum of 8 hours per day.  Unfortunately, the Supreme Court declared this law unconstitutional in the Hammer v. Dagenhart case.  The Supreme ruled that the government did not have the right to regulate commerce.  An amendment was proposed in the 1920's regarding child labor which also failed.  Finally, in the 1940's the Supreme Court reversed their ruling.  This decision still stands today.





This act reminds me of how no one under the age of 14 can work in an industrial factory, which used to be one of the most popular places for young children to work.