You can see the absence of childhood in their faces. The innocence, gone. The glimmer, gone. So heartbreaking, that they nolonger resemble children, just empty, tired shells in tiny bodies.
I once worked in a modernized “cotton mill” & I can say from experience this was not an easy job. I can only imagine how hard it was for young children to do that type of work. I can imagine they worked a lot harder than what I once had to do & worked for so little benefit. It breaks my heart. 😢
Seeing the photos make me so sad. They're children. Yet they look like adults who have been working for 20 years. The innocence and light that should be in their eyes isn't there, and they look so worn down and defeated. I hope they went on to have better lives.
@@vivigesso3756 maybe getting rid of all the pedophiles in charge keeping all the money to themselves, who just care about a profit rather than the fucking planet. What is dusty ass Karen who relies on her husband going to say?
My paternal grandfather was 5 years old when his father gave up a life of hardscrabble farming in Western Appalachia and put the wife and kids on a train bound for the cotton mill village 120 miles away. He walked, and led a humongous, prize-winning bull for a fellow who had paid him to do so. This journey would have probably taken a week or more, and word trickled down in the family that the bull "was never any good after that trip". One branch of the family insists that he RODE the bull! Either way, we do know that word travelled ahead that he was coming, and people of the small towns along the way lined the streets to see "the biggest man and the biggest bull in the state" pass by. Some of the ladies along the way had even baked cookies and other goodies for him. I have always entertained the idea that he walked, but might have ridden through some crowded stretches just to entertain the masses. Five years later, when my grandfather was only 10, his father caught a bug that was going around in the mill and died, leaving his mother a widow with four kids to feed. One of his two younger sisters was just 2 years old at the time. Nevertheless, he immediately joined his mother and older brother in the local cotton mill to try and make ends meet. The oldest sister was allowed to keep the toddler in a playpen in the nursery, thus also contributing to the welfare of the family until the time came that she too could get a paying mill job. And so, in spite of the untimely death of their patriarch, the family was keeping it together and eating well. When WW1 broke out, my grandfather was 15 years old. His mother rushed him down and signed the papers to send him off, because his older brother made a higher wage, and everyone thought he wouldn't get drafted if my grandfather was already there. They drafted his brother anyway, but fortunately, he was allowed to serve his time on a base in the states. My grandfather went straight to the front lines however, and got gassed in the hellish trenches of France. After the war, he went back to work in the cotton mills, and much of the time was forced to work 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. The Great Depression years were extremely hard, but he made it through. He died of heart problems when he was only 57. He always blamed the WW1 gas attacks, life in the mills, and worrying over his two sons while they served in WW2 for his poor health and rather short life. It is also interesting to note that his wife (my grandmother) died of heart problems at only 38 years of age after a life spent toiling in the mill. My maternal grandmother was only 16 years old when both her parents died after contracting TB in the same southern cotton mill. (Apparently these crowded, stuffy mills with all the lint flying around were very proficient at spreading diseases.) She was the oldest of five kids, and had to raise three sisters and a brother, the youngest of which was only 3 or 4 years old. Fortunately, a half-uncle by marriage was a boss in the mill, and saw that she got a job that came with a small, three or four room mill house in which they all could live. A much older cousin (they all called her "Aunt Woodie") and her husband helped with the youngest ones, and of course everybody went straight to work in the mill as soon as they were deemed old enough, which was certainly by the age of 12, and often at only 10 years old or even younger.
Like the story of John Foden in a cotton mill in Manchester working in the loom machine he either didn’t hear or was too slow and his head was crushed instantly. He was only 10-12 years old
Lewis Hines died in alone in poverty and obscurity. I like to think those whom he took photos of, to tell their story, where there in spirit when he passed on.
That is so unfortunate. I’m doing a documentary style video on child labor laws currently and this man Hines did a tremendous job documenting this tragic time period.
@@Icegrip12 He was a tragic figure, who really cared about the people he photographed. I read he was also very clever getting past the work bosses and cops who presided over these poor workers, so he could gain access to photography them and the conditions they worked in. He talked himself using various ruses, from what I gathered.
Back then it wasn't that all the parents wanted to make their children work, it was that the pay was so terrible they had no choice. Even having their children work, sometimes the parents had to give up there children in hopes they would have a better life. The factory owners (not all but alot) back then treated every one bad adults and children. A very hard time back then! And people are always whining and protesting now days over things that are not really that bad now. I think people just like to complain now.
@@thenextgeneration9030 didn't say that. I know they still don't treat people right at some places. I worked at a place paying over a $1.25 under the minimum wage because they where "Seasonal".
@@thenextgeneration9030 well I do think people do. Especially in America. If you compare American jobs to 3rd world jobs, 99.5 percent of jobs aren't bad. Guess my point of view was taken from my Grandparents generation of experience. (Great Depression and they originally came from the NE Oklahoma and Missouri area) They went through so much. Seems like people spend to much time looking at what they don't have and what others do, and they don't take time to be thankful for what they do have.
Invariably people will type " what about" to talk about other countries but this is an example for other countries to inspire them to end child labor. If we ended it in the early 20th century they can end it now.
I suppose this proves kids are just as capable as adults even if what they are doing is extremely dangerous, there’s kids still working jobs not suitable for them in third world countries because that’s the way it is. They know nothing other than working to get food on the table or to care for their parents, these photos are sad but it’s still a reality for millions of kids around the world.
they just said that injuries on the job were uncommon....there's a difference from picking vegetables off a farm and working complex industrial machinery...they're "capable" to an extent, but definitely not a suitable job. Unfortunately still a sad reality for many, indeed.
True. The only country at the time noticing and trying to stop child labor was America. Some of the others stopped too because America did. But only some.
I need to correct the narrator when he was talking about the type of machine the young girl Sadie Pfeifer was working on. I've seen this picture in books and the captions are also wrong, the narrator called this machine a loom, but it is a ring spinning frame.
The little girl is standing in front of a spinning frame not a loom....I'm not trying to be a smarty butt I just thought it's important for anyone doing something for school..I worked in textiles for many years of my life around 25 years more or less and that's what those specific machines were called .. I personally worked in the process of getting the cotton ready to be placed into these spinning frames ..First the cotton goes through the Carding then Drawing process and depending on what type of yarn that was needed a combing process was added between the Carding and Drawing process. The work was labor intensive but for the most part it could be enjoyable...
Dear Lord 🙉😪😪😪😪 Who are these children???!!!!!where are their names????????!!!!!!! did they have any mentions with their names??!!! at least they deserve it, this is sad and heartbreaking 😢. After a hard day's work did anyone bathe them in warm water give them hot food hugged kissed asked how they wanted to feel sadness to heaven.I see that many are barefoot and in poor condition 😢😪😢😢.
Well if I hadn’t worked full time three summer starting at age 13 for jtpa a program for low income family’s to offset food stamp hand outs.Temporary work permits for children were issued,if not for that I’d feel guilty about getting ebt
Hey look folks. Democrats are perfectly fine with abuse and exploitation of children right now in America. Children of illegals are abused constantly. Democrats turn their heads because they need the votes
Back in these days children quickly matured into adults through hard work and today children never become adults through lack of work. Hard to say what is better, should have gone for a middle ground.
The only child labor I would be alright with would be newspaper selling being a job children could do to earn their own money, else this is quite a bad part of the industrial era
Those children who worked at factory mills for nearly 80 hrs per week, they all have this tired, hopeless facial expressions with gaunt eyes. How sad.... Being malnurished, over worked in the unhealthy environment surely caused kids with TB.
Now these Childrens Mothers have to work full time instead of them. Now the children have no mother at home to cook, and nurture them, make clothes....babies and children go to day care instead of home with a stable mom. Times were better then...they were told not to smile. Reverse Feminism now !
Good lord, the kind of stupidity & ignorance it takes to watch a video about CHILD LABOUR & say 'times were better then'. If times were so much better then, get off youtube & go out & work 12 hours a day 6 days a week. Idiot.
Shocked? Alot of the expensive products you buy today are made in other countries where these same practices go on. The minerals that go into creating those electric and hybrid car batteries? Dug out of the grounds in Africa by children. Your cell phone and latest video game/computer console? Parts are made in China in sweatshops by children. Those expensive Nike shoes with some basketball players name on them? Once again made in China by what pretty much amounts to slave labor. Michael Jordan might seem like a nice guy but he should be ashamed of himself for allowing his name to be stamped on those overpriced shoes considering where they come from.
Sorry Pal, But the picture of this so called Sadie Pfeifer in Lancaster, SC @ 1:54 is not a picture of a little girl in front of a large loom in a hall. You are mistaken. I've worked in a cotton mill as well as most of my family, and I question the integrity of this whole video.
It is important to have perspective and be grateful, but just because things were really bad in the past doesn’t mean there aren’t real hardships today. Poor people back then were also told the same thing about previous generations.
Brizzy Muñoz I worked in construction (brick layer) with my dad from ages 9-18 now that I graduated high school I’m in college and hopefully get a good job I’m gen Z not a millennial
Michael Park I think you are missing the point here. Many young boys and girls would work instead of going to school. Some would work jobs like in the coal mines. Is that really a place to work for a 9 year old boy or girl to be in. Im 17 and work at dq. I agree to some extent that young people can work. But many of these kids would work so their families would have something to eat. So America told kids that they had to be 14 or over to work (I forgot the age limit sorry). But also still go to school. Again I agree that children can work, but at not this extent as an adult would.
Faronthefiddler I never said anything about the work those children had to do as being 'good'. I know they suffered. I know they died. I know they lost body parts. Now I'll ask the question again. What is wrong with it?
You can see the absence of childhood in their faces. The innocence, gone. The glimmer, gone. So heartbreaking, that they nolonger resemble children, just empty, tired shells in tiny bodies.
They look like adults
Toon Link . Thank you for your prescient comment..... the corporate greed continues. Miss Jenny.
this was so bad god bless the all
yeah thats work
I don't see that rather they looked proud in their work, happy even, you're just projecting
Wow. I’m from Lancaster & never knew this. Crazy. I’ve lived on a mill hill all of my life & can only imagine some of the stories
I just finished watching the mini-series, The Mill and have become very interested in child labor. Thank you for this vid.
That series is so good! It really explores the lives & realities of working class people.
I once worked in a modernized “cotton mill” & I can say from experience this was not an easy job. I can only imagine how hard it was for young children to do that type of work. I can imagine they worked a lot harder than what I once had to do & worked for so little benefit. It breaks my heart. 😢
Seeing the photos make me so sad. They're children. Yet they look like adults who have been working for 20 years. The innocence and light that should be in their eyes isn't there, and they look so worn down and defeated. I hope they went on to have better lives.
Children were not "children" in those days not even "teenager" existed.
Wanda Borowy the term "teenager" didn't come in to the lexicon until the 50's because children no longer were subjected to this
Stormy Voyda yes that's what i was thinking .Then "tween" came in the 90s.
Ok buddy
I noticed the newspaper said "1 cent" for the cost of it. I can't imagine they were paid hardly a scrap for doing what they did.
This still happens today and it leads to trafficking and child slavery. 😦
Liberals say raising taxes will fix this.
@@michaelpark5681 weak troll.
@@rose4490 I got you riled up enough to reply. So I'd argue that I'm a successful troll.
@@vivigesso3756 maybe getting rid of all the pedophiles in charge keeping all the money to themselves, who just care about a profit rather than the fucking planet. What is dusty ass Karen who relies on her husband going to say?
@@vivigesso3756 so you don't care about the children 😂
And my kid lays on the ground screaming if ask him to clean his room.
thats your fault
Lol
That's because you suck as a parent, increase his self-confidence and make him grow up
completely your fault.
Boy I would never do or have done that! My Mama would take care of that!
Thank You and God bless all those Children thank you for all you sacrifice.
Wow. So sad and very beautiful photos at the same time.
Heartbreaking
My paternal grandfather was 5 years old when his father gave up a life of hardscrabble farming in Western Appalachia and put the wife and kids on a train bound for the cotton mill village 120 miles away. He walked, and led a humongous, prize-winning bull for a fellow who had paid him to do so. This journey would have probably taken a week or more, and word trickled down in the family that the bull "was never any good after that trip". One branch of the family insists that he RODE the bull! Either way, we do know that word travelled ahead that he was coming, and people of the small towns along the way lined the streets to see "the biggest man and the biggest bull in the state" pass by. Some of the ladies along the way had even baked cookies and other goodies for him. I have always entertained the idea that he walked, but might have ridden through some crowded stretches just to entertain the masses.
Five years later, when my grandfather was only 10, his father caught a bug that was going around in the mill and died, leaving his mother a widow with four kids to feed. One of his two younger sisters was just 2 years old at the time. Nevertheless, he immediately joined his mother and older brother in the local cotton mill to try and make ends meet. The oldest sister was allowed to keep the toddler in a playpen in the nursery, thus also contributing to the welfare of the family until the time came that she too could get a paying mill job. And so, in spite of the untimely death of their patriarch, the family was keeping it together and eating well.
When WW1 broke out, my grandfather was 15 years old. His mother rushed him down and signed the papers to send him off, because his older brother made a higher wage, and everyone thought he wouldn't get drafted if my grandfather was already there. They drafted his brother anyway, but fortunately, he was allowed to serve his time on a base in the states. My grandfather went straight to the front lines however, and got gassed in the hellish trenches of France. After the war, he went back to work in the cotton mills, and much of the time was forced to work 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. The Great Depression years were extremely hard, but he made it through. He died of heart problems when he was only 57. He always blamed the WW1 gas attacks, life in the mills, and worrying over his two sons while they served in WW2 for his poor health and rather short life. It is also interesting to note that his wife (my grandmother) died of heart problems at only 38 years of age after a life spent toiling in the mill.
My maternal grandmother was only 16 years old when both her parents died after contracting TB in the same southern cotton mill. (Apparently these crowded, stuffy mills with all the lint flying around were very proficient at spreading diseases.) She was the oldest of five kids, and had to raise three sisters and a brother, the youngest of which was only 3 or 4 years old. Fortunately, a half-uncle by marriage was a boss in the mill, and saw that she got a job that came with a small, three or four room mill house in which they all could live. A much older cousin (they all called her "Aunt Woodie") and her husband helped with the youngest ones, and of course everybody went straight to work in the mill as soon as they were deemed old enough, which was certainly by the age of 12, and often at only 10 years old or even younger.
Like the story of John Foden in a cotton mill in Manchester working in the loom machine he either didn’t hear or was too slow and his head was crushed instantly. He was only 10-12 years old
This is probably the first time I’ve ever seen African American kids shown as well, In any photographs of child labor during these times
Lewis Hines died in alone in poverty and obscurity. I like to think those whom he took photos of, to tell their story, where there in spirit when he passed on.
That is so unfortunate. I’m doing a documentary style video on child labor laws currently and this man Hines did a tremendous job documenting this tragic time period.
@@Icegrip12 He was a tragic figure, who really cared about the people he photographed. I read he was also very clever getting past the work bosses and cops who presided over these poor workers, so he could gain access to photography them and the conditions they worked in. He talked himself using various ruses, from what I gathered.
Working at 14, life expectancy of I guess 50. Sounds proportional to what happens today
Back then it wasn't that all the parents wanted to make their children work, it was that the pay was so terrible they had no choice. Even having their children work, sometimes the parents had to give up there children in hopes they would have a better life. The factory owners (not all but alot) back then treated every one bad adults and children. A very hard time back then! And people are always whining and protesting now days over things that are not really that bad now. I think people just like to complain now.
Nope it was the norm. And the education sector was not built up yet
do you think that just because it was bad back then it cant be bad now? people are still mistreated by companies
@@thenextgeneration9030 didn't say that. I know they still don't treat people right at some places. I worked at a place paying over a $1.25 under the minimum wage because they where "Seasonal".
@@glorygracek.1841 "I think people just like to complain now."
@@thenextgeneration9030 well I do think people do. Especially in America. If you compare American jobs to 3rd world jobs, 99.5 percent of jobs aren't bad. Guess my point of view was taken from my Grandparents generation of experience. (Great Depression and they originally came from the NE Oklahoma and Missouri area) They went through so much. Seems like people spend to much time looking at what they don't have and what others do, and they don't take time to be thankful for what they do have.
Invariably people will type " what about" to talk about other countries but this is an example for other countries to inspire them to end child labor. If we ended it in the early 20th century they can end it now.
It’s heartbreaking to watch
What is the melody used in the video?
This remind me a old tv show called, "The Mill". I wish that show never go canceled
In cent back then what like one pound
this is true very true it break my hreat when i heard it im sooooo sorry kids
“It doesn’t say America.” Are you sure about that?
built off the backs of slaves and were letting this shit go on until they were checked. That sounds like it to me.
And American corporations still employ child labor just in other countries. America hasnt changed one bit.
@Melon, the entire world was build on slaves white slaves included and not just America, US was the first country to illegaliss child labor.
Heartbreaking 💔
This was the norm.
For poor people. It was not the norm for middle class & wealthy children.
GREED and 'Cheap Labor' Conservatives.
GREED and 'Cheap Labor' Conservatives.
GREED and 'Cheap Labor' Conservatives.
AVARICE
The children should be playing
That's some good character building right there
Things haven’t changed in places
I suppose this proves kids are just as capable as adults even if what they are doing is extremely dangerous, there’s kids still working jobs not suitable for them in third world countries because that’s the way it is. They know nothing other than working to get food on the table or to care for their parents, these photos are sad but it’s still a reality for millions of kids around the world.
they just said that injuries on the job were uncommon....there's a difference from picking vegetables off a farm and working complex industrial machinery...they're "capable" to an extent, but definitely not a suitable job. Unfortunately still a sad reality for many, indeed.
@@3xitthissid3 1 million kids die in less then 10 years I believe
Saddest thing is things haven't changed for some parts of the world
True. The only country at the time noticing and trying to stop child labor was America. Some of the others stopped too because America did. But only some.
You guys do know that in South America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East they still use child labor?? It hasn’t gone away in those places.
Child labor has been the norm for most of humanity. It's not going away in one day.
But they produced value for the shareholders right?
Sad times
I'm feeling very sad for these children.
Hollywood needs to start making movies about this... going to be a tearjerker
0:24 bottom right lads crosseyed!
Jack Morris ....maybe he had a medical condition called “lazy eye” or it was just a camera anomaly
Very sad story
I need to correct the narrator when he was talking about the type of machine the young girl Sadie Pfeifer was working on. I've seen this picture in books and the captions are also wrong, the narrator called this machine a loom, but it is a ring spinning frame.
In them days they had no choice. So what about children growing up in poverty and their parents are to strung out to take care of them.
The little girl is standing in front of a spinning frame not a loom....I'm not trying to be a smarty butt I just thought it's important for anyone doing something for school..I worked in textiles for many years of my life around 25 years more or less and that's what those specific machines were called .. I personally worked in the process of getting the cotton ready to be placed into these spinning frames ..First the cotton goes through the Carding then Drawing process and depending on what type of yarn that was needed a combing process was added between the Carding and Drawing process. The work was labor intensive but for the most part it could be enjoyable...
What is the background music called??
Dear Lord 🙉😪😪😪😪 Who are these children???!!!!!where are their names????????!!!!!!! did they have any mentions with their names??!!! at least they deserve it, this is sad and heartbreaking 😢. After a hard day's work did anyone bathe them in warm water give them hot food hugged kissed asked how they wanted to feel sadness to heaven.I see that many are barefoot and in poor condition 😢😪😢😢.
Well if I hadn’t worked full time three summer starting at age 13 for jtpa a program for low income family’s to offset food stamp hand outs.Temporary work permits for children were issued,if not for that I’d feel guilty about getting ebt
Hey look folks. Democrats are perfectly fine with abuse and exploitation of children right now in America. Children of illegals are abused constantly. Democrats turn their heads because they need the votes
*knowledge*
Zoom 8c?
And now, it's a culture war issue. Across red states, the GOP is hell-bent on bringing this back.
Kids nowadays are lucky... they dun know how hard lives were for their forefathers!
Back in these days children quickly matured into adults through hard work and today children never become adults through lack of work. Hard to say what is better, should have gone for a middle ground.
We had it pretty good around the '80s-2000s. Then the 2010s rolled around. It was downhill from there.
“It doesn’t say America”??? What about the people who ACTUALLY picked the cotton lol 😂 for the past 100 years
The only child labor I would be alright with would be newspaper selling being a job children could do to earn their own money, else this is quite a bad part of the industrial era
Why the granny music 0:23
Those children who worked at factory mills for nearly 80 hrs per week, they all have this tired, hopeless facial expressions with gaunt eyes. How sad.... Being malnurished, over worked in the unhealthy environment surely caused kids with TB.
_Knowledge_
**knowledge**
Is Sadie Pfeifer related with Michelle? 🤔
😮😮😮😮
Strength
In an unfortunate way, 10 year old children back in the days were more mature than some 20 year old adults nowadays.
Oh so this is what libertarians dream about
cardigansarecool they dream of child labor? Or slavery? (Real question please be nice!)
cardigansarecool The good old days!
cardigansarecool Oh, and no minimum wage, Social Security, National Park System...
You are just absolutely ridiculous
who else has to do this for school?
Now these Childrens Mothers have to work full time instead of them. Now the children have no mother at home to cook, and nurture them, make clothes....babies and children go to day care instead of home with a stable mom. Times were better then...they were told not to smile. Reverse Feminism now !
Good lord, the kind of stupidity & ignorance it takes to watch a video about CHILD LABOUR & say 'times were better then'. If times were so much better then, get off youtube & go out & work 12 hours a day 6 days a week. Idiot.
Hush
Oh for the days of Empire . Britannia waives the rules .
hi
I think that each century should be named and that now is Fred
that is quite possibly the most unintelligent thing i have ever heard
@@joshquinn3927 cap
Big daddy Bennett didn't have children working on his plantation, just sayin...
Shocked? Alot of the expensive products you buy today are made in other countries where these same practices go on. The minerals that go into creating those electric and hybrid car batteries? Dug out of the grounds in Africa by children. Your cell phone and latest video game/computer console? Parts are made in China in sweatshops by children. Those expensive Nike shoes with some basketball players name on them? Once again made in China by what pretty much amounts to slave labor. Michael Jordan might seem like a nice guy but he should be ashamed of himself for allowing his name to be stamped on those overpriced shoes considering where they come from.
This is AmeriKKKa
No one here is for child labor? Okay..
🇺🇲
Sorry Pal, But the picture of this so called Sadie Pfeifer in Lancaster, SC @ 1:54 is not a picture of a little girl in front of a large loom in a hall. You are mistaken. I've worked in a cotton mill as well as most of my family, and I question the integrity of this whole video.
edley roberts cite your sources.
edley roberts
I would have to agree!!
edley roberts - Well if it's not a loom, what the hell is it?
@@millicentbystander5206 It looks like a spinning room
mrs.robert en susu
Integrety
moew
Still looks better than chattel slavery to me🤔
And millennials think they have it bad.
It is important to have perspective and be grateful, but just because things were really bad in the past doesn’t mean there aren’t real hardships today. Poor people back then were also told the same thing about previous generations.
Brizzy Muñoz I worked in construction (brick layer) with my dad from ages 9-18 now that I graduated high school I’m in college and hopefully get a good job I’m gen Z not a millennial
Brandom Castor That’s nice?
Brizzy Muñoz There’s more slavery today than there ever has been in history
They have to live paycheck to paycheck, plus with very expensive stuff. Of course they have it bad
So much for 'white privilege'
Children nowadays need to put to work so they can STOP being so SPOILED and slowly becoming useless adults.
Child labor still exists.
It's called school.
There is nothing wrong with child labor. It is not immoral or wrong.
You are a fucking tool if you really believe that!
Michael Park I think you are missing the point here. Many young boys and girls would work instead of going to school. Some would work jobs like in the coal mines. Is that really a place to work for a 9 year old boy or girl to be in. Im 17 and work at dq. I agree to some extent that young people can work. But many of these kids would work so their families would have something to eat. So America told kids that they had to be 14 or over to work (I forgot the age limit sorry). But also still go to school. Again I agree that children can work, but at not this extent as an adult would.
TROLL MUCH!!
Faronthefiddler I never said anything about the work those children had to do as being 'good'. I know they suffered. I know they died. I know they lost body parts. Now I'll ask the question again. What is wrong with it?
Michael Park ...did you not just answer your own question?