IN 1874 what was the minimum age to work in a factory?

Answer 1

In 1874 the youngest worker was about 6 years old. There were no child labor laws at the time ( not until much later). Most children who did work in 1874 were not in factories but on farms. At this time 90% of the United States was farming and they worked on the family farm but were also hired out to other farms. The parents could keep the wages of the child until they reached 21. A new supply of child workers began in the last quarter of the 19th century with the number of jobs children could do and the numbers of immigrant children entering the country. Eighteen percent of the children from ages 10-15 years old were employed by 1900. In southern cotton mills 25% of the workers were below the age of 15 with half of these below the age of 12. In 1904 National Child Labor committee was formed to reform child labor, but it wasn't until 1924 that any laws were passed that could be upheld in court.