JP

APUSH 6.7

  1. Iron Law of Wages
    A theory by economist David Ricardo suggesting that increasing wages leads to a larger workforce, which subsequently drives wages back down to subsistence levels.

  2. Wage Earners
    Workers who receive a fixed payment for their labor, typically paid hourly, daily, or weekly, as opposed to salaries or profit shares.

  3. Collective Bargaining
    The process by which a group of workers, represented by a union, negotiates with employers to determine wages, working conditions, and other terms of employment.

  4. Railroad Strike of 1877
    A major strike caused by wage cuts during an economic depression, spreading across 11 states and shutting down two-thirds of the nation's railways. It marked one of the first instances of federal troop intervention in labor disputes.

  5. Craft Unions
    Labor unions that organize workers based on their specific trades or skills, such as carpenters or machinists.

  6. National Labor Union
    Founded in 1866, it was the first national organization to unite workers across different industries, advocating for higher wages, an eight-hour workday, and social reforms.

  7. Knights of Labor
    A labor union that emerged in 1869, accepting a diverse membership and focusing on reforms such as worker cooperatives, child labor abolition, and the elimination of monopolies.

  8. Haymarket Bombing
    A violent incident in Chicago's Haymarket Square in 1886, where a bomb killed seven police officers during a labor rally. The event contributed to the decline of the Knights of Labor due to public perception of unions as radical and violent.

  9. American Federation of Labor (AFL)
    Founded in 1886 by Samuel Gompers, this labor organization prioritized economic gains like higher wages and better working conditions over broader social reforms.

  10. Samuel Gompers
    A prominent labor leader and the first president of the American Federation of Labor, emphasizing "bread-and-butter unionism."

  11. Homestead Strike
    A significant labor conflict in 1892 at Andrew Carnegie's steel plant, where wage cuts led to a violent confrontation between strikers and private security forces, weakening union influence in the steel industry.

  12. Pullman Strike
    A nationwide railroad strike in 1894 triggered by wage cuts at the Pullman Company. It disrupted rail traffic and mail services until federal troops intervened, and union leader Eugene V. Debs was arrested.

  13. Eugene V. Debs
    A labor leader who organized the American Railway Union and later embraced socialism, founding the American Socialist Party in 1900 after his imprisonment following the Pullman Strike.