American Labor In The 1800s

The movement in organized labor from 1875 to 1900 to improve the position of workers was unsuccessful because of the inherent weaknesses of unions and the failures of their strikes, the negative public attitudes toward organized labor, widespread government corruption, and the tendency of government to side with big business. After the Civil there was a push to industrialize quickly, and the rushed industrialization was at the expense of the workers as it led to bigger profits for big business and atrocious working conditions for them; conditions that included long working hours, extremely low wages, and the exploitation of children and immigrants.

After the civil war, up until the early 1900s, the need for a larger workforce grew as industrialization expanded. Samuel Slater brought the industrial revolution from England, and even since then, there were people trying to get better working conditions. Due to the growth in population by immigrants and expansion of industrialization, the working conditions became worse and worse, causing workers to suffer. Many people fought to solve this problem and changed many American’s lives for the better.

Between the 1870s and 1920s, America went through various periods of advancement in the workforce. It began in the Industrial Revolution where America expanded through one of the most profound economic revolutions experienced by any country in the world. It was a period of time where there was an abundance of resources, increasing labor force, international market for manufactured goods and ways to invest in the capital. This radical transition from an agricultural based economy to a booming industrialist one with factories, mining and railroad construction brought forth a new working class. This working class consisted of men, women, children and immigrants who poured in from all over the world for employment.

This new expansion allowed a new working class to emerge, and by 1890, two-thirds of Americans worked for wages (Foner 634). Along with these new factories came wealthy company owners who were known to run their factories nonstop with horrible working conditions. Most factory workers, worked sixty hours a week with no pensions, compensation for injuries, or protections against unemployment, and between 1880 and 1900, 35,000 workers perished each year due to factory and mine accidents (Foner 641). Many workers went on strikes to demand higher pay but employers simply replaced them with unemployed workers, leaving little hope of achieving freedom for the workers.

In the late 1800s and the early 1900s, labor was anything but easy. Factory workers faced long hours, low pay, high unemployment fears, and poor working conditions during this time. Life today is much easier in comparison to the late 1800s. Americans have shorter days, bigger pay and easier working conditions. Not comparable to how life is today, many riots sparked, and citizens began to fight for equal treatment. Along with other important events, the Haymarket Riot, the Pullman Strike, and the Homestead strike all play a vital role in illustrating labor’s struggle to gain fair and equitable treatment during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

During the 1870’s the United States experienced great changes with the end of the Civil War. America was going through a period called Reconstruction. Tensions were fairly high and an air of freedom was present throughout the nation. By 1877, it was obvious the United States was beginning to develop into a recognizably modern economic system of making, earning, spending, and living (Brown 60). In 1880, “over half of American workers worked on farms and only one in twenty worked on manufacturing” (Brown 59). Farmers outnumbered factory by a large number, but factories were still abundant. Child labor occurred after the Civil War as well. By 1872, more than 10,000 children were employed in Philadelphia’s industrial

What are two ways women’s domestic duties are affected by those jobs performed outside the home? “Throughout history, women have made major economic contributions to their societies and families through their labor” (Lindsey, 2011, pg. 273). However, there is old rumors that state women clearly were declined the opportunities to bound in any form of clamorous work of any kind. Though, that is no longer the case today, for many women join the men in the fields, to help process the crops in order to provide much needed nutrients for their families; than ever before. “To explain the world of work for women, sociologists focus on four major types of production in which women have traditionally engaged: producing goods or services for consumption

The labor movement in the United States began due to the need of the common interest of workers to protect themselves from their employers. Those who worked in the industrial sector, organized labor unions were formed to fight for better wages, reasonable hours, and safer working conditions for the employees. Understanding the history of the labor movement in the United States from the Industrial Revolution will allow for a better understanding of the purpose of the labor movement. Incorporating how the following theories: The Mainstream Economics School, The Human Resource Management School, The Industrial Relations School, and The Critical Industrial Relations School the labor issues in the early periods will allow future organizations to address issues in a more precise manner.

Throughout the 1700’s and the early 1800’s child labor was a major issue in American society. Children have always worked for family businesses whether it was an agricultural farming situation or working out of a family business in some type of workplace. This was usually seen in families of middle or lower class because extra help was needed to support the family. Child labor dramatically changed when America went through the Industrial Revolution. When America’s industrial revolution came into play, it opened a new world to child labor. Children were now needed to work in factories, mills, and mines. These were not ordinary jobs for young children, these jobs required much time, effort, and hard work. “American

As a woman living in the pioneer in the 1800’s, life was quite simple but yet, at the same time, it was very hard and frustrating. We didn’t have nearly as many rights as the typical man so, therefore, we usually didn’t work out in the fields like most men did. However, we did have to work hard taking care of the house and the children. I didn’t really consider life as ‘absolutely horrible’, even though life was tough every now and again. I do believe I have just a couple of reasons why I didn’t consider life as absolutely horrible.

This brief history of more than 100 years of the modern trade union movement in the United States can only touch the high spots of activity and identify the principal trends of a "century of achievement." In such a condensation of history, episodes of importance and of great human drama must necessarily be discussed far too briefly, or in some cases relegated to a mere mention.

The early 1900s was a time of many movements, from the cities to the rural farms; people were uniting for various causes. One of the most widespread was the labor movement, which affected people far and wide. Conditions in the nation’s workplaces were notoriously poor, but New York City fostered the worst. Factories had started out in the city’s tenements, which were extremely cramped, poorly ventilated, and thoroughly unsanitary. With the advent of skyscrapers, factories were moved out of the tenements and into slightly larger buildings, which still had terrible conditions. Workers were forced to work long hours (around 12 hours long) six hours a day, often for extremely low pay. The pay was also extremely lower for women, who made up a

During the early stages of the Twentieth Century, the labor force was focused more on industrial jobs than agricultural jobs as technology was evolving. About 24 million Americans ranging from 10 years and above were employed. The number of women working in the workforce was about 19 percent as children in the workforce was about 6 percent of the labor force. The work force was dominated by men as culture deemed them to be superior than women. Children worked as some parents couldn’t provide enough for their families, so they sent their children off to work in dangerous conditions. As the second industrial revolution was nearing its end, many people were employed in factories which received low pay and dangerous conditions as the average week was 53 hours. At the start of the 20th Century, only 15 percent of people that got injured in the workplace were successful in suing their employer and received money for the damages. This type of exposure of human labor would cause a shift in the labor force as

Lincoln gave his opinion about two mutually contradictory ideas, labor or capital through his writings and speeches. According to Lincoln as he stated in one of his speeches and writings: "Labor is prior to and independent of, the capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration." -Abraham Lincoln.He clearly explains his opinion about the rights of the labors and how much they were oppressed by the capitalists.He thinks it is unfair for the labors who should actually be considered superior compared to the capital because, without a labors effort, the capital would never have existed. Lincoln admired working class

The industrial revolution in both the United States and England relied heavily on roles in the household and society. Men, woman, children and minorities all had a set place in society before the industrial revolution. During the revolution and sense of enlightenment changed the roles of these individuals. In the middle of the 1800’s there was change in the role of men, the workplace was no longer a farm or working in the town, rather men were expected to be entrepreneurs. Men, unlike woman, were seen as aggressive and built to work in a savage work place were they could bring home the bread for the family. In England several factory jobs were quite laborious, as well as in the US, however many emigrants that came to the United States had a different sense of what labor as a man meant. Labor was no longer