Hannah Brockhausen English/B2

Persuasive Letter
President Woodrow Wilson, I support that the Keating-Owen Child Labor Act should be passed. If this bill is passed, it will be the end to two major problems. The act will prevent the interstate commerce of items made by working children under the age of sixteen and it will therefore limit the amount of child labor in Victorian England. I hope that you will accept my input on the issue and take it into consideration when choosing whether to pass or decline the Keating-Owen Child Labor Act. The Keating-Owen Child Labor Act should be passed because of the poor treatment of the working children. The cruel treatment of working children is portrayed in the poster, A Girls Chance. It lists all of the risks and consequences involved in child labor on a road. The road starts from birth and ends with early death. Some things in between are no mental stimulus, no schooling, accidents, low wages, and premature old age. The Keating-Owen act could change the thoughts in this picture for the better, and the working children will not have to suffer any longer. (Hine) A poster from the Industrial Revolution explains that There is work that profits children, and there is work that brings profit only to employers. The object of employing children is not to train them, but to get high profits from their work. (Solomon-McCarthy) This quote applies to most child labor employers in Victorian England. This is just one of the many ways that children are mistreated and abused because of child labor. The Keating-Owen Child Labor Act should be passed because it will prevent states from selling goods to other states that are made by working children. This will reduce the rate of child labor in America. The Keating-Owen Act states That no producer, manufacturer, or dealer shall ship or deliver for shipment in interstate or foreign commerce, any article or commodity the product of any mine or quarry situated in the United States, in which within thirty days prior to

Hannah Brockhausen English/B2

the time of the removal of such product therefrom children under the age of sixteen years have been employed or permitted to work. (Keating and Owen 1) This will limit the profitability of using child labor and cause businesses that use children as employees to go bankrupt and shut down thus reducing child labor in America. I hope you will consider these thoughts when deciding if the Keating-Owen Child Labor Act should be passed. I know that passing this act will limit child labor and protect working children from the cruel treatment they experience currently. Sincerely,

Hannah Brockhausen