How did America often view women and children working in the early factories?

From the start of the Industrial Revolution, people in the UK and US (or 'The Colonies') saw child labor as an economic necessity. Kids had worked on the farm forever, 18 hrs a day, so why not in factories? There were many jobs in textile mills, etc., that benefited from the small hands of children, jobs that couldn't even be done by adults! Plus, just as we think of public education today, it kept kids off the streets, because only few kids could afford to go to school.

We justified slavery in the same way. It was an economic necessity, it allowed blacks who would otherwise be 'idle' to do useful work and to learn about Jesus.

At the time it was just the way of the world since the beginning of time and not seen as anything unusual.

B. They believed it was a good thing. Everyone in the family had to work in some way. Factories could be good places to work if you didn't have better options.

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