National Labor Union

• Founded in 1866

• Was one of the first national labor movements

• Promoted an 8 hour workday

Mother Jones

• The nickname of Mary Harris Jones

• Was the labor organizer for the Knights of Labor

Knights of Labor

• Founded in 1869

• Led by Terence Powderly

• Included both skilled + unskilled workers

• Used boycotts in order to force negotiations with employers

• The Haymarket Square Riot eventually led to their downfall

Terence V. Powderly

• Leader of the Knights of Labor

• Believed in regulating trusts, reforming the currency, and abolishing child labor

• Positions in the Republican + Greenback Labor Party

Eugene V. Debs

• 1893 - Organized the American Railway Union

• Important role in the Pullman Strike

• 1897 - Leader in the Social Democratic Party

• Ran for president as a Socialist

• Later violated the World War I Sedition and Espionage Acts

Molly Maguires

• Was a secret organization of Irish miners

• Promoted labor violence instead of peaceful negotiation

• When they were later infiltrated by the Pinkerton Detectives, they were jailed and hanged

  • Ruined the reputation of future labor movements

Pinkerton Detectives

• Originally specialized in railway theft cases, protecting trains and apprehending train robbers

• Hired by large corporations to protect their property against violent labor riots

National Railroad Strike

• Caused by the railroads reducing their workers’ wages in order to cut costs

• 1877

• When it became violent, the US military was sent in to shut it down

• Began an era of labor violence

Haymarket Square Riot

• 1886

• Anarchists threw a bomb in Haymarket Square that was the site of a labor demonstration

• Ruined the reputation of the Knights of Labor

Samuel Gompers

• 1886 - Organized American Federation of Labor (AFL)

• Believed in using practical measures to achieve practical goals

• Not radical

American Federation of Labor

• Founded in 1886

• A craft union made of skilled workers

• Used strikes

• Believed laborers have the right to collective bargaining

• Ended the bad reputation of labor unions

Closed vs. Open Shop

• The idea of a closed shop was that workers were very united within a union, but non-union workers were excluded

• Yellow dog contracts were used by employers to tempt employees not to join destructive unions

Homestead Strike

• 1892

• Henry Clay Frick was in charge of the Homestead steel plant

• A violent worker strike led to a lock-out

• Culminated in a battle between strikers and the Pinkerton Detectives and eventually the National Guard

• Resulted in many workers being “blacklisted”

Injunction

• A court order requested during worker strikes

• If workers failed to comply and stop striking, they were arrested

Pullman Strike

• 1894

• American Railway Union

• Widespread railroad strike and boycott that severely disrupted rail traffic in the Midwest of the United States in June–July 1894

• An injunction led to the strikers being forced to give up

Jacob Coxey

• Believed that the federal government should provide jobs for the poor

• 1894 - Formed “Coxey’s Army,” which was a group of strikers that marched on Washington

  • They were eventually dispersed by the police and arrested

Patrons of Husbandry (Grange)

• Founded in 1867

• Used to protect agricultural interests with the cooperation of farmers

• Wanted to reduce corporate monopolies (like railroads)

• Granger Laws were regulations on railroads

• Led to the formation of the Populist Party

Gibson Girl

• Targeted young, middle-class women

• She was a cartoon character that was pretty and athletic and had an important role in the workforce

• Encouraged female independence

Populist Party

• Founded in 1891

• Made a stand against capitalists

• 1892 - Introduced their Omaha Platform

  • A new national currency

  • Silver coinage

  • The government would own the transportation + communication industries (which would prevent monopolies)

  • Graduated income tax

  • Direct election of senators

  • Shorter working hours

  • Restrictions on immigration

Mary Lease

• Politically active in the Populist Party

• Didn’t support William Jennings Bryan

• Her progressive causes included supporting women’s suffrage + prohibition

William Jennings Bryan

• Democrat

• 1896 - Made his famous “Cross of Gold” speech

• Supported by the Populists

• Secretary of State under Woodrow Wilson

Gold Standard

• “Promissory notes” based on the amount of gold in the US Treasury

• Paper money was exchanged for gold at the banks

• Eventually abandoning the gold standard led to the expansion of the supply of currency

William McKinley

• 1896 - Republican for president

• Wanted high tariffs + the gold standard

• Implemented the Dingley Tariff, which was a very high tariff

Election of 1896

• 1896

• Farmers vs. urban capitalists

• William Jennings Bryan supported debtors + farmers

• William McKinley supported creditors + sound money

  • Theodore Roosevelt was his Vice President

BIG PICTURE

• Laborers - Action for wages + hours + working conditions

• Violence → Bad reputation for labor unions

• AFL - Not radical + collective bargaining

• Farmer grassroots movement

• Election of 1896 - McKinley + Roosevelt