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Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities
Bicycle Messenger Boys And The Evolution Of American Labor Laws, Christopher A. Sweet
Bicycle Messenger Boys And The Evolution Of American Labor Laws, Christopher A. Sweet
Christopher A. Sweet
Bicycle messenger boys often conjure up images of young boy riding an early morning newspaper delivery route. Long before the newspaper delivery boy, telegraph and shipping companies exploited child bicycle messengers as a cheap form of labor. Bicycle messenger boys worked long hours under dangerous conditions for little pay. Some worked overnight delivering messages and parcels to patrons and proprietors in red light districts. Some were injured or even killed on the job. This presentation will examine how bicycle messenger boys found themselves entwined in evolving American labor laws from 1890-1940. Anti-child labor organizations such as the National Child Labor …
"The Church Or The Wheel?" Religious Institutions Respond To The American Bicycle Boom.Pptx, Christopher A. Sweet
"The Church Or The Wheel?" Religious Institutions Respond To The American Bicycle Boom.Pptx, Christopher A. Sweet
Christopher A. Sweet
“These bladder-wheel bicycles are diabolical devices of the demon of darkness.” Thus railed a Baltimore preacher against the massive wave of popularity for the safety bicycle in the mid-1890s. From a 21st century perspective it seems quaint that American religious institutions felt threatened by something so mundane as bicycles. At the time though, easy-to-ride and relatively cheap safety bicycles presented a direct challenge to many established cultural and social norms. Women cyclists gained independent mobility and were able to press for dress reform. Physical health became a priority for city-dwellers. Christian churches and pastors primarily criticized the bicycle for encouraging …