American Federation of Labor

During this course, the students have examined how labor has evolved throughout the history of the United States. From the humble beginnings of the domestic work system to the globalized conglomerates that control the expansive service industry, the labor system of the U.S. has grown and shows no signs of slowing down. The three distinct labor systems in question during the course are: craft unionism, industrial unionism, and lean manufacturing. By examining each of their histories, and the…

League and urged stores to pay female clerks a better wage. The League would work for protective legislation regulating the hours and conditions for children and women. Back then women were shut out of male-dominated unions such as the American Federation of Labor or AFL for short, mostly because they thought that the employed women were taking the jobs of men who were the main source of income for their families. Now, politics was a huge issue during the Gilded Age, the reason why was because…

safer working conditions. When these problems became an issue for the common worker, across the board, it ultimately led to the labor movement. Over time these group of workers transformed into a movement that came together and extended the different rights that they were fighting for, which included assisting workers who were retired or injured and to stop child labor. It is a movement that continues to this day, but it is also a movement that has needed many people to help propel…

In the presidential election of 1932 Franklin Delano Roosevelt beat Herbert Hoover in a landslide victory across the Southern and Northern states. Roosevelt promised the American people hope in a time of economic disaster; "I pledge you, I pledge myself, to a new deal for the American people." (Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the New Deal-The Library of Congress.) The outcome of this promise included an end to the Great depression and a forever changed America. Unlike his opponent in the election…

fulfilled its “Manifest Destiny” as Americans have settled across the west, all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Coinciding with how laborers felt that their work conditions have taken away their individuality, this loss of the frontier or unsettled land, also triggered a sense of loss of American identity. One of the people who vocally expressed this feeling was American historian, Frederick Jackson Turner, in his essay “The Significance of the Frontier in American History.” In it, he described…

During the 1930s, there was a great deal of labor and union activism. American unions and organizations nearly tripled their membership from the early 1930s to the end of the decade. A union is defined as an organization of wage earners or salaried employees for mutual aid and protection and for dealing collectively with employers (Dictionary.com). Unions began to form because workers were fed up with unfair working conditions such as, unfair wages and extremely long work hours. Forming unions…

the next 50 years hotel's, saltwater taffy, hot dog stands, and arcades were all added to the holiday atmosphere for summer vacationers. In 1920 the Businessmen's League of Atlantic City came up with a plan, to keep fun and profits continuing past Labor Day. On September 25th, the Businessmen League organized a Fall Frolic. This is where three hundred and fifty people decorated rolling chairs. They were all men, they had to push the chairs. Although most people paid more attention to the…

Farmers who voted on behalf of their race and not their class, it’s ideas were good enough to be later brought up by the Progressive movement. Later, the Progressive era adopted the principles proposed by the Populist party. In 1905 the Western Federation of Labors collaborated with other radical groups to form the Industrial Workers of the World (Wobblies) to use their vast numbers…

According to Rahman (2005), poverty is seen as a motivating factor for labor migration in many developing countries. Conventionally, international temporary labor migration contributes to reducing poverty because remittances sent by migrant workers supposedly improve the economic conditions of their families back home. However, recent trends suggested that “the age of the great honey pot” is over, especially for Asian unskilled migrant workers (Rahman, 2005). In many cases, the economic costs of…

After the civil war, Americans ran on money and new devices of business. With the expansion of businesses and the nations rail system this lead to bigger markets and industries. Railroads were the biggest industry in the late 19th century because this allowed trade with other markets and cities. The railroad was privately owned but publicly financed by land grants from the government. Along with the expansion of the rail road, there was an invention of the telegraph. The telegraph was invented…