History Professor, Dr. Betsy Wood Presents at Georgetown Law School Symposium on Work & Poverty
Bard High School Early College Newark Assistant Professor of History Dr. Betsy Wood was the opening speaker Friday, March 1, 2024 at the Georgetown Law School Symposium on Work & Poverty in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Wood spoke on the history of child labor in the U.S.–and efforts to abolish it–and how this history informs the present moment. The talk was based on her 2020 book, “Upon the Altar of Work: Child Labor & the Rise of a New American Sectionalism.” Dr. Wood has received national attention for her work in this area as states have sought to weaken child labor laws over the past couple of years.
Wood’s research explains how the effort to abolish child labor in the U.S. was never a straightforward story of progress. Rather, this effort was part of a decades-long battle between anti- and pro- child labor movements that faced off for more than 100 years of American history. Dr. Wood’s talk at Georgetown strives to explain how what is happening in the U.S. today regarding the rollback of child labor laws is a revival of a long-standing battle of reform-minded individuals that embraced an egalitarian view of market capitalism versus big business and industry groups that have always pushed for a hands-off government approach to the market.
Check out the symposium website here to access Dr. Wood’s talk and more: https://www.law.
