It wasn't that long ago that child labor was common throughout the United States! Children worked long hours in dangerous conditions for very little money. Can you imagine what your life would be like if instead of learning and playing you had to go to work? In this class, we will learn about children who worked in cotton mills in the United States during the late 1800s and early 1900s. We'll explore this topic through primary source photographs. We will examine and discuss each photograph as we answer questions about life for children during this time. What was daily life like for children who had to work? What types of jobs did they do? WHY did kids have to work? Did kids get to have any fun? What did people do to get more freedom in the workplace? How did things change? Does child labor exist anywhere today? We'll explore all of that in more in our one time class.

This class is taught as a teacher-led discussion with lots of input from students! A combination lecture and open discussion is my favorite way to teach. Students are encouraged to contribute to share their thoughts through discussion or by typing in the chat box. Don’t worry there is no pressure to share if you are not feeling it. Often great questions or comments help to change the direction of our class or get us further into these fascinating subjects! 

Students can ask questions and share thoughts throughout our class. Primary source documents and images will be shared to contribute to our discussion. An optional reflection assignment will be provided in the classroom after class.