Gilded Age Labor

Socioeconomic Continuities and Changes (1865-1898)

Overview

The Gilded Age was a period of significant industrialization and economic growth in America, but also marked by a stark divide between the rich and the poor. The era is often described as a "golden covered turd," reflecting the contrast between its apparent prosperity and underlying issues.

The Wealthy Class

  • Increased Wealth: Wealthy business owners amassed fortunes surpassing previous generations.
  • Conspicuous Consumption:
    • Thorstein Veblen coined the term "conspicuous consumption" to describe the exhibitionistic display of wealth.
    • Example: The Biltmore House:
      • Completed in 1895.
      • Largest private residence in the U.S.
      • Over 75,000 square feet, 35 bedrooms, and 45 bathrooms.
      • Owned by Vanderbilt as a vacation home in addition to his Manhattan residence.

The Working Class

  • Poverty: Many people lived in poverty with wages below a comfortable standard of living.
  • Economic Turmoil: The working class suffered during economic downturns, such as the Panic of 1873 and the Panic of 1893, while the wealthy remained largely insulated.
  • Rising Standards of Living:
    • Mass production led to decreased prices on common items.
    • Wages rose across the board, providing more goods and services to industrial workers (including immigrants and migrants).

Labor Conditions and Response

  • Dangerous Work: Factory, railroad, and mining work were hazardous, leading to numerous injuries and deaths.
  • Limited Individual Power: Individual workers had little leverage to demand better wages or safety standards.
  • Rise of Labor Unions:
    • Workers formed unions to collectively bargain for fair treatment.
    • Unions used tactics like political action, slowdowns, and strikes.

Key Labor Strikes

  • Great Railroad Strike of 1877:
    • Companies cut wages during a recession.
    • Unionized workers protested, shutting down over 60% of the nation's railroads across 11 states.
    • Violence erupted, leading to federal troops being deployed by President Hayes.
    • Over 100 people died.
  • Pullman Strike:
    • Occurred near Chicago after the Panic of 1893.
    • George Pullman cut wages for workers at the Pullman Palace Car Company.
    • Workers went on strike after Pullman fired union representatives.
    • Eugene V. Debs directed his union members not to work on trains with Pullman cars.
    • Railroad owners attached Pullman cars to trains carrying federal mail.
    • Debs and other leaders were jailed for obstructing federal rail traffic, effectively breaking the strike.

Major Labor Unions

  • Knights of Labor:
    • Went public in 1881.
    • A truly national union that accepted all members, including black laborers and women.
    • Goals: destruction of trusts and monopolies and abolition of child labor.
    • Child Labor: Children as young as 1010 years old constituted approximately 18%18\% of the workforce by the end of the 19th19^{th} century.
    • Peak membership: Over 700,000 members.
    • Decline: The union declined after the Haymarket Square riot in 1886.
      • During a May Day labor movement protest in Haymarket Square, Chicago, a bomb exploded.
      • The public associated the bombing with the Knights of Labor, leading to a shift in sentiment against the union.
  • American Federation of Labor (AFL):
    • Led by Samuel Gompers.
    • An association of craft workers.
    • By 1981, it had a million members.
    • Goals: Higher wages and safer working conditions.