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Why Is Industrializing America The Great Divide

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Brett Riley Pryor HIST 2112 29 August 2017 Industrializing America: The Great Divide In the 19th century, America was labeled with the name the Gilded Age because of the industrialization taking place across the country. The owners of major corporations felt that they had the right to do whatever it took to increase their wealth. This caused workers to push themselves to work for long hours in terrible working conditions as well making children work. Since there were such harsh conditions workers often formed labor unions to try to fight these issues. These unions caused conflicts between the businessmen and the workers. A conflict between the managers at Carnegie steel mill and the Association of Iron and Steel Workers was one of the most …show more content…

It stated that the conflict had “virtually ended” and labeled the rioters as desperate and law-breakers. It also described the situation as a possible blessing, if in the end, it taught that lawlessness was a crime. The union workers were protesting a contract proposed by Carnegie that would cut their pay by 26 percent. Since the editorial was written for businessmen, it presented the union members as lawless because they were standing up to an elite industrialist, Andrew Carnegie. This editorial blamed the divide in America on the workers instead of the greedy management of the company. By never condemning the businessmen, the blood of the seven workers killed in the conflict seemed …show more content…

Some media outlets praised the working class while shaming the business leaders for making millions off of their labor. Other media outlets were against labor unions and their steps toward better working conditions. This showed the differences of opinion in America during industrialization. The Manufacturer and Builder wrote that the Homestead Affair was over, but in reality, it was hardly ended for America. Riots, strikes, and violence continued for many years. America had been divided on topics before, and this was just one more problem that split the country. Some even went as far as to say that these incidences showed that America was not ahead of European nations, but behind them in democracy. How could America, the land of democracy and liberty, fall behind European nations? The businessmen of America denied the very workers that made all of their wealth their human rights. America had to deal with an internal struggle for power and find a

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