Before the revolution most Americans lives revolved around farming But now millions of workers moved to urban areas to work in factories Cities grew quickly Increased immigration to the United States also caused cities to IMMIGRANTS IN THE UNITED STATES Top country of birth among US immigrants 1880 CHINA CHINA CANADA CHINA UNITED KINGDOM CHINA UNITED KINGDOM CHINA UNITED KINGDOM MEXICO MEXICO PACIFIC OCEAN Area was a territory in 1880 but had similar boundaries when it became a state NO DATA GERMANY CANADA CANADA CANADA IRELAND GERMANY IRELAND GERMANY GERMANY GERMANY GERMANY IRELAND IRELAND WASHINGTON DC NO DATA MEXICO IRELAND GERMANY GERMANY IRELAND W N S E CUBA GULF OF MEXICO 6
grow Between 1880 and 1920 the country’s immigrant population rose from 7 million to nearly 14 million Many immigrants found jobs in factories including children As the Industrial Revolution grew several states created child labor laws These laws limited the hours that children could work They also set a minimum working age for children However the laws were not strictly enforced Some parents lied about their children’s ages so they would be allowed to work By 1900 approximately 20 percent of US children had joined the workforce Millions of children found jobs instead of going to school They worked long hours in poor conditions to help support their families Across the United States in mills mines shipyards and more the children of the Industrial Revolution went to work 7
CHAPTER 2 SPINNING COTTON Child labor was not a new idea in the United States In 1791 US Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton suggested that children could be a cheap source of labor for manufacturers A national magazine called Niles Register agreed recommending that girls between the ages of 6 and 12 should perform factory work instead of adult men In factories young girls could fit in small spaces and between machines This young girl monitored two rows of cotton machinery at a mill in Newberry South Carolina 9
