Public protests. Sensational headlines. Scathing editorial cartoons. Sloganeering posters. Are these signs of upheaval and disorder? Or are they evidence of a healthy public debate--one that could lead to legislation dramatically changing American life? In this article, the authors incorporate historical photographs taken by Lewis Hine between 1908-1924 (Prints and Photographs Division, U.S. Library of Congress) that show children working in a variety of trades, images of political cartoons, and exhibit panels from the National Child Labor Committee, in order to launch a lesson about child labor reform and demonstrate how public debate can fuel legislative action. Primary sources have a unique instructional power, and can make the events and the disputes of the past real to students like nothing else can. The photographs by Lewis Hine, along with the other documents from the battle over child labor, can not only connect students with the passions and persuasive strategies of the groups involved in this long-lasting campaign, it can also help them discover the role that advocacy plays in the U.S. system of government and remind them that principled and committed calls for reform have led, and can lead, to real, lasting changes in the life of the nation.