LAD #23: Keating-Owen child labor act of 1916

In the Keating-Owen act, child labor hours were limited and the interstate trade of products made by children was outlawed. By 1900 over 2 million children were reported to be working in the American factory system. This census outraged many Americans and started a reform movement to limit child labor. The National child Labor committee was formed and they hired Lewis Hine to photograph children in factories. In addition, authors such as Charles Dickens ridiculed child labor with such novels as Oliver Twist. Although the bill tried to limit child labor, it was defeated in 1918 in the courtcase Hammer v. Dagenhart. Government power over child labor finally succeeded in 1938 with the Fair Labor Standards Act. which won the court case U.S. v. Darby.