American Centuries

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American Centuries > Lessons > History Lessons By Teachers > Do Your Work!

Do Your Work!

Details

Author
Sara Mendez
Topic/Subject Area
Commerce, Business, Trade, Consumerism; Demographics, Census
Historical Era
Great Depression and World War II, 1929–1945, Rise of Industrial America, 1878–1899, Progressive Era, World War I, 1900–1928
Grade Level
Elementary (K–5), Middle School (6–8)
Creation Date
2016
Last Revision Date
2024

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About This Lesson

Summary and Objective

Students will understand that child labor was common in Massachusetts until social consciousness in the early 1900s and the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 limited much of the employment of children under 16. Students will use photos and the 1875 census to research what types of jobs children held.

Materials & Resources

Collection Items

 

Teaching Plan

  1. Activator (bellwork): Make a list of the jobs you do around or outside of the house and the number of hours each week that you spend on this work.
  2. Have students click on the cutlery employees photo (focus in on bottom right corner faces) and the “9 & 10 year olds” cover and page 2. Begin a discussion about these people. How old do you think they are? What jobs are they doing? How many hours do they work? What are the working conditions like? Do they attend school? Why are they working?
  3. Have students use the 1875 census (text within option) to investigate the number of children in each age category that are working. Also, have students note the jobs that the children are working in. Which jobs are most common for boys compared with girls in both the under 10 and 10-15 year old age groups? A spreadsheet with categories would be most useful for students to record their findings.
  4. Lead a whole group discussion about census findings. Were students surprised at what they found? Why were certain jobs more popular for younger vs. older children? Boys vs. girls? How do children’s lives today differ from those documented here?
  5. Extension: Lead a debate where students look at the social vs. economic pros and cons of child labor.
  6. Extension: Investigate child labor standards in other countries through newspaper/magazine articles or NGO websites.