Hine's pictures were critical evidence in
disproving those who denied the existence of exploitative conditions. As such
they became the NCLC's most powerful weapons, enabling the Committee to garner
broad public support for the cause by exposing wretched working conditions and
their harmful effects on innocent children, some as young as six.
The
NCLC was not alone in decrying child labor. Numerous organizations protested
the crowded and unsanitary conditions in factories and factory dormitories
where disease spread rampantly. They argued that the rigors of child labor
weakened the future work force; and that at its worst, child labor caused
death. They reasoned that children who were working 10-hour days were unfairly
denied the universal education promised them by the state.
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Hine's pictures were critical evidence in
disproving those who denied the existence of exploitative conditions. As such
they became the NCLC's most powerful weapons, enabling the Committee to garner
broad public support for the cause by exposing wretched working conditions and
their harmful effects on innocent children, some as young as six.
