Keating-Owen Act: Why Do Children Work Under Such Inhumane Conditions?

Why do children work under such inhumane conditions? Many impoverished children grow up knowing only work. They begin working when they were toddlers. The public does not approve of this child labor and is pressing for social change through the passage of the Keating-Owen Act. This Act prohibits the interstate purchase of goods produced by children. By prohibiting the sale of these goods across state lines, this act will decrease the number of jobs occupied by children. The goal of this Act is to cripple the businesses that depend on children for labor. Many important reasons exist for passing the Keating-Owen Act. The most important being the unsafe work environments through which children struggle. The unhealthy work environments that children endure is the second most important factor. Thirdly, restraining of children from going to school is a major reason the Keating-Owen Act must be passed.
The unsafe working conditions would prove to be the most important reason for the passage of the Keating-Owen Act. Jobs on farms and in coal mines were hotspots for children to work. On the farms, children endured exposure to deadly pesticides and poisonous nicotine on tobacco farms (Kowalski).These devastating chemicals could lead to death, particularly when handled by young people. In addition to pesticides and poisonous nicotine, extreme temperatures and dangerous equipment increased the risk of harm. In mines, fast-moving machinery could cause injury to fingers, hands, and arms. Children might also handle explosives, increasing the risk of serious injury or death (Kowalski). By passing the Keating-Owen Act the risk of injury and potential death of children would be decreased because it prevented businesses from the interstate selling of goods produced by children under the age of