Imagine waking up at five in the morning to walk over a mile to a factory where you work until noon where you have a half hour break for lunch, then you go back to work until nine or ten in the evening, when you are finally allowed to go home and you are only eight years old. Today it seems unimaginable, but in the early 19th century, this was the daily life of thousands of children ranging in age from five years old until your death. During the Industrial Revolution, many children had to do hazardous work to help their families. Child labor has existed for hundreds of years. “Children of poor and working-class families worked for centuries before industrialization” (Tuttle 1). Before children were needed in factories, they worked on family farms, tending the fields or animals, and over time, families left the farms for cities where children still had to work. Children worked for many reasons: their parents could not work and so responsibilities were transferred to the children; others included the simple need for more money to feed the whole family. Big companies welcome the growing number of child workers because for them it means cheap labor and cheap workers who can be easily replaced. The exact number of working children is unknown and has been estimated as noted in several articles such as this one: "In 1900, more than two million children, mostly immigrant children under the age of sixteen, were employees” (Wagner 1). Parents wanted their children to work as early as possible so they could get as much income as possible, parents often did illegal things to get their children to work, "The boys' parents often presented a false birth certificate with a date altered.... .. middle of paper ...... children get distorted. Standing for hours as the still growing legs and spine twisted, causing constant pain. Working in factories also led to the loss of fingers and limbs that could get caught in the constantly moving machinery. Works Cited Wagner, Jennifer. “The History of Child Labor During the American Industrial Revolution.” » IHS Child Slave Labor. 2002. October. Internet. 2. April. 2014. Tuttle, Carolyn. “Child Labor During the British Industrial Revolution.” EH.net. 14. August. 2001. Internet. 2. April. 2014. “Child Labor.” Britannica School. 2014. Internet. 2. April. 2014. “Child Labor in United States History.” Public education project on child labor. 2011. Internet. 2. April. 2014 Trueman, Chris. “Children in the Industrial Revolution.” History learning site. 2013. Internet. 2.April. 2014. “Black Lung.” United Mine Workers of America. Internet. April 30. 2014