Final answer:
Child labor was particularly prevalent during the industrial era, with children working in perilous conditions for low pay. Progressive reforms ultimately led to mandatory education laws and reduced child labor in industries. Key reforms began in the 1830s, but it took decades for significant change to be implemented and enforced.
Step-by-step explanation:
Child labor has been a persistent issue, especially prominent during the period of rapid industrialization in Great Britain and the United States. In the 19th century, with the absence of substantial labor laws, children often worked long hours in dangerous factory settings for very low wages.
Notable figures like Charles Dickens depicted the grim reality of such working-class children, while reformists campaigned for better working conditions and education opportunities.
In the early 20th century, major strides were made towards improving conditions for working children. The rise of progressive reforms led to a decrease in industrial child labor as laws mandating compulsory education and restricting child employment were enacted. This progressive wave led to a significant reduction in child labor by the early 1900s.
Laws such as Prussia's Child Labor Act of 1839 began the slow process of reform by setting age and work hour restrictions, but widespread enforcement was still lacking. It would take the persistent pressure of labor advocates and changing societal attitudes towards education for children to transition from factories to schoolrooms.
By 1900, the number of working children under 16 in the U.S. industrial workforce dropped to 284,000 from a disturbingly high number in 1880.