A Pictorial Walk Through the 20th Century In the early years of
the 20th century, children as young as eight years old worked in
the coal mines. The work was hard and the "little boys" grew old
and stooped before their time. An 1885 law required boys to be
at least twelve to work in the coal breakers and at least
fourteen to work inside the mines. A 1902 law raised the age to
fourteen to work in the breakers. Although child labor laws did
not allow children under fourteen to work in the mines, some
states did not have compulsory registration of birth. Boys were
passed off as "small for their age". The Children's Bureau was
created within the Department of Commerce and Labor on April 9,
1912. It was transferred to the newly created Department of
Labor on March 4, 1913. The first Federal Child Labor Law was
signed by President Woodrow Wilson on September 1, 1916. The
following is a series of pictures and stories about children who
worked long hours in this country's coal mines and the most
common jobs they perf