In 1938 Congress passed the Fair Labor Standards Act, setting, among other things, the minimum age at which a child can be gainfully employed. Before that, children as young as 6 years old labored for entire days in factories, fields, and various trades, earning little pay, no benefits, and (one would assume) barely a ‘thank you’ from their slave-master bosses. Children of poor families were often expected to work and help support themselves and their families. Of course this left little time … [Read more...]