History: Portrait Of American Children, United States

These photos of American kids were taken in the early 20th century. It looks like most of them were already working and smoking.
Young people were involved in all the crucial episodes of American history: They sailed with Columbus; served as go-betweens for English colonists and Indians; toiled as indentured servants; were kidnapped into slavery; fought in the Revolution and the Civil War; labored in coal mines and factories; and stood at the forefront of the Civil Rights movement. Many young people recorded their experiences in diaries, personal letters, and memoirs.