The making of America's whole child: The evolution of attitudes toward working children during the Progressive Era (1890-1921)

Children have always worked. This thesis examines the history of changing views of the working child and the realization of the three basic rights of the child: the right to education, the right to safety, and the right to health. The conditions of the various workplaces for children propelled legislators to enact several changes in their respective states. New York paved the way towards reformation, which centered on children's needs: this included enforcement of schooling, better health programs, and the emergence of playgrounds, instead of children working. The American child was redefined and gradually accepted. Americans also gained awareness and became more sympathetic towards working children through various publications such as The New York Times and other Child Welfare Reformer publications such as, The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. These publications helped promote a public awareness that child labor in America was a problem. However, child welfare reformers encountered resistance by industrial managers, parents of children, and children themselves. Ultimately, by the end of the Progressive Era, attitudes towards the working child changed dramatically by the realization of the three basic rights of the child and the states' response to them.