Working at Mid-Century
In the years before the Civil War, most workers labored from dawn to dusk, six days
a week, without benefits. Although many Northerners criticized the South for
exploiting slave labor, Southerners criticized the industrial wage system, mostly in
the North, for exploiting free workers. Both North and South used children—cheap
labor—for full workdays. While 10-year-old slave children worked in the fields like
adults, one Northern mill employed 100 children ages four to ten.
MILL WORKERS
Approximately 80 percent of textile-mill workers were young women between
the ages of 15 and 30. The day began with a bell for a quick breakfast in
the boarding house, followed by a march to the factory, and the tending of
machines all day. Workers put up with heavy dust, the roar of machines, and
hot air with windows nailed shut to keep in the humidity. When competitive
pressure increased on the owners,
workers had to speed up their work
for lower wages. Children made $1
a week; older girls and women, $3;
men, $6.
Courtesy George Eastman House
Length of Day: 12 hours
Type of Labor: operating machines
Payment: $1 to $6 a week
COTTON PLANTATION FIELD SLAVES
The field slave’s day during cotton harvest began
with a bell an hour before dawn, a quick breakfast,
and then a march to the fields. Men, women, and
children spent the entire day picking cotton, bundling
it, and coming back after dark carrying bales of cot-
ton to the gin house. They then made their own sup-
pers and ate quickly before falling asleep on wooden
planks. No other antebellum workers had such harsh,
brutal treatment imposed on them. For most field
slaves, the master’s whip was a constant threat.
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Length of Day: pre-dawn until after dark
Type of Labor: picking and bundling cotton
Payment: substandard food and shelter
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