When Children Raised Their Voice in Protest Essay Example
When Children Raised Their Voice in Protest Essay Example

When Children Raised Their Voice in Protest Essay Example

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  • Pages: 8 (2069 words)
  • Published: September 18, 2016
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Child labor has been a significant issue in the history of our nation, persisting from the inception of our country until the early decades of the twentieth century. According to the 1900 United States census, approximately 1.75 million children, representing six percent of the country's workforce, were engaged in paid labor. It is important to note that many child laborers may not have been included in these records.

Child labor was prevalent in various sectors, including agriculture, domestic tasks such as food preservation, childcare, cooking, and cleaning. Industries like glass and textile manufacturing and mining also employed numerous children.

In urban areas, impoverished families frequently sent their children to work at young ages as servants and helpers starting from nine or ten years old. Common jobs for city-dwelling children included

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selling candy, shining shoes, making deliveries,and carrying messages.

One of the most common jobs that children took on to earn money for themselves and their families was selling newspapers. These boys, also known as "newsies," along with a few girls, were often seen and heard on city streets, using their voices to sell the latest scandalous stories featured in tabloid papers. It is difficult to determine the exact number of newsies, as even the U.S. Census Bureau stated that accurately counting these workers is extremely challenging due to the nature of their occupation.

Many newsboys lacked licenses to sell papers and would deceive statisticians, rendering the data unreliable. Nevertheless, most historians concur that approximately 80% of boys aged eleven to fifteen engaged in paper sales. Cities with substantial numbers of newsies included New York City, Chicago, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, and Dallas. During

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the turn of the century, these young laborers engaged in a monumental struggle akin to David's battle against Goliath in New York City. This pivotal event reshaped perceptions of child labor throughout the nation. While numerous newsies in New York City were "street waifs" - abandoned or homeless children - the majority attended school and had homes to return to.

The children described in this passage were the offspring of impoverished immigrants, with a significant portion being Russian-Jewish or Italian (Nasaw 68). As the demand for afternoon and evening newspapers rose, these children had the privilege of relaxing for an hour or two after school before embarking on the competitive task of selling papers. However, before they could start selling, the children needed to buy the newspapers themselves. Each bundle of one hundred newspapers cost fifty cents, and each individual paper could be sold for one cent. Therefore, the kids had to consider various factors like headlines, weather conditions, sports scores, and their previous night's sales figures before making their purchase.

They had to estimate carefully because the unsold papers could not be refunded. In 1898, due to the Spanish-American War, newspapers were flourishing. Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst, who managed the New York Journal and the New York World respectively, increased the price of 100 newspapers to sixty cents in order to profit from the high demand. The newsboys accepted this change, but when demand decreased again, they demanded that the new prices be cancelled. For most newsboys, earning 25 to 30 cents a day, ten cents was crucial for their livelihood.

The millionaires viewed the raise as important, and

this perspective was even more significant for them. Despite this, Pulitzer and Hearst refused to lower prices. The newsboys conversed with each other on how to respond. On July 19, 1899, they met in City Hall Park to announce the formation of a union and their decision to go on strike. The boys assembled, established their plans, and elected leaders for the strike. In 1899, child strikes began in New York City with the messenger boys.

The workers expressed discontent with the inconsistent hours and lack of job stability, along with their demand for fairer prices on uniforms. One worker had to pay $26 for a uniform that was actually worth only $5. The strike, which lasted just one day, was mostly unsuccessful due to the boys' failure to organize and unite under strong leadership (Bartoletti 46). In July, the bootblacks, also referred to as shoeshiners in New York City, initiated a strike because they were unhappy about their employers installing cash registers at all locations and requiring the boys to handle every sale.

The bootblacks were displeased with their integrity being doubted. However, a compromise was reached in that strike - the bosses retained the cash registers, but the boys received a one-dollar salary increase. It is likely that these other youth strikes served as inspiration for the newsies to also defy their bosses. One factor that influenced the newsies to strike at that particular moment was the ongoing strike of Brooklyn streetcar operators. The newsie leaders reasoned that since the police were preoccupied with them, a few striking children would be considered a lesser threat.

Boots McAleenan explained to a

Sun reporter that the strike was taking place at the moment because the police were occupied, allowing them to confront any unaffiliated newsboys without interference. The leader of the strike was a newsboy named "Kid Blink," a young boy who had only one eye. Despite his young age, he possessed great charisma and succeeded in convincing the other newsboys to set aside their differences and unite against the newspapers. During a rally, Blink addressed 2,000 child strikers and declared, "My friends and fellow workers, this is a challenging time that tests the courage of men."

During this time, unity was crucial as the newsies had to stick together tightly. Various newsie leaders had unique nicknames, such as Boots, “Crazy” Arborn, “Racetrack” Higgens, “Crutch” Morris, “Jimmy the Goat”, and “Blind” Diamond. They positioned themselves on the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge and displayed signs advocating against purchasing the Journal or the World. They also distributed handbills with a request to refrain from buying these newspapers. The strike rapidly expanded to encompass the entire city, including regions in New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.

During the strike, there were certain boys who chose not to join the majority and were labeled as scabs, resulting in strong dislike towards them. Jack Sullivan, one of the strike leaders, instructed his followers to attack anyone selling "de Woild" or "Joinal". These encounters with scabs usually ended quickly and heavily favored the strikers. However, it is important to note that women were never targeted or harmed by the newsboys. Even though a few young women continued selling newspapers near Brooklyn Bridge during this time, they maintained their

business activities and even interacted with the striking boys. A passerby noticed this unique situation and asked about it. The response given was that although they felt sorry about it, they couldn't help but refrain from fighting women. Nonetheless, the newsies often resorted to violence such as throwing stones at delivery vehicles and tearing apart papers found inside them. In an effort to stop these truck attacks, Hearst decided to hire a large group of strong men and boys for two dollars per day. Unfortunately, this attempt proved ineffective when a group of twelve older youths attempted to sell their papers but were swiftly overwhelmed by fifty strikers.

Two wagons filled with Worlds and Journals were brought later on, along with around thirty men and boys who had come to sell the papers. However, by that time, the number of strikers had increased to about 100, and they swiftly attacked the wagons together. According to the New York Times report from July 25th, the defenders strongly fought back against the boys using sticks and punches, which made them retreat. Nonetheless, the youngsters consistently regrouped and continued their assault.

The newsies vigorously protested in front of the World and Journal offices during the strike, organizing multiple rallies and demonstrations. Despite some arrests, their determination never wavered. On July 23, five days into the strike, a widely publicized meeting took place at Irving Hall in Lower Manhattan. Representatives from all boroughs of Greater New York, Hoboken, and Jersey City attended. The strike leaders had also planned a parade involving 5,000 boys on that day; however, unfortunately, the newsies were unable to secure the required permit.

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The hall was packed with around 2000 boys, including newsies occupying every available space, including windowsills. Despite this, there were still over 3000 boys remaining on the street (New York Times, July 25). The gathering attracted two important figures who spoke to demonstrate that the strikers had received support from ordinary people. L. A. Snitkin, speaking on behalf of Assemblyman Charley Adler, informed the boys that Mr. Adler couldn't be present but wanted to express his support and confidence in their victory.

Ex-Assemblyman Philip Wissig, who also sold papers in 1860, praised the boys for their determination in fighting for their rights. Notable child speakers included Mr. Symonds, President of the Newsboys Union, as well as "Bob Indian" and "Kid Blink," introduced as the "master workman." Kid Blink, who had participated in some of the attacks on carts and trucks, acknowledged that it was wrong and urged the boys to stop. He ended his speech by promising a "monster parade."

Following the meeting, there was a reduction in attacks on drivers and delivery wagons. The strikers were notified by leaders of Newsie that the parade would occur on July 27. However, both Kid Blink and his second-in-command, Dave Simons, did not appear on the designated day which raised suspicions of bribery by Hearst and Pulitzer. Despite this development, the strike persisted.
A few days later, Simons was discovered selling papers with a group of friends but they were outnumbered by strikers who destroyed six thousand papers before reinforcements arrived. The police's attempt to intervene with nightsticks proved ineffective.

Shortly after, Kid Blink was seen wearing different clothing, raising suspicions among the newsies

that he had betrayed them. This made the young strikers furious, leading them to pursue him and accuse him of being a traitor. Fortunately for Kid Blink, two detectives reached him first and took him into custody for disorderly conduct. It was in jail that his true identity as Louis Ballatt was revealed. His mother paid his bail and he was released. Despite the accusations against him, Kid Blink remained adamant in denying his wrongdoings and promised to continue fighting with renewed determination (The New York Daily Tribune, July 28).

The newspapers had lost their determination to resist by then. Don Sietz, the managing editor and chief correspondent of the New York World, informed Joseph Pulitzer in a memo on July 24 that circulation had dropped by almost two-thirds. He suggested it was time to yield to the striking workers. On August 2, 1899, after two weeks, the strike finally ended with a compromise. The cost of one hundred newspapers remained unchanged, but both newspapers agreed to repurchase any unsold copies. In addition to this compromise, the strike had various short-term and long-term consequences.

The newsboy strike of 1899 had a significant influence on subsequent strikes, such as those in Butte, Montana in 1914 and Louisville, Kentucky in the 1920s. The determination and fervor displayed by children during the newsies strike elevated it to a crucial event in American labor history. These underprivileged children, with their unique way of speaking and captivating names, became heroes for others who similarly endured extended working hours, meager wages, and mistreatment from employers.

The actions and mindset of the young newsboys, who were joining unions

and considering striking, resonated with others in the same situation. This is possibly why the story continues to captivate people and has been adapted into film and theater in recent years. In 1992, Disney created a movie musical called Newsies, which presented the 1899 strike from the perspective of these boys. Now, on March 15th, a highly anticipated Broadway show based on the movie will premiere. The strike's most significant outcome was demonstrating that children had a voice and could achieve something independently.

The strike brought attention to the unfair treatment of children and made adults realize that they were being treated unjustly. It was believed that children who were nine or ten years old were too young to work. Advocates campaigned for new child welfare practices in order to improve the conditions of newsboys. In 1938, Congress passed the Fair Labor Standards Act, which introduced restrictions on children's working hours and established minimum ages for specific jobs. This marked the first official action taken against child labor, leading to subsequent improvements in child labor policy and ultimately enhancing the quality of life for newsboys and children throughout the country.

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