Lewis Hine
Lewis Hine
"If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn 't need to lug around a camera" (Sandler 57). While artists might think that the best way to share their knowledge is through their paintings and sculptures, writers might think books and articles work the best. However, Lewis Hine’s famous photography shed light on people’s ignorance about child labor. These impacting pictures show young exploited children who worked at the mills and mines in the late nineteenth century in America. Hine’s sole desire was to disclose the reality and injustice presenting it to others in the same way that he had contemplated it, and to bring about changes in laws regarding children and work.
A shift in working personnel occurred during the Industrial Revolution. Families moved to the cities in search of a better quality of life but hardly ever found it. The presented job opportunities required long working hours and offered hardly anything in return. The only way to stay above the poverty line was if almost every family member worked. Even children as young as three were employed in manufacturing plants, where they were exposed to harsh working conditions. These outrageous conditions included working for 10 to 14 hours per day, and dealing with machinery that led to injuries and, in some cases, even deaths (“Childhood Lost”).
Before Hine made it a goal to highlight the situation of children at the workplace, social activists, such as Grace Abbott and Jane Addams, were able to bring about some changes. In 1836, Massachusetts passed the first law demanding children 15 or younger to get academic education at least three months a year and, six years later, they lowered minor’s workdays to 10 hours (Bennett). In 1881, the newly formed A.F.L. approved a resolution requesting states to ban children under 14 to have profitable occupations. Meanwhile, Samuel Gompers, leading the New York labor movement, underwrote a bill that banned cigar making because of the amount of
"If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn 't need to lug around a camera" (Sandler 57). While artists might think that the best way to share their knowledge is through their paintings and sculptures, writers might think books and articles work the best. However, Lewis Hine’s famous photography shed light on people’s ignorance about child labor. These impacting pictures show young exploited children who worked at the mills and mines in the late nineteenth century in America. Hine’s sole desire was to disclose the reality and injustice presenting it to others in the same way that he had contemplated it, and to bring about changes in laws regarding children and work.
A shift in working personnel occurred during the Industrial Revolution. Families moved to the cities in search of a better quality of life but hardly ever found it. The presented job opportunities required long working hours and offered hardly anything in return. The only way to stay above the poverty line was if almost every family member worked. Even children as young as three were employed in manufacturing plants, where they were exposed to harsh working conditions. These outrageous conditions included working for 10 to 14 hours per day, and dealing with machinery that led to injuries and, in some cases, even deaths (“Childhood Lost”).
Before Hine made it a goal to highlight the situation of children at the workplace, social activists, such as Grace Abbott and Jane Addams, were able to bring about some changes. In 1836, Massachusetts passed the first law demanding children 15 or younger to get academic education at least three months a year and, six years later, they lowered minor’s workdays to 10 hours (Bennett). In 1881, the newly formed A.F.L. approved a resolution requesting states to ban children under 14 to have profitable occupations. Meanwhile, Samuel Gompers, leading the New York labor movement, underwrote a bill that banned cigar making because of the amount of
Cited: Bennett, Robin C., Carol Hodne, and Jennifer Sherer. "Child Labor in U.S. History." The Child Labor Education Project. University of Iowa Labor Center, July 2011. Web. 03 Apr. 2013. Burgan, Michael. "Lewis Hine and the History of U.S. Child Labor: Echoes." Bloomberg. BLOOMBERG L.P., 19 Jan. 2012. Web. 03 Apr. 2013. "Child Labor in Virginia: Photographs by Lewis Hine." Vahistorical. Virginia Historical Society, n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2013. "Childhood Lost: Child Labor During the Industrial Revolution." Eastern Illinois University. Illinois Board of Higher Education, n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2013. Davis, Kay. "Documenting "The Other Half": The Social Reform Photography of Jacob Riis and Lewis Hine." University of Virginia, n.d. Web. 02 May 2013. Hansan, John E., Ph.D. "National Child Labor Committee." The Social Welfare History Project. The Social Welfare History Project, 2013. Web. 07 Apr. 2013. "Lewis Hine." Spartacus Educational. Spartacus Educational Publishers Ltd, n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2013. Sandler, Martin W. America through the Lens: Photographers Who Changed the Nation. New York: Henry Holt, 2005. Print.