American working classand growth of industrial capitalism

• Beneficiary - rise in standard of living for many

• victim - tough and dangerous

working conditions - diminishing control over their

own work - growing sense of

powerlessness

Labor Force Distribution

1870-1900

Labor Force Distribution

1870-1900

Immigrant work force

• Demand for factory labor grew – especially unskilled labor

• Massive migrations resulted

- from rural towns and farms to cities

-immigration from Mexico, Canada, Europe, Asia

1865-1915 – 25 million, 4 times more than before

• 1st – England, Ireland, Northern Europe

• 2nd – Southern and Eastern Europe

• 3rd – Mexico, Asia in the West

Reasons for immigrating

• Escape poverty and oppression

• New opportunities

• Railroads distributed leading advertisements overseas

• Foreign born labor brokers, padrones, recruited work gangs of their fellow nationals

Labor Contract Law

• Allowed industrial employers to

-actively recruit immigrant workers

-paid them for their passage

-took it out of their wages later

Wages and working conditions

• Average income = $400 per year

• $600 considered minimum for reasonable level of comfort

• Boom and bust cycles

• Adjustments from rural to city life

• Assembly line work routine, repetitive, and monotonous

• 10 hour work days

• Six days a week

• Industrial accidents

• No workman compensation

Working Conditions

Women in the Workforce

Child Labor

Child LaborChild Labor

Child LaborChild Labor

• Less skilled needed• Could be paid lower wages• 17% of women working 1900• Worked in all areas of industry• $6.00 per week• 1.7 million children under 16 employed• Cold water thrown in face to keep

awake; many accidents

“Galley Labor”“Galley Labor”

Labor Unrest: 1870-1900

Labor Unrest: 1870-1900

Union Organization

• Created large combinations – unions

• Craft unions – small shops in past; not successful

• National Labor Union – 1st labor union

-640,000 members – only men

The Molly Maguires(1875)

The Molly Maguires(1875)

JamesJamesMcParlandMcParland

Radical group in coal industry; used violence and murder

Knights of LaborKnights of Labor

Terence V. PowderlyTerence V. Powderly

An injury to one is the concern of An injury to one is the concern of all!all!

Knights of Labor

• Included anyone who worked – all levels; barred “non-producers”

• Included women and blacks• Loosely organized• Went from secret organization to

open one with almost 1 million members

• Success in Missouri Pacific strike• Failed in Texas and Pacific system –

weakened their organization

Goals of the Knights of Labor

Goals of the Knights of Labor Eight-hour workday.Eight-hour workday.

ù Workers’ cooperatives.Workers’ cooperatives.

ù Worker-owned factories.Worker-owned factories.

ù Abolition of child and prison labor.Abolition of child and prison labor.

ù Increased circulation of greenbacks.Increased circulation of greenbacks.

ù Equal pay for men and women.Equal pay for men and women.

ù Safety codes in the workplace.Safety codes in the workplace.

ù Prohibition of contract foreign labor.Prohibition of contract foreign labor.

ù Abolition of the National Bank.Abolition of the National Bank.

Lasting achievements of Knights

• Foran Act, 1885 - no contract labor bringing in foreigners

• Created Bureau of Labor Statistics

• 1880 – arbitration law required for labor disputes

• Spread idea of unionism

• Creation of industrial unions for both skilled and unskilled workers

Mary Harris, “Mother Jones”

• “Miners’ Angel”• Speaker, labor

organizer • “greatest woman

agitator”• United Miners Union• Children’s march on

Washington D.C.

American Federation of Labor

• Most enduring in country

• Skilled workers

• Former craft unions

• No women

The American Federation

of Labor: 1886

The American Federation

of Labor: 1886

Samuel GompersSamuel Gompers

Relationship between labor and management

• Closed shops

• Better wages, hours and working conditions

• Collective bargaining

• Strikes

• Slow downs

• Provided mediations

The Great Railroad Strike of 1877

The Great Railroad Strike of 1877

• Railroads cut wages

• Strikers disrupted rail service, destroyed equipment, riots

• President Hayes ordered military to suppress – 1st major national labor conflict

• Failed and weakened railroad unions and damaged reputation of labor unions

Haymarket Riot (1886)

Haymarket Riot (1886)

McCormick Harvesting Machine Co.McCormick Harvesting Machine Co.

Homestead Steel Strike

(1892)

Homestead Steel Strike

(1892)

The Amalgamated The Amalgamated Association of Association of

Iron & Steel WorkersIron & Steel Workers

Homestead Steel Homestead Steel WorksWorks

Big Corporate Profits!Big Corporate Profits!

Attempted Assassination!

Attempted Assassination!

Henry Clay FrickHenry Clay Frick

Alexander BerkmanAlexander Berkman

A “Compa

nyTown”:

Pullman, IL

A “Compa

nyTown”:

Pullman, IL

Pullman CarsPullman Cars

A Pullman A Pullman porterporter

The Pullman Strike of 1894

The Pullman Strike of 1894

The SocialistsThe Socialists

Eugene V. DebsEugene V. Debs

President Grover Cleveland

President Grover Cleveland

If it takes the entire army and navy to If it takes the entire army and navy to deliver a postal card in Chicago, that card deliver a postal card in Chicago, that card

will be delivered!will be delivered!

International Workers of the World (“Wobblies”)

International Workers of the World (“Wobblies”)

“Big Bill” Haywood of the

IWW

“Big Bill” Haywood of the

IWW

Violence was justified to Violence was justified to overthrow capitalism.overthrow capitalism.

I W W & the InternationaleI W W & the

Internationale

Labor Union MembershipLabor Union Membership

Reasons for labor weaknesses

• Represented only small % of work force

• Excluded unskilled workers and women

• Tensions between ethnic and racial groups

• Shifting nature of workforce

• Brute force of owners

• Espionage and sabotage of working communities and organizations

TAKS Review• Why were labor strikes in the late 19th

century not as effective in industries that depended largely on unskilled workers?

• A. Most unskilled workers were paid high wages.• B. Unskilled workers could be replaced more easily than skilled workers.• C. Unskilled workers were not allowed to join unions.• D. Many unskilled workers were deported for supporting unions.

The Rise & Decline of Organized Labor

The Rise & Decline of Organized Labor

Right-to-Work States Today

Right-to-Work States Today

Partner PowerPoint Presentation

• Choose a major labor event: Great Railroad Strike; Haymarket Square Riot; Homestead Strike; Pullman Strike

• Take a point of view of laborer, business owner, or government official.

• State your viewpoint.

Research a labor event.

• Report 7 Ws of the event: The Great Railroad Strike; The Homestead Strike; The Pullman Strike

• When was this event?• Where did this happen?• Who were the main people involved?• Why -what were the events leading up to this?• What documents and quotes did you find –

summarize and analyze.• What happened?

What Next?

• What would someone with your point of view want to do next?

• How would you prove that with the documents, quotes or pictures you have seen?

• Who would you try to convince to take action? (Audience)

• What would you want that person to do?Cite your sources.