American Labour Movement Analysis

Improved Essays
Strikes by industrial workers and unions were increasing rapidly in the United States during the 1880s. This was a time when working conditions often were dangerous and physically exhausting while wages were extremely low. The American labor movement during the industrial age included a mixture of socialists, communists and anarchists who believed the capitalist system should be changed. The capitalist society oppressed and exploited the working class, which had essentially built America.
Since technology and new inventions play a big role in the industrial revolution, mechanization, which is cheap labor, allowed the deskilling of workers. Mass immigration supplied cheap labor to major factories and companies. Green describes the formation
…show more content…
This idea would result in a “cooperative commonwealth” (Green p. 130) where workers would try to determine their working own conditions, “Through these efforts, the popular movements of the time instilled a new kind of collective self-confidence in working people and a new kind of hope that they could reconstruct the economy on a democratic basis” (Green p. 130). The eight-hour campaign was among the strongest events in Chicago, but it was also a staple for the labor …show more content…
I believe that the sentencing was very biased. Who’s better to blame for the death of police officials then the leaders of union and reformer groups. I feel as if the state felt that the leaders should take the responsibility of the actions of someone else since they are the main reason for the organization of the protest. It seems as if this judgement was reflected on the fact that the eight were on trial for their political beliefs and not necessarily on their actions on the evening of the Haymarket Massacre.
In the aftermath of the Haymarket Square Riot, the trial and executions, public opinion were divided between the people. For some people, the events led to a heightened anti-labor attitude. Meanwhile others believed that the men had been convicted unfairly and viewed them as martyrs. As a result, May Day which is the equivalent to International Workers ' Day, celebrates the social and economic achievements of the labor movement throughout the United States and the World. In America, it is commonly thought of or known as labor day. But May Day is mainly a day to commemorate the martyrs of the Haymarket Massacre who fought for the eight-hour day movement. Without this social labor movement, we probably wouldn’t have a usually regulated schedule or tolerable conditions for

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Organized Labor DBQ

    • 901 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Another well known strike was the Haymarket Riot of 1886. This strike was mainly taken for the eight hour wages. Many speeches were given at the square. Bombs were being thrown and police had to get involved. This hurt the labor movement by tarnishing its “radical” image.…

    • 901 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    While the labor unions were successful in achieving an eight-hour workday, when the panic of 1873 struck, working only eight hours a day could not produce enough money for families. Corresponding to the labor union protests, the rioting sometimes got so chaotic that the businesses would employ police officers and the government would send troops to quell the protesters forcibly. With internal conflict with members who were similar to each other and being the enemies of corporations, labor unions plagued the American worker overall in the Gilded Age because little benefit…

    • 937 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Laissez Faire Dbq Analysis

    • 1046 Words
    • 5 Pages

    At the turn of the 20th century, a lot was happening for America. Populations were growing and business was booming. Between the years of 1860 and 1900 America saw a 171% rise in the Gross National Product. Big businesses were growing and people were moving from rural areas and from other countries in search of new opportunities. Men, women, and children entered the workforce.…

    • 1046 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Throughout the Progressive Era, the typical work day consisted of long hours and poor working conditions until Samuel Gompers transformed the entire work force that evolved to today's average working day. Samuel Gompers mobilized the the work force tremendously with great dedication and passion for a better life for all working men. Gompers pushed to end child labor and a limited workday with manageable working conditions. Samuel Gompers changed the lives of working individuals and with great motivation and preparation, he was able to contribute the eight hour work day, better working conditions, and an end to child labor.…

    • 819 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    During Industrialism the entire face of the United States changed, from the landscape of cities and towns, to the political machine, to foreign policy. One group holds major responsibility for this changes, the common working man. These people, built this country from the ground up. Not only with manual labor, but with a declarations for fair treatment. The Labor Union was the creation of the working man’s answer to big business and the Robber Barons.…

    • 1295 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Apush 2000 Dbq Analysis

    • 1618 Words
    • 7 Pages

    As the factory system succeeded, so did the egregious working conditions. Industry workers took initiative to their civil liberties and created labor unions, however, they weren't as affective in the late 1800s due to: the disunity among labor societies, the negative view upon organized labor, and the fact that strikes…

    • 1618 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the mid 1900 there was a lot going on with organized labor in the country. Two wars and a changing economy made for new working conditions and new things to consider when it came to the workplace. After World War one there was a switch from agricultural to industrialized work and with industrialized work came dangerous working conditions. This fueled a lot of workers to want to turn to organized labor so that they felt they had a voice. Alone one worker was essentially powerless against the owners, or employer.…

    • 744 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Also, exhausted workers could not afford to make any mistakes, as the intensely hot steel furnaces and the potentially unstable mines constantly threatened injury or death. Since workers were viewed as interchangeable parts, owners wouldn’t care if there were any death. Many Progressives responded to industrial America's deplorable working conditions by endeavoring to make life better for workers. The American Federation of Labor (AFL) was established to help workers with their problems. The AFL made it possible for the workers to go on strike by paying them enough money to live on or give them year-round health benefits to work their job.…

    • 898 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    During this time it was workers versus bosses. This meaning the bosses saw themselves superior to all their workers. For example workers had a pay cut of ten percent, twice in less than 8 months. Typically workers had a little, while the owners were wealthy. They also had poor working conditions and had to work on weekends except they had Sunday off.…

    • 982 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Since the industrial revolution began industrial workers have greatly important to the survival of America’s economy. The lives of the American industrial workers have always been hard, but between 1865 and 1900 they lives were made both easier and harder due to the impact of technological changes, immigration, and labor unions. The American industrial workers were impacted between 1865 and 1900 by technological changes. Technology made doing certain jobs easier and faster to accomplish so more could be made in less time. Due to the creation of electricity and lamps work could be done at all hours.…

    • 777 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Labor Unions DBQ

    • 750 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The 1800s was a rough century. They had a war going on, a lot of strikes, and death. But right after the war was over people started reconstructing America. During the reconstruction there were more jobs available and there were labor unions forming to help with employment. But the labor unions didn’t really work that well because what they care about is pay, worker’s safety, and work hours…

    • 750 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Industrial Revolution DBQ

    • 657 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Industrial Revolution at the turn of the twentieth century had been marked by millions of immigrants coming to America and getting jobs in factories. But these workers were given little pay and horrible working conditions. But they had taken a stand and began the age of labor movement. Workers across America made efforts to get things like better wages and working conditions, using methods from strikes to riots to achieve those goals. However, the wealthy and the U.S. government tried to put down these efforts and stop the workers’ progress.…

    • 657 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The shirt waist fire opened the public’s eyes to how unsafe work places were at the time. Many people wanted justice for all of the deaths that occurred during this fire between people jumping out of the building to the people that burned alive inside the building. There were different reporters that wrote or drew about the incident. One cartoon showed a person that committed suicide with the caption “This is one of a hundred murdered. Is anyone to be punished for this?”…

    • 562 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Introduction The Haymarket Square Riot took place on May 4, 1886 in Chicago Illinois. In the United States, the labor unions have an extensive and compelling history increasingly developing the world’s largest economy in history, the union movement influence in many significant ways to this unparalleled expansion. The unions have delivered numbers of achievements to American workers. Some achievements include to a safe and intolerant work environment, collective bargaining power, the right hour workday, no child labor, wage standards, political guidance and much more.…

    • 1171 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The third source I took is under the title of “The Haymarket Affair and the origins of May Day” by Jerry Elmer on 01 May 2012 and it was copyright on Wednesday November 02,2016. He is also an environmental lawyer…

    • 275 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays