Final answer:
The U.S. government created an agreement with chocolate companies to help end child labor. This response mirrors broader historical efforts to legislate against child labor, which were ultimately realized with the support of various lobby groups and public pressure.
Step-by-step explanation:
The U.S. government's response to the use of child labor in the chocolate industry can be represented by answer option (b): They created an agreement with chocolate companies to help end child labor. Historically, efforts to pass federal legislation banning child labor faced significant challenges until the Great Depression, when there was a recognition of the need to protect jobs for adult men. Child labor laws at state levels were often undermined by interstate commerce, leading to the realization that federal action was needed to effectively address the problem.
The development of political lobby groups and growing public concern eventually pushed the U.S. Congress towards protective legislation. For example, the National Child Labor Committee (NCLC) formed in 1904, played a critical role in urging the passage of labor legislation aimed at banning child labor in the industrial sector. While the federal law prohibiting the interstate shipment of goods made by children under fourteen was voided by the Supreme Court in 1918, these efforts eventually contributed to reforms and regulations which sought to curtail child labor.