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Transcription
Children in the 1930s were protected under child labor laws, limiting their work day to eight hours. They wore homemade or catalog-purchased clothing. Their entertainment mainly relied on imagination and playing games like tag and jump rope. Children competed for jobs to contribute to their families. Many schools closed due to financial burdens. Child labor laws were enacted to ensure their safety and education. Children as young as 10 worked in agriculture during summer vacation. Laws were eventually put in place to protect children, including the Fair Labor Standards Act. Fun facts include the founding of the World Cup, premiere of The Wizard of Oz, invention of Scotch tape, popularity of radio, completion of the Empire State Building, and notable events like Amelia Earhart's solo flight and FDR becoming president. Hello. Welcome back to Living in the 30s. I'm Caro. I'm Rami, and I'm Leah. Today in this episode, we are going to talk about how children got treated in the 1930s. Well, let's get into it. Caro, aren't the lives of kids now and kids in the 30s so different? Yes, Mia. They're so different now. Back then, children were at least protected under child labor, which limited their work day to eight hours and provided guidelines for employment of minors. Most kids do chores around the house now instead of working in factories. Hey, Dani, speaking of children from back then, I wonder, what type of clothes did they wear? That's a good question. Many children wore homemade clothing or items purchased from mail order catalogs during the Great Depression. Mothers often remained children's clothing from other items, including flour and feedstock. That was an interesting question. Mia, have you seen that new movie that came out recently? Yeah. I wonder, what type of entertainment did children use in the 30s? Do you know? Yes, Dani, I do know. The greater form of entertainment for most children was their own imagination. Kids used whatever was laying around to create their own games and toys. Girls made rag dolls, and kids played schoolyard games like tag and jump rope. Wow, I didn't know that. I know, right? Well, moving on, Caro, do you know what expectations society had for children throughout the Great Depression? No, I didn't, but I did do some research on Google Scholar. I found that children competed for jobs with their elders in an effort to make contributions to their families. Well, thanks, Google Scholar. Wait, did they go to school, or did they just work in factories all day? Most schools closed in some instances or shortened their academic year because districts could no longer bear the burden of teachers' salaries and administrative costs. Almost 20,000 schools nationwide have been closed down. Wow, it must have been so hard for them to get educated. Let's go back to talking about child labor. What did the government say about this? All I know is that it was a 12-hour shift on tobacco, beet, and cotton plantations. I also know that child labor laws were enacted to ensure that when young people work, their work is safe and does not affect their health or education. Wow, those poor children. That must have been so hard for them. Caro, do you know what kind of jobs you had in the 30s? Actually, yes, I do. Two million children ages 10 to 18 still worked, and 700,000 children were under the age of 15. Most worked in the agricultural sector during the summer vacation. Wow, that's a young age to start working. Children had so much stuff to do at such a young age. Were there any laws to protect children during this time? No, there weren't any laws. Mia! Yes, there are laws to protect children, such as the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 set a national minimum wage for the first time, a maximum number of hours for workers in interstate commerce, and placed limitations on child labor. In effect, the employment of children under 16 years of age was prohibited in manufacturing and mining. Well, that is our segment about how children lived in the 1930s. Thank you for watching Living in the 30s. Don't forget to hit the notification bell to watch more of our episodes. Fun fact. One fact about the 1930s is that's the year that the World Cup was founded. The second fact is that the Wizard of Oz was premiered in 1939. The third fact was when Scotch tape was invented. The fourth fun fact is that radio was huge. For entertainment, children and families often listened to the radio during the Great Depression. Nearly 40% of families owned a radio. The fifth fun fact is the U.S. found its national anthem. Francis Scott Keyes' Star-Spangled Banner was officially named the United States national anthem. The sixth fact is when the Empire State Building was completed in 1931. The seventh fun fact is that female flight changed forever. Amelia Earhart became the first female aviator to successfully fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. The eighth fun fact is that FDR fixed the helm. On March 4, 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt became the 32nd President of the United States. The ninth fun fact is when the fabled Loch Ness Monster was spotted in Scotland for the first time. The tenth fun fact is when Disney introduced the character of Donald Duck in the animated short, The Little White Hen. The eleventh and the last fun fact is TV started to emerge. The first public television broadcast began in London.
