Child Labor In History Child labor first appeared with the establishment of the domestic system. The domestic system was a process through which entrepreneurs would purchace raw materials that would be "put out" to the homes of many families and be made into finished products that could be sold by the entrepreneurs. The families were paid by the piece, and so the adults would use their children to their fullest capability to aid in some way. The domestic system was prominent in England, on the Continent, and in North America during the 16th 17th and 18th centuries. This system still exists in some cou