Acts of Importance
Labor laws govern the life of the working man, but children were not protected by law until the early 1900s. During the rise of industrialization in the United States, children were integrated into the labor market as a cheap labor source for successful businesses. Child labor and the laws passed to limit it proved to be pivotal events in shaping history. Child labor exploited youngsters to work in dangerous and unhygienic conditions for little pay. Life during industrialization was difficult for everyone, but especially for children. Groups such as the National Child Labor Committee supported reform of child labor in America. The Keating-Owen Child Labor Act of 1916 was a small step toward reforming child labor practices, but it was not enough to end such practices completely. The Fair Labor Standards Act, passed in 1938, still governs the labor of children.