He says worries about the possible radicalism of unskilled immigrant workers led the AFL and craft unions to focus instead on the organization of skilled workers and more conventional union activities. Carrie A. What role did government play in the Homestead and Pullman Strikes? Despite the agitation of the labor movement, which staged a combined 23,000 strikes between the years of 1881 and 1900, unions made relatively little progress in this era. Sign up to highlight and take notes. The chief business of the American people is business, declared Calvin Coolidge, who succeeded Harding after his death in 1923. In the wake of the 1917 Russian Revolution and other communist uprisings in Europe, many middle- and upper-class Americans began to equate unionism with Bolshevism. As drought and depression struck rural America, farmers in the westwho vilified railroad tycoons and wanted a political voiceorganized and played a key role in forming the Populist Party. The photo was taken by Lewis Hine for the U.S. Government in 1911 (Hine was hired by the NCLC). There's a strange contradiction in Gilded Age politics: on one hand, it was the golden age of American political participation. Millions of immigrants and struggling farmers arrived in cities such as New York, Boston, Philadelphia, St. Louis and Chicago, looking for work and hastening the urbanization of America. What initiated the strike at Homestead in 1892? Heating, lighting, sanitation and medical care were poor or nonexistent, and millions died from preventable disease. During this era many unions conducted strikes to demand better working conditions, and many of these strikes turned violent. Direct link to DACherdak's post Who do you think made mor, Posted 6 years ago. Advances in sanitation and housing, and the availability of better quality food and material goods, improved quality of life for the middle class. Wage slaves who have no money are just flat out of luck. Upload unlimited documents and save them online. They felt a new degree of empowerment and fought for equality, including the right to vote through womens suffrage groups. Stop procrastinating with our study reminders. Some simply wanted increased wages and a better working environment, while others also wanted to keep women, immigrants and blacks out of the workforce. Children were also commonly employed in these harsh conditions, often working long hours and performing dangerous tasks with no legal protections or compensation for injuries. Owners had far too much power to create change in reasonable time frame, and since the government largely supported owners over workers, forcing the government to change the rules against their and the most powerful people's opinions would not have worked. During the Gilded Age (approximately 1870s to 1900), there were several examples of management using these tactics against organized labor in the United States: The 1877 Great Railroad Strike, which began as a strike by railroad workers, was put down by state militias and federal troops, with many strikers being arrested and some killed. What railroad strike became nationwide, ending in a federal injunction against union leaders? Also if you are a wealthy industrialist factory owner with powerful influence, you might have connections to officials in government that you can personally contact by telegraph. Their frustration gave rise to the Progressive Movement which took hold when President Theodore Roosevelt took office in 1901. The Gilded Age was a period of time during 1865-1900 when politics were corrupt and stagnant, and elections were meaningless. Unions bargain with owners for higher wages, shorter hours, better working conditions, and union recognition. The hostility of craft unions [devoted to a single trade] to the idea of big [multi-trade] industrial unions with lots of immigrant workers persisted in the 1920s., READ MORE: How Communists Became a Scapegoat for the Red Summer 'Race Riots' of 1919. What social and economic consequences accompanied the United States' transition from a nation of farmers to a nation of wage laborers? Set individual study goals and earn points reaching them. Not until the mid-twentieth century would organized labor become a significant force in the American economy. Could workers attain economic justice without violence during the Gilded Age? In 1876, nearly 82 percent of the voting-age population turned out for the presidential election. Though these changes weren't made within the Gilded Age, the unions from that era undoubtedly played a significant role in their enactment. Fig. 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone and made the world a much smaller place for both individuals and businesses. The American Federation of labor was composed of just skilled workers whereas the Knights of Labor was an allience between skilled and unskilled workers. Banks and other businesses folded, and the stock market plunged, leaving millions unemployed, homeless and hungry. The union movement itself became quite conservative in reaction to the Red Scare, says Nelson Lichtenstein, a historian at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Though the Knights of Labor eventually failed in their goals and dissolved the union, the AFL would become one of America's largest and most active unions. The Knights of Labor was one of the most influential labor unions in the late 19th century, but it was also impacted by the economic downturns and internal conflicts, which led to a decline in membership. Having endured rationings and shortages during the war and the 1918-19 Spanish flu pandemic, an exhausted American public felt little solidarity with an increasingly militant labor movement. The Preservation Society of Newport County. "The Gilded Age" is the term used to describe the tumultuous years between the Civil War and the turn of the twentieth century. It also proved difficult to organize unskilled workers, as owners could easily replace them if they went on strike. In 1902, McClure Magazine journalist Lincoln Steffens took on city corruption when he penned the article, Tweed Days in St. Louis. The article, which is widely considered the first muckracking magazine article, exposed how city officials deceitfully made deals with crooked businessmen to maintain power. READ MORE: Why the Great Steel Strike of 1919 Was One of Labor's Biggest Failures, WATCH:The Red Scare Started Before the McCarthy Era. The Gilded Age dawned at the end of the Civil War. Harper's Weekly illustration of the Pennsylvania state militia marching on the Homestead Steelworks. It soon became obvious that the huge disparity between the wealthy and poor couldnt last, and the working class would have to organize to improve their working and living conditions. However, the Great Railroad strike of 1877 influenced workers to organize after two railroad companies slashed wages for the third time in a year. Has there been any recent movements to repeal this act? Fig. The invention of electricity brought illumination to homes and businesses and created an unprecedented, thriving night life. These tactics were commonly used by management during the Gilded Age to suppress labor movements and weaken unions, and were a significant factor in the struggle between management and labor during that time period. Wealthy women philanthropists of the Gilded Age include: Louise Whitfield Carnegie, wife of Andrew Carnegie, who created Carnegie Hall and donated to the Red Cross, the Y.W.C.A., and other charities. Why did its membership decline? End of child labor (initiated the reform movement though it took years to stop child labor officially). This set the stage for a titanic struggle in 1919, the biggest eruption of labor unrest to that point in history., PHOTOS: These Appalling Images Exposed Child Labor in America. This enormous railroad expansion resulted in rail companies and their executives receiving lavish amounts of money and landup to 200 million acres, by some estimatesfrom the United States government. Unions are organizations of workers who join together as a group to bargain with the owners of the businesses that employ them. Thus, The gilded age in America was typically known for it satirical social, political, and economical problems that lead to an increase in the wage gap and a rise in organized labor unions. The book and ensuing public outcry led to the passing of the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act. The public opinion of the unions was damaged and the organization was unable to recover from the blow. The Knights of Labor, which had already been struggling with declining membership and internal conflicts, was further weakened by the negative public perception of labor unions following the Haymarket Riot. Therefore, laborers joined to create labor unions that sought to support and protect workers from long days, terrible working conditions, and low wages. 6 Breaker boys in the coal mines of Pennsylvania. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Striking workers, however, won few concessions. The home had 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, 65 fireplaces, a dairy, a horse barn and beautiful formal and informal gardens. What role do you think government should play in labor-management disputes? The oceanfront home was contracted by Theresa Fair Oelrichs and built to resemble the Grand Trianon of Versailles. Corporate titans such as Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller and J.P. Morgan amassed read more, A family fortune, beloved father and determination to overcome childhood infirmities set young Theodore Roosevelt on course to become the 26th president of the United States. Use of clocks became more important. The Gilded Age: Labor Unions. During the Gilded Age (approximately 1870s to 1900), there were several examples of management using these tactics against organized labor in the United States: The 1877 Great Railroad Strike, which began as a strike by railroad workers, was put down by state militias and federal troops, with many strikers being arrested and some killed. Fig. But most businesses refused to boost wages accordingly. The Italian-Renaissance style home has 70 rooms, a stable and a carriage house. Were labor unions successful during the gilded age? On July 16, 1877, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company announced a 10-percent pay cut on its railroad workers in Martinsburg, West Virginia, the second cut in less than eight months. That fall, nearly 400,000 members of the United Mine Workers of America went on strike, as did 365,000 steelworkers across the Midwest who attempted to unionize. 19. In many cases, politicians cut shady backroom deals and helped create railroad and shipping tycoons such as Cornelius Vanderbilt and Jay Gould. In fact, it was wealthy tycoons, not politicians, who inconspicuously held the most political power during the Gilded Age. As railroads raced to connect the country, robber barons amassed fortunes in unregulated industries like oil and steel. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Fun With History. The Pinkerton agents, who were aboard barges being towed toward the side of the steelworks that bordered the Monongahela River, were pinned down in the barges by gunfire from the striking workers. You can skip questions if you would like and come back to . The invention of new technologies, from mechanized looms for weaving cloth and the steam-powered locomotive to read more, The period of rapid technological advancement in the United States known as the Industrial Revolution may have taken place during parts of the 18th and 19th centuries, but its impact resonated for decades and influenced everything from food, clothing, travel and read more, New immigrants toNew York City in the late 1800s faced grim, cramped living conditions intenement housing that once dominated the Lower East Side. Calling in private guards or state militia to put down strikes. Muckrakers is a term used to describe reporters who exposed corruption among politicians and the elite. Well to start I would say they were effective in raising awareness of working peoples, and they were able to improve working conditions. Prior to the Gilded Age, the Civil War was put to an end. As time went on, the income inequality between wealthy and poor became more and more glaring. At the center of the nations economic success was a dynamic and expansive industrial capitalism, one consequence of which was mass immigration. Many escaped their drudgery by watching a vaudeville show or a spectator sport such as boxing, baseball or football, all of which enjoyed a surge during the Gilded Age. At its peak, over 100,000 railroad workers were on strike. The government also used force to break up strikes, and many states passed anti-union legislation. Identify your study strength and weaknesses. When the big union drives in steel, electrical manufacturing and meatpacking were crushed by the strikebreaking of 1919, all of labor was on the defensive going into the 1920s, McCartin says. As in the Homestead and Pullman strikes, government in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries often sided with management and against unions. 2023 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved. While the strike initially started within the Pullman company, it grew into a national railroad strike. As a result, members rushed to join the newer American Federation of Labor. This incident had a major impact on the Knights of Labor, one of the most influential labor unions of the time. The group was committed to advancing children's rights and establishing labor laws. The AFL and other labor unions would sometimes organize their efforts in strikes, but more often than not, the federal government supported big business and in some instances, forcefully ended workers efforts. 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