Florence Kelley Child Labor Speech Analysis Essay Example

Activist Florence Kelley, in her speech to the National American Women’s Suffrage Association, compares and contrasts child labor in certain states. In her argument, she makes her audience more willing to allow the male to join to end child labor. 

In the speech, she implies the states that affect child labor. For instance Alabama, Georgia, and New Jersey. She contrasts the state of Alabama which has better laws than Georgia with no restrictions. The state of Alabama laws includes, “that a child under sixteen years of age shall not work in a cotton mill at night longer than eight hours” (24-25). Alabama was a state that included restrictions for the children’s workforce. However, Georgia was less concerned for the environment that was given to the kids. Kelley shows logically the difference between each state she provides. Georgia provides jobs for, “A girl of six or seven years, just tall enough to reach the bobbins” (34). The authors use imagery to explain the height of the children in the workforce. Similarly, Alabama laws are better than New Jersey indicating no southern problems. Alabama limits the hours that children that work at night “work at night to eight hours” (38). New Jersey allows kids to work all night long. But, “New Jersey recently repealed a good law”. Without the law, the “ boys, and girls, after their 14th birthday, enjoy the pitiful privilege of working all night long” (44-45). Alabama is a state that has shown more matter for child labor rather than other states.

Kelley furthers her argument by adding details of the children’s work conditions to develop a connection with her audience. She implies that “while we sleep little white girls will be working tonight in the mills” (29-30). Kelley uses vivid devices to demonstrate the frustrations of innocent kids. During the time, men were the only ones that could vote in America. She asks questions to her audience, if women could vote. Illustrating the concept for the men, “we should enlist the workingmen voters, with us, in this task of freeing the children from toil” (95). Kelley argues how men need to step up with these situations because women are “almost powerless”. The children create, “our shoes in the shoe factories; they knit our stockings, our knitted underwear in the knitting factories”. The factors that Kelley purpose to the audience are to end child labor. 

The connection of logical evidence in the form of examples, as well as emotional appeals created by her vivid details, allows Florence Kelley to effectively construct her argument against child labor. Kelley writes to encourage them to join her. She wants everyone to be involved to enact changes in the laws. Florence Kelley balances logically and emotionally actions in the issues. Her purpose is to make a change for the future generations,  “For the sake of the children. for the Republic''.