6-3+USH

Abby Regan 12/7/11 USHCP Mr. Masterson

Key Terms: Sherman Antitrust Act: This outlawed all monopolies and trusts that restrained trade. Knights of Labor: One of of the first labor unions in the USA. Terence V. Powderly: A leader who expanded the diversity of the Knights of Labor. Great Upheaval: A year of intense worker strikes and violent labor confrontations. Haymarket Riot: A riot in which a bomb exploded in Haymarket square in Chicago, killing several police officers. Anarchists: People who believe that there should be no government. American Federation of Labor (AFL): Founded by Samuel Gompers in 1886, this labor union worked to strengthen the interests of skilled workers.

Key People: Mary Harris Jones: A woman who played a leading role in organizing strikes, marches, and demonstrations. Eugene V. Debs: Head of the American Railway Union, supported Pullman strikers.

Summary:

Government and Business
 * The business policies of the USA benefited the business leaders more than the workers.
 * The government didn't do much to regulate business practices, except passing the Sherman Antitrust Act, which didn't define what exactly a monopoly or trust was.
 * The laborers earned poor wages, and the government did little to help.

The New Working Class
 * The demand for labor went up drastically under the new Industrial Order, and most of the laborer positions were filled by immigrants.

African Americans
 * There were a ton of African Americans who moved North in search of a job.
 * Some northern and midwestern businesses offered African Americans jobs, but most southern industries didn't.
 * Employment in industries was out of reach for most African Americans.

Women and Children
 * Women competed for unskilled factory work, and the number of women in the labor force increased.
 * The number of children in the labor force doubled because their families needed money.
 * Numerous children worked in clothing factories or at home.

Working Conditons
 * The working conditions were very bad, and low wages were barely worth the effort of working (they got less than $10 a week).
 * Long hours made workers tired, and made the jobs even more unsafe because the workers were half asleep and not paying attention.
 * Some employers set out to take control over the workers, and one way was to build company towns where the company had total control of the workers housing.

The Knights of Labor
 * The National Labor Union tried to establish an 8 hour work day, but failed and fell apart.
 * The Knights of Labor was founded by Uriah Stephens, and it was dominated by white males until 1879.
 * Powderly welcomed many women into the labor union.
 * Mary Harris Jones, born in 1830 in Cork, Ireland, devoted herself to the labor movement.
 * Jones educated and organized laborers so effectively that some called her "the most dangerous woman in America".
 * Powderly didn't encourage African Americans to join until 1883.
 * The African Americans weren't treated the same as white men.
 * Powderly led the Knights of Labor for 14 years.

The Great Upheaval
 * The Knights of Labor grew during the Great Upheaval, which included incidents such as railroad workers going on strike after a pay cut.
 * An economic depression led to massive wage cuts, workers got angry, and they went on strikes, which often turned violent.

The Haymarket Riot
 * On May 1, 1886, about 40,000 workers joined a strike against the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company for an 8 hour workday, and a confrontation between police and strikers left two strikers dead.
 * The strikers protested by calling for a meeting in Chicago's Haymarket Square, but a bomb exploded just as the meeting was about to end.

Worker Activism Declines
 * Because employers struck back against unions by making lists of union supporters (blacklists), and not letting them get jobs, or made them sign contracts not to join unions, the activism decreased.
 * Many skilled workers teamed up with the unskilled workers and joined the AFL.

The Homestead and Pullman Strikes
 * In June 1892, workers again protested wage cuts at Carnegie Steel Company, and managers responded by lockouts and protecting the plant.
 * In May 1894, George Pullman cut wages but refused to lower rent and store prices, and workers went on strike.
 * Railroad workers who supported the strikers stopped traffic throughout the Midwest, and the govt. was called in to arrest American Railroad Union workers.
 * President Grover Cleveland ordered troops to restore normal factory operations and end strikes and they were successful.