Child Labor during the American Industrial Revolution

Mrs. Angie Bagley

Our Lady Queen of Martyrs

 

 

Introduction:

Has someone ever told you to appreciate your education and the nice modern things you have? If you haven’t, you should. In the late 1800’s to early 1900’s many children did not attend school. They didn’t stay home and play with their toys. They went to work, that’s right, WORK! 

 

It all started with the end of the Civil War, the period known as the “Rise of Industrial America” came to be. The Industrial Revolution was characterized by new inventions that made many people’s daily lives easier. It created products that we would not image our lives without today. This time period created entrepreneurs, who became wealthy and it moved some to the middle class. In acquiring employees, many factories had children as young as three working. 

 

 

Task:

You and a partner will be completing a American History Public Policy Analyst (AHPPA) Web Quest in order to learn about child labor during the American Industrial Revolution. After completing the AHPPA, you will use the information gathered and individually create a news article for the Kids Times Magazine depicting the issue of child labor.

 

 

Process/Resources:

1. You will work in a group of two. Each member is equally responsible for the group’s performance.

 

2. In your group, you will use the Web Quest to get information about child labor during     the American Industrial Revolution. The first thing you will do is go on to the following website: Child Labor during the American Industrial Revolution and read information through that site. Other sites are found at the bottom of this Web Quest.

 

3. Then you will use the above website or any of the ones at the bottom and complete the following worksheets with your partner.

         Step 1: Define the Problem

         Step 2: Gather evidence

         Step 3: Determine the cause of the problem

         Step 4: Evaluate the policy

         Step 5: Identifying benefits

         Step 6: Identifying cost

 

4. Now you will separate from your partner and work individually to create your newspaper article using the data from the worksheets.

 

 

Resources:

http://www2.needham.k12.ma.us/nhs/cur/Baker_00/2002_p7/ak_p7/childlabor.html#intro

 

http://www.history.com/topics/child-labor

 

http://www.continuetolearn.uiowa.edu/laborctr/child_labor/about/us_history.html

 

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/history-child-labor

 

Videos:

http://www.history.com/topics/child-labor/videos

 

U.S. Child Labor 1908-1920

 

 

Evaluation:

F: 0 points

D: 1-3 points

C: 4-6 points

B: 7-9 points

A: 10-12 points

 

 

Conclusion:

Having completed this WebQuest, you are able to understand the Industrial Revolution and how it played a part in child labor. With this knowledge, you should be able to understand the circumstances that children your age experienced in the past in order to help their families survive.

 

 

Standards:

-Social Studies Standard 1:  History of the United States and New York

Key 3- Study about the major social, political, economic, cultural, and religious developments in New York State and United States history involves learning about the important roles and contributions of individuals and groups.

 

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.3
Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.

 

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.2.A
Introduce a topic clearly and group related information in paragraphs and sections; include formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.