Final answer:
The statement about American children working in factories and homes in the late 1800s is a fact. Child labor was prevalent during the Industrial Revolution, where Census data records significant child employment. Over time, laws and societal shifts reduced child labor, favoring education instead.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that in the late 1800s, it was common for American children under the age of 15 to work and live in factories and in the homes of the wealthy represents a historical fact. This period, known as the Industrial Revolution, saw a dramatic increase in child labor, especially in sectors such as factories, mines, and agriculture. The 1900 census confirmed that children between ten to fifteen years of age made up about 18 percent of the workforce. Many of these children worked long hours for meager wages, often under dangerous conditions.
Over time, society began to recognize the detrimental effects of child labor, eventually leading to the implementation of compulsory schooling and other laws, which reduced the prevalence of child labor. For example, the Factory Act of 1833 in Britain prohibited children younger than nine from working in textile factories and mandated schooling for child workers.
Despite laws like Prussia's Child Labor Act of 1839, which attempted to protect young workers, economic necessity often led to these laws being circumvented by both families and employers. It wasn't until the late 19th and early 20th centuries that significant strides were made towards eliminating child labor, as governments enacted laws to ban such practices, and societal views shifted towards prioritizing education for children over their participation in the labor force.