The Rise and Demise of the 1924 Child Labor Amendment

Abstract

The Rise and Demise of the 1924 Child Labor Amendment provides a summary of the creation and lifespan of the proposed Child Labor Amendment to the Constitution. The proposed amendment would have given Congress the power to regulate the labor of all persons under eighteen. The thesis is divided into three parts. Part one explains why lawmakers thought the best way to pass national legislation was by way of a constitutional amendment. Part two pertains to how the amendment succeeded in Congress, focusing on the involvement which major social welfare groups had on the passing of the amendment and to the anti-child labor movement. Part three of the thesis covers the timeline of the amendment from its passing until its expiration in 1937 due to unsuccessful ratification, as well as child labor legislation in the 1930s. The section will cover major opposition to the amendment from lawmakers at the local, state and federal levels, factory owners, and other individuals and interest groups. This answers the question- Why did the amendment fail to get enough state ratification? Overall, the thesis documents motivations for the amendment’s creation, how the amendment was able to pass, and why the amendment was ultimately not ratified.