Massachusetts Adopts the First Minimum-Wage Law in the United States
At a glance:
- Series: Great Events from History II: Human Rights Series
- Categories: Government and Politics, Social Issues, Reform, and Protest, Economics
- Subcategories: Business, Laws, Acts, Legislation, Human Rights, Labor, Unions, Work, Employment
- Curriculum: American History 1901-1950
- Geographical Location: Massachusetts, New England
- Date: 1912
Article abstract: For the first time in the United States, employers’ obligation to provide a minimum “living wage” was established in law.
Summary of Event
The idea of a minimum wage was gaining increasing support throughout the industrialized world by the late nineteenth century. Among English-speaking nations, New Zealand and Australia led the way; both passed minimum-wage legislation in the 1890’s. In 1910, Great Britain followed the example of its offshoots and adopted a law patterned after the Australian legislation.
The United...
[The entire page is 2126 words long]
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