American History Chapter 6: The Expansion of American Industry

IV. The Great Strikes

Bellringer

• Your employee has just told you that you must work 5 hours extra a week or you are fired. You will not get paid for these hours.

Objectives

• Discover the impact of industrialism on the gulf between rich and poor.

• Find out the goals of the early labor union in the US.

• Learn why Eugene V. debs formed the American Railway Union.

• Study the causes and outcomes of the major strikes in the late 1800s.

A) Gulf Between Rich and Poor

• 1890 – 9% of Americans held 75% of the wealth• Workers became politically active18) Socialism: economic and political philosophy that

favors public instead of private control of the means of production

• Society should run the wealth – and distribute it equally• In 1848, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote

Communist Manifesto• Most Americans opposed socialism – even the poor

B) The Rise of Labor Unions

• Early labor unions failed because of depressions NTU and NLU

• Knights of Labor – allowed men women and African Americans – fought for equal pay for equal work, 8 hour work day, no child labor – a violent strike ended the union

• AFL started by Samuel Gompers19) Craft Union: only skilled workers – not all

workers• No African Americans and women – drive

wages down – main goal was wages20) Collective bargaining: process in which

workers negotiate as a group with employers

• Wanted a closed shop – no workers not union members

• Employees took steps to end unions1) Forbid union meetings2) Fired union organizers3) Forced workers to sign “yellow dog”

contracts – couldn't join union4) No collective bargaining during

strikes5) Refused to recognize unionsQuote on page 249 bottom

C) Railroad Workers Organize

• The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 – B and O Railroad cut wages because of a depression twice – workers strike – militia called in to break strike – riot spread throughout US – Hayes called in federal troops to put it down – government takes side of business

• Some unions peaceful – Eugene Debs American Railway Union

21)Industrial union: Union that organizes workers from all crafts in a given industry

D) Strikes Rock the Nation

22)Scabs – negative term for a worker called in by owner to replace striking laborers

23)Anarchists: radicals who oppose all government

a) Haymarket Riot

• Strike at Chicago McCormick reaper factory – got violent when scabs were sent in – police intervened – several dead

• Protest rally called at Haymarket Square – bomb thrown into police killing one – police fired into crowd – killing many

• 8 people convicted 4 – hanged – one suicide – 3 pardoned later

b) Homestead Strike of 1892

• At Carnegie Steal plant in Homestead Pennsylvania

• Carnegie in Europe – partner was Henry Frick• Frick tried to cut wages – strike• Frick called in the Pinkerton private police force

– shootout – several dead• Anarchist not involved tried to assassinated

Frick• Public opinion turned sour – Strike called off.

c) Pullman Strike of 1894

• Built rail cars

• Pullman built a whole town

• Cut wages 25% but kept prices of everything else the same

• Eugene Debs and the ARU got involved – national train stoppage – delayed mail

• President sent in troops – strike over

• Government again protected business

Review

• What impact did industrialization have on the gulf between rich and poor?

• What were the goals of the early labor unions in the US?

• Why did Eugene Debs organize the American Railway Union?

• What were the causes and outcomes of the major strikes in the late 1800s?