In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, several problems plagued America. Citizens were unhappy with low pay and long hours, a lack of safety in the workplace and the misuse of young children in the factory setting. Living conditions in cities were also very unpleasant, due to overpopulation by immigration and a serious lack sanitation of city streets. Reformers of the Progressive Era effectively addressed and resolved these issues.
One area of reform in the late 19th century and early 20th century was in the workplace. Laborers were paid extremely low wages, were constantly at risk for injury or death, and worked in inadequate conditions. An example of workers being at risk is the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. Due to locked doors and several infringements in fire safety, 146 workers–most of them young women–were either killed by the fire or jumped to their deaths from 8th and 9th story windows. As far as wages go, owners of factories could pay workers as little as they wanted to, since there was no minimum wage set. Owners could also …show more content…
Children sometimes worked unreasonable hours in awful conditions. Some of these children were not even cared for. Orphans that worked in factories were often disregarded by their employers. There was no specific age at which children began to work, whether they worked in factories or as breaker boys in coal mines. There were also no specifics about what kids could or couldn’t do while on the jobs. Eight year olds handled sharp knives in butcher shops. Boys ages eight to twelve working as breaker boys in coal mines quite possibly got early stages of black lung disease. Several child labor laws were eventually passed, limiting the amount of work a child can do and what they can do. Reforms in the workplace created a much safer environment for those that were employed in factories, mines and mills. However, reforms were needed in the rest of society as