APUSH - Topic 6.7 Labor in the Gilded Age

Explain the socioeconomic continuities and changes associated with the growth of industrial capitalism from 1865 to 1898.

“Gilded Age”

• late 19th century appeared good on the outside but was bad on the inside → thinly covered by a layer of gold

• country had great fortunes and lots of advancement but the majority of workers suffered

Wages

• 2/3 Americans worked 10 hours a day, 6 days a week with wages that barely supported them (1900)

• “iron law of wages” → raising wages increases workers, more workers causes falling of wages

  • justified low wages

• although wages were rising, many families still relied on working women and child labor

Labor Discontent

• factory workers had monotonous jobs rather than artisan skills

• railroad, mining industries were dangerous → exposure to chemicals and pollutants

• industrial workers changed jobs very often, many permanently dropped out of industrial workplace

Tactics to defeat labor unions

• lockout

  • closing a factory to break a labor movement before it is organized

• Blacklist

  • circulate names of pro-union workers so that they cannot find jobs

• Yellow-dog contract

  • workers would only be employed if they agreed to not join a union

• private guards and state militia

  • used to put down strikes

• court injunction

  • judicial action to end or prevent a strike

employers could generally rely on government to help them end labor movements

Tactics by Labor

• political action

• direct confrontation: strikes, picketing, boycotts, slowdowns

• collective bargaining

  • workers negotiating as a group

Great Railroad Strike of 1877

• railroad companies cut wages during economic depression

• strike across 11 states, 2/3 rail lines shut down

• President Hayes used fed. troops to end dispute

  • more than 100 people killed

• some employers improved conditions, others cracked down on workers’ organizations

National Labor Union

1866

• first labor union that included all types of workers (as opposed to craft unions that focused on 1 type of work)

• wanted higher wages and 8-hour day

  • won 8 hour day for fed. gov. workers

• equal rights for women and African Americans

Knights of Labor

1869

• originally a secret society to prevent detection by employers

• led by Terence V. Powderly

• welcomed all workers + African Americans and women

• goals

  • “to make each man his own employer”

  • abolish child labor, trusts and monopolies

  • settle disputes by arbitration rather than strikes

Haymarket Bombing

1886

• 80,000 Knights of liberty gathered to strike in Chicago

• anarchists who also live in Chicago threw a bomb

• Knights seen as violent and radical → lost support and membership

American Federation of Labor

1886

• skilled workers

• focused on “bread and butter goals”

  • higher wages, lower hours, better working conditions

  • not very radical

• used strikes to get collective bargaining

• became the largest labor organization (1901)

Homestead Strike

1892

• Henry Clay Frick (manager of one of Carnegie’s steel plants)

• cut wages be ~20%

• steelworkers walked out

  • used various methods to end walkout → ended in 5 months

  • 16 people died in the conflict

  • failure of strike set back unions in the steel industry for a long time

Pullman Strike

1894

• Pullman Palace Car Company cut wages and fired leaders of workers’ delegations who bargained

• Under guidance of American railroad Union, railroad workers boycotted → much of rail transportation across country was held up

• Federal court issued an injunction that forbade interference with operation of mail

• union leaders were jailed → strike ended

  • employers shown to have powerful government on their side

Eugene V. Debs

• leader of ARU

• jailed for refusing to end railroad worker strike

• In re Debs (1895)

  • SCOTUS approved used of court injunctions against strikes

• became more radical after serving jail sentence

  • helped form American Socialist Party in 1900