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No it didn't. People went on strike and middle class people fought for those things. Eliminating child labor was a major feather in the Progressive movement's c

by throwway120385 26d ago

No it didn't. People went on strike and middle class people fought for those things. Eliminating child labor was a major feather in the Progressive movement's cap. Don't pretend like any of that was spontaneous.

WalterBright 26d ago
Both happened at the time it became uneconomic to employ children, and productivity was sufficient that people didn't have to work that many hours. Why do you suppose there was an exemption for farm work? It's because children were needed to bring in the harvest. Children are lousy workers. What jobs in your workplace do you think they could do? None in any place I've worked.
- tombert 26d ago
  > None in any place I've worked. Oh, well, if you don't think that children would be good at making compilers then child labor must not have been a problem. I guess you have a point.
  - WalterBright 26d ago
    Have a look at what children were doing at work, and then come back. In once case I know of, the children in a textile factory worked all day at replacing spent spools of thread on the weaving machines. They were replaced by a machine that did the same thing, at much lower cost. Are there any jobs at your work place that would be productively performed by children? Have you ever gotten your kids to clean their rooms or do their homework?
    - tombert 26d ago
      No, I was making fun of the fact that you haven't seen something and you act like this is compelling evidence of anything.
      - WalterBright 26d ago
        If you can find a dip in productivity after the laws were passed, you'd have a case.
- Timon3 25d ago
  Then why are there so many signs of increasing child labor in the US? Why are Republicans rolling back protections? https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/22/child-labor-protections-republicans https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/22/child-labor-... Note that the article only measures violations of child labor laws, i.e. there are (presumably many times more) children working without violating the laws. Why are people deliberately employing lousy workers? Why are business owners lobbying to allow these lousy workers to work more hours?

WalterBright 26d ago

Both happened at the time it became uneconomic to employ children, and productivity was sufficient that people didn't have to work that many hours. Why do you suppose there was an exemption for farm work? It's because children were needed to bring in the harvest. Children are lousy workers. What jobs in your workplace do you think they could do? None in any place I've worked.

tombert 26d ago
> None in any place I've worked. Oh, well, if you don't think that children would be good at making compilers then child labor must not have been a problem. I guess you have a point.
- WalterBright 26d ago
  Have a look at what children were doing at work, and then come back. In once case I know of, the children in a textile factory worked all day at replacing spent spools of thread on the weaving machines. They were replaced by a machine that did the same thing, at much lower cost. Are there any jobs at your work place that would be productively performed by children? Have you ever gotten your kids to clean their rooms or do their homework?
  - tombert 26d ago
    No, I was making fun of the fact that you haven't seen something and you act like this is compelling evidence of anything.
    - WalterBright 26d ago
      If you can find a dip in productivity after the laws were passed, you'd have a case.
Timon3 25d ago
Then why are there so many signs of increasing child labor in the US? Why are Republicans rolling back protections? https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/22/child-labor-protections-republicans https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/22/child-labor-... Note that the article only measures violations of child labor laws, i.e. there are (presumably many times more) children working without violating the laws. Why are people deliberately employing lousy workers? Why are business owners lobbying to allow these lousy workers to work more hours?