book chapter

Italian migrant workers in turn-of-the-century New Jersey

italian americans and their public and private life: proceedings of the 24th annual conference of the american italian historical association, new haven, ct, november 14-16, 1991 • Staten Island, New York • Published In 1993 • Pages: 36-47

By: Hahamovitch, Cindy.

Abstract
This study takes a somewhat revisionist stance on the use of child labor in the New Jersey cranberry bogs. Reformers and progressives of the time sensationalized the exploitation of child labor by their parents and regarded the Italian family and the padroni who recruited them as 'depraved' and 'perverse.' Hahamovitch argues that in the case of Italian immigrant families, child labor was part of the household, all of whose members worked together in the fields in order to maximize the family income and eventually work their way out of the bogs.
Subjects
Labor supply and employment
Labor relations
culture
Italian Americans
HRAF PubDate
2000
Region
North America
Sub Region
Regional, Ethnic and Diaspora Cultures
Document Type
book chapter
Evaluation
Creator Type
Unknown
Analyst
Ian Skoggard ;1999
Field Date
not specified
Coverage Date
1905-1930
Coverage Place
southern New Jersey, United States
Notes
Cindy Hahamovitch
Includes bibliographical references (p. 45-47)
LCCN
92056143
LCSH
Italian Americans