Unit 5: Labor Movement, Immigration, and the Populist Movement

Ultimate Goal: Increase profits
- Exploitation of Workers: Paying employees minimally while maximizing working hours.
- Worker Resistance: Workers in cities fought back against exploitation.

Overview: A significant period characterized by various unions and strikes aimed at worker rights.
Major Tactics Used in Labor Movements:
- Arbitration: Settling disputes with a neutral third party.
- Collective Bargaining: Unions negotiating with employers for better rights and conditions.
- Striking: Employees refuse to work to pressure employers to consent to demands, resulting in financial losses for companies.

Knights of Labor:
- Membership: Inclusive of all workers (skilled and unskilled).
- Goals:
- Eight-hour workday.
- End to child labor.
- Equal pay for men and women.
- Compensation for job-related injuries.
- Safer working conditions.
- Tactics: Initially focused on arbitration and collective bargaining but willing to strike if necessary.
American Federation of Labor (AFL):
- Membership: Restricted to skilled white men.
- Nature: Craft union representing skilled laborers.
- Significance: Increased leverage in negotiations given their specific membership base.
- Achievements: 1890-1950 wage increase from $17.50 to $24 per week; drop in average working hours from 54.5 hours to 49 hours per week.
Mother Jones:
- Role: Key figure in labor rights, particularly regarding child labor.
- Activism: Organized protests, notably bringing injured child miners to Teddy Roosevelt's home to highlight child labor's dangers.

Laissez-Faire Attitude: Government's perception prioritized supporting big businesses, though often ineffective or hostile towards labor unions.
Sherman Antitrust Act:
- Intended to combat monopolistic practices but often misused against unions.
- Courts frequently sided with businesses over labor unions.
Use of Force: Government employed military forces to suppress strikes and protect business interests.
- Scabs: Replacement workers hired during strikes, leading to violence and unrest.
Major Strikes:
- Homestead Strike (1892): Workers protested wage cuts at Carnegie's plant; resulted in violence and a lack of gains for the union.

Definition: The influx of immigrants during the Gilded Age, particularly from Southern and Eastern Europe.
Old vs. New Immigration:
- Old Immigration: Predominantly white Anglo-Saxon Protestants from Great Britain.
- New Immigration: Immigrants from Southern/Eastern Europe: Italy, Russia, etc., often illiterate, non-English speaking, and of varying religions (Catholicism, Judaism).
Immigration Processing Centers:
- East Coast: Ellis Island (New York).
- West Coast: Angel Island (San Francisco); mainly utilized by Chinese immigrants.
Chinese Exclusion Act (1882):
- Legally restricted immigration from China until 1942, reflecting growing anti-Asian sentiment.

Great Migration: Movement of African Americans from the South to Northern cities for safety and economic opportunity post-Reconstruction.
Rural to Urban Migration: Farmers relocating to urban areas for work.
Westward Expansion: Movement of individuals to areas previously part of Mexico, now in the U.S.
Exodusters: African Americans migrating North and West following the Homestead Act.

Ethnic Neighborhoods: Formation of communities for cultural and economic support.
- Example: Little Italy, Koreatown.
Americanization Movement: Efforts to assimilate immigrants into American society, teaching English and job skills.
Political Machines: Local political organizations leveraging immigrant votes.
- Corruption: Often exploited immigrants by trading aid for votes; examples include Boss Tweed.

Overview: Church-led initiatives aimed at helping new immigrants assimilate and find support.
- Settlement Houses: Provided housing, job training, and education for immigrants; notable example: Hull House in Chicago led by Jane Addams.
Women’s Rights Activism:
- Rise of organizations like the Women's Christian Temperance Union advocating for prohibition and suffrage rights.
- Formation of the National American Women's Suffrage Association advocating for voting rights.

Background: Post-Civil War reimplementation of agriculture, many small farmers lost land to large agricultural corporations.
Issues Facing Farmers:
- Falling crop prices and lack of cash flow from the Civil War’s money issues.
- Exploitative railroad practices affecting shipping costs.
Crop Lien System: Farmers took loans against their crop yields, leading to widespread debt and loss of land.

Grange Movement: Cooperation among farmers aiming to resist monopolistic practices by forming cooperatives and local political engagement.
Farmers Alliances: Formed across racial lines, although efforts to include African Americans faced significant racial barriers.
Populist Party (People's Party):
- Emerged from Farmers Alliances to unite for political reform.
- Omaha Platform: Calls for
- Unlimited silver coinage.
- Government ownership of railroads, telegraphs, and telephones.
- Direct election of senators.
- Eight-hour workday, graduated income tax.
1892 Election Success: Garnered 1 million votes, gaining several state governorships, but saw decline post-election.
Failure of Populism: Support for William Jennings Bryan in 1896 led to ultimate loss against McKinley, reflecting the growing strength of corporations in politics and neglect of African American civil rights.

The lecture covers the significant factors and movements within American society during the Gilded Age, highlighting the struggles of labor, new immigrants, and farmers, fundamentally illustrating a transition toward the Progressive Era.