Well, as I understand it, America inherited that bit about owning kids from Europe. Including England.

Alas, we managed to lose things like the old protections for apprentices and the like.

For some fun, go back and re-read Heinlein's The Star Beast then read his comments about it in Grumbles From the Grave

His editor was complaining about the various bits involving children's rights. Heinlein pointed out that what he'd written was the way then current laws worked, they just called them different things.