CP American Cultures
Progressive Era
Child Labor Project
(Due: Monday, 2/11)
The use of children in the workplace increased dramatically in the time period after the
Civil War. Industrialization combined with the influx of immigrants provided a recipe for
the exploitation of children to perform menial, repetitive tasks for little pay. The United
States became a manufacturing giant, but at a cost.
Using the accounts we have read of child labor in The Jungle, and other sources as well as
photographs you find in your research, you will imagine yourself as a child laborer in
Progressive Era America. This first-person viewpoint should guide your work throughout
this project.
The project will include (all in one document):
1. Cover Page (5 Points) – Should include a title, your name, and a picture connected
to your journal character.
2. Journal Entry (20 Points) – Write a 1 page journal entry as a child laborer. In your
entry, you should comment on both your working and living conditions. Make
sure to rely on accounts from the sources we have encountered in class.
3. Letter to the Editor (10 Points)—Write a 150-200 word letter to the editor of your
city newspaper in which you argue either for or against child labor. In other
words, address the issue of whether it is right that 12-16 year old children were able
to work in factories and mines.
4. Photo Gallery (10 Points) – Collect at least 10 images showing both child labor in
the U.S. during the progressive era as well as current child labor worldwide. You
should have at least 6 photos from the Progressive Era (no more than 8),
representing at least 3 industries. Each photo should include a caption that contains
information about the type of work performed, the location, and potential dangers
associated with that job.
5. Contemporary Connections (20 Points) – The final part of this project will consist
of a longer essay (4 paragraphs) comparing contemporary child labor practices to
those of the Progressive Era. In this section you should focus on the working
conditions, worker’s rights, and type of labor performed by child workers in both
eras.
a. Start with an introductory paragraph describing general ways in which these
two eras of child labor relate to each other and introduce the position you
will take in the conclusion.
b. The second paragraph should discuss how the two eras are similar.
c. The third should outline any differences you see between the two eras.
d. The final paragraph should evaluate whether conditions are better globally
today than they were in the United States at the turn of the 20th Century. You
should use evidence from the first section of this essay to support your
claims.
6. Works Cited (5 Points) – Each source of information you consulted for this project,
including material from class, should have a citation. Consult the MLA format
guidelines: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/05
You will have various opportunities to work on this assignment in class. However, you will
likely have to do some work on it at home as well.
Grading: Each section will be graded on the “4 point rubric” you have been using all year.
Suggested Resources
Progressive Era Child Labor:
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Jacob Riis, “The Working Girls of New York” http://www.bartleby.com/208/20.html
Lewis Hine Photographs: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/search/?st=grid&co=nclc
Selections from Upton Sinclair, The Jungle (On Wikispaces)
“The Boys in the Breakers” from Anthracite Coal Communities by Peter Roberts (On
Wikispace)
History Place for photos: http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/childlabor
Modern Child Labor:
 The New York Times Subject Portal:
http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/subjects/c/child_labor/in
dex.html
 Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context
 Global Issues in Context
***If you have any questions about this assignment or need help finding resources, talk to
me and we can set up a time to meet.***