Labor Movement Dbq

Labor unions arose from the outcry of the working class after being subjected to borderline dehumanizing conditions of the workforce. Workers were treated as disposable waste capable of performing tasks and lacked the respect they deserved. There was a general disregard for the working man, woman, and child, and it was evident through their pay, working hours, unsafe working conditions, sexism, racism, or age. Take note, as well, that many of these conditions were tolerated first out of desperation and pressure from incoming immigrants. Otherwise, surely strikes and unions would have risen sooner. To start, the pay was abysmal, there was no such thing as “workers' rights” before labor unions, so it was simply whatever you get is what you get.

Before The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 could begin, something had to trigger the general public of workers. As stated in The American YAWP, “That year, mired in the stagnant economy that followed the bursting of the railroads’ financial bubble in 1873, rail lines slashed workers’ wages (even, workers complained, as they reaped enormous government subsidies and paid shareholders lucrative stock dividends).” And, just like that, history was set in motion, workers were tired of the mistreatment and the abuse, especially in the face of depression. Left with no choice, workers fought back, leading strikers on railroad traffic across the country. Considering the time, cutting off railroads was a big deal, everything relied on them such as the transportation of cargo, mail, and resources. This would be a huge blow to investors, shareholders, business owners, and the economy, so there was no time to waste sitting idly by. A wide range of tactics were deployed to squash the efforts of the working man, but no option was off the table. As seen in The American YAWP, “Courts, police, and state militias suppressed the strikes, but it was federal troops that finally defeated them.” As you can see, there was no mercy for the strikers, only suppression of their efforts. But, on a more important

Some prominent members are the Knights of Labor, the American Federation of Labor, the United Mine Workers of America, and the Industrial Workers of the World. Starting with the Knights of Labor, established in 1869, the Knights of Labor sought to unite skilled and unskilled workers from a wide range of backgrounds with a few exceptions. As stated in the YAWP, “It welcomed all laborers, including women (the Knights only barred lawyers, bankers, and liquor dealers).” Despite the minor exclusions, the Knights of Labor found great success due to their inclusivity. However, outside of their successful memberships, the Knights of Labor had quite a few failures in its time. One of which spurred the firing of one of their union members by Jay Gould’s rail company, escalating into an all-out strike among two hundred thousand workers. After the company called in support to dissolve the strike, the workers struck back, as stated in the YAWP, “Workers countered by destroying property, only winning them negative headlines and for many justifying the use of strikebreakers and militiamen. The strike broke, briefly undermining the Knights of Labor, but the organization regrouped and set its eyes on a national campaign for the eight-hour day.” If anything was accomplished by the Knights of Labor that day, it was reinforcing negative ideologies towards strikers and unions. The last and final failure is