What is striking in this excerpt from the Massachusetts census of 1875 is the number of children, more than 13,000, under 15 years old still employed in various industries in the state. Those over the age of 15 were counted as adults. Reforms in child labor happened gradually in the decades after 1870, culminating in the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, which prohibited employment of children under 16 years of age.
Wright, Carroll D. The Census of Massachusetts: 1875, Vol. II. 1877. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l01-122/. Accessed on October 16, 2024.
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