Topic 4 DQ 2

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Apr 3, 2024

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Topic 4 DQ 2 Grade 5/5 Instructor comments: Great work here - keep it up as we cross the halfway point in the semester! Read Samuel Gompers testimony before Congress regarding the AFL and the original platform of the Knights of Labor from the links below. What issues did labor unions attempt to resolve in the early 1900s? How successful were they at resolving these issues? Why was there such a struggle between business and labor, why was it so difficult for them to come together. Why were strikes so violent? (Not being recognized, the issues they were trying to resolve, etc.) How did labor unions improve the working conditions for American workers? During the 1880s and the 1920s America was growing very rapidly. We had so many new land expansions, inventions, industrial revolution, and immigration. Anyone was willing to work, and it did not matter what the conditions were. Children, and adults all wanted a job. Any job was better than no job. Then when enough people were ready to strike, most business had the government on their side and would intervene. Many workers did not have job security and very limited rights. There was the railroad strike of 1877, which caused 4 days of shut down not just with trains but with industries as well. The national Guard stepped in and soon the workers went back to work defeated, and many lost their lives. Though the strike’s carnage evaporated public sympathy for the workers, the conflict brought the issue of labor activism into the national consciousness (Schultz, 2018). Soon unions started to form, one for the protection of the workers, and second, to help people to keep a job. This was not liked by the business owners, and many unions struggled. Many businesses would have their employees sign dog contract, or there would be a blacklist of people who were known activists. The businesses would often use strikebreakers, any time there was a strike. The business owners needed to keep their cost down, and unfortunately labor was the first to get cut, or the job was removed. Through the determination of the union organizers, they fought for the rights of the working class. They knew what was needed to help the unions to succeed would be the support of the government. The Knights of Labor was America’s first effective union, on that sought to unite all of America’s “toilers” into a single organization that through the power of its vast membership, could deliver workers from their plight (Schultz, 2018). This was one of the largest unions, and as it had grown so fast it also failed. With such a diverse membership, they struggled to coordinate the members in a productive way. Many of the strikes also ended very violently, with many injured or dead. The American Federation of Labor (AFL) was also another union organization in American. The AFL was a loose federation of roughly one hundred craft unions rather than a single national union (Schultz, 2018). This union was led by Samuel Gompers, who helped to establish the eight-hour workday. After the 1900s more support from the government was supporting the
unions and labors. President Theodore Roosevelt was a big influence in helping with the 1902 coal miners’ strike. Forcing owners to work with the unions and make some concessions. Crazy to think that some were getting .20 cents per-hour, and maybe $5.00 at the end of the week. Now here in Massachusetts the minimum is $13.50. References Schultz, K. M. (2018). HIST 5, U.S. History. Cengage Learning. https://www.gcumedia.com/digital-resources/cengage/2018/hist5_5e.p hp Frisch, P. A. (2004). Knights of Labor. In N. Schlager (Ed.), St. James Encyclopedia of Labor History Worldwide (Vol. 1, pp. 516-521). St. James Press. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3408900155/UHIC?u=canyonuniv&sid=bookmark- UHIC&xid=d9617600
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