Which evidence best supports the opinion that child labor was needed to help families survive?
O "Children grew up in homes regulated by the mills'
schedule
"Older children came and went in the mills as they
pleased
Children grew up in homes regulated by the mills
schedule. ... Older children came and went in the mills
as they pleased, bringing meals to parents and learning to
do factory labor as they played with friends in the factory.
Sometimes young children assisted parents or older
brothers and sisters with their work, increasing the wage
earner's paycheck while also learning skills that they
would use as employees in their own right years later.
Most children entered full-time work in the mill by age
twelve, dropping out of school or moving between school
and work as necessity dictated.
-- from Like a Family: The Making of a Southern Cotton
Mill World,
James Leloudis
"Sometimes young children assisted parents or
older brothers and sisters with their work."
"Most children entered full-time work in the mill by
age twelve as necessity dictated