In Hammer v. Dagenhart (1918), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled it was unconstitutional for Congress to enact child labor laws, which was the right of states only. In the Progressive Era, public outcry against child labor grew. Children worked 60-70 hours a week, often in hazardous conditions, which documentary photographer Lewis Hines said left them “stunted mentally and physically.” Child accident rates were three times those of adults. While recognizing the adverse effects, the Court said Congress could not control such practices when they involved products, such as cotton goods, that were not inherently immoral. Read more about labor laws over the last century in Tazia and Gemma (see NOVELS).
