Transcript American History Chapter 6: The Expansion of American Industry

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 active
18) 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 Gompers
19) Craft Union: only skilled workers – not all
workers
• No African Americans and women – drive
wages down – main goal was wages
20) Collective bargaining: process in which
workers negotiate as a group with
employers
• Wanted a closed shop – no workers not union
members
•
1)
2)
3)
Employees took steps to end unions
Forbid union meetings
Fired union organizers
Forced workers to sign “yellow dog”
contracts – couldn't join union
4) No collective bargaining during
strikes
5) Refused to recognize unions
Quote 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?