Life During the 2nd Industrial Revolution

Life for workers in factories

People would leave their homes to go to work

Each worker is assigned to a task they learn on the job for their industry

Men, Women, and Children worked in factories

No safety regulations in place meant many people hurt while at work

Working Conditions

More than 12 hours of work a day, even for children

Loud noise

Air flow (ventilation) was non-existent Breathing in bad air, with lots of stuff in

it

Poor sanitation- nothing was clean Spread disease and caused nasty issues

with food

Not enough food, or nutritional enough to work 12 hours People were frail and exhausted

Long Hours and Danger

Most industry workers worked 12 or more hours a day, six days a week.

One of the largest employers, the steel mills, often demanded a seven-day workweek.

Employees were not entitled to vacation, sick leave, unemployment compensation, or reimbursement for injuries suffered on the job.

Children during Industrial Revolution

Many children were forced to work in factories Could get underneath machines in order to fix while

it was still on

Some worked in coal mines

No time to play. No time to learn.

A child’s request

We respect our masters, and are willing to work for our support, and that of our

parents, but we want time for more rest, a little play, and to learn to read and write. We

do not think it right that we should know nothing but work and suffering, from

Monday morning to Saturday night, to make others rich. Do, good gentlemen, inquire

carefully on our concern.

Do Now

Based on the working conditions in urban areas during the 2nd Industrial Revolution, what changes would you demand as a worker to improve your experiences?

Workers’ Hardships

Worked in factories considered sweatshops due to conditions

Dangerous work in dangerous conditions poor lighting overheating & poor ventilation deafness due to noise poor training = accidents

Low wages forced everyone in a family to work

Child Labor in factories rather than school Stunted physical & mental growth

Workers’ Hardships

Forced to live in Company Towns Isolated communities Owned by the business & rented to employees

Forced to shop at the Company Store Goods sold on credit with high interest

Workers received pay checks late…most of their money went back to the company to pay for their “groceries”

Leverage arrest workers if quit job before loans were paid.

“Wage Slavery”

Separate towns = increased discrimination & distrust

During the I.R. Today

No legislation on minimum wages

No rights to unionize

No maximum work hours for children

Minimum Wage set at $ 7.25/hour

Unions

Child Labor Laws prohibit children under 14 from working

Comparing today’s work with workers in the Industrial Revolution

Labor Unions Emerge

Exploitation and unsafe working conditions drew workers together across regions in a nationwide labor movement.

Laborers-skilled and unskilled, female and male- joined together in unions to try to improve their working conditions.

Samuel Gompers (1850-1924)

Samuel Gompers was an American labor union leader and a key figure in American labor history.

Gompers founded the American Federation of Labor (AFL) in Columbus, Ohio (1886).

The American Federation of Labor,-reached written agreements on wages, hours, and working conditions.

American Federation of Labor The American Federation of

Labor used strikes as a major tactic. Also known as collective

bargaining Negotiating as a group for

high wages & better working conditions

Successful strikes helped the A.F.L. win higher wages and shorter workweeks.

Between 1890 and 1915, the average weekly wages in unionized industries rose from $17.50 to $24, and the average workweek fell from almost 54.5 hours to just under 49 hours.

WHAT IS A POLITICAL CARTOON?

A CARTOON DEPICTING A POLITICALLY RELEVANT ISSUE, USUALLY PRINTED IN A

NEWSPAPER

Studying with Political Cartoons

Political Cartoon #1

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Political Cartoon #5