- Identify each of the following events or people. Give an explanation or description of the item. Answer the questions who, what, where, and when.
- Explain the historical significance of each item in the space provided. Establish the historical context in which the item exists. Establish the item as the result of or as the cause of other factors existing in the society under study. Answer this question: What were the political, social, economic, and/or cultural consequences of this item?
a. Formed in 1869 by Uriah Stephens , the Knights of Labor was a union that focused mainly on bringing many workers together. Unlike many other labor unions at the time, the Knights accepted all sorts of laborers - they did not discriminate based on gender, race, or amount of skill. This mean that workers who could not take part in other unions (women, African-Americans, unskilled laborers, etc.) now had a cause to rally for. The Knights bloomed in the late 1870s. The Knights did not support strikes, and especially criticized violent strikes, believing that these led to more harm than good. Their major idea was for workers to work for themselves, not the government or big businesses. they saw no reason as to why the average person could not be in charge of his own business, and pushed for this to happen, along with more basic benefits for workers.
b. The Knights created a broad sense of worker unity. While the Knights were still powerful, more workers than ever before banded together to work for common goals. In the South, a more militant branch of the Knights organized a strike against the major railroad manager Jay Gould. The strike turned into a massive cause that spread across many states, and severely impacted the railroad business in the South. Even after the leader of the Knights met with Gould, Gould refused to give in to the laborers demand for higher wages and union recognition. After this failure, membership within the Knights dropped severely, but he idea of worker unity had been planted firmly in the minds of many laborers.
the Haymarket riot
a. Occurring on May 4, 1186, the Haymarket Riot was one of the most infamous and bloody riots of the labor union movement. Outraged at an incident that had taken place at the McCormick Harvester Plant just days before, in which a protesting worker had been killed by the police and several others had been wounded, many people gathered in Haymarket Square in Chicago to protest against police violence against laborers. Towards the end of the protest, as people were starting to drift away, the police arrived. Some unidentified person threw a bomb into the police line, and suddenly the riot began. Police opened fire, and chaos ensued. Eight speakers and radicals at the event were arrested; four received the death penalty and one more killed himself in prison.
b. After the Haymarket Riot, the public began to fear the unions. Many of the participants had been adamant socialists or anarchists, and many were foreign. The public twisted these images and suddenly, the strikers were portrayed as desperate criminals who would do anything to get their way. The entire issue was viewed as a crisis, and after being pushed by public opinion, the federal government upped military response to union actions. More so than ever, the government and big business focused on disbanding strikes and splitting up unions.
the American Federation of Labor
a. Formed by Samuel Gompers in 1886, the AFL was one of the first major craft unions to be formed. Craft unions were unions that accepted skilled workers from many different trades. Gompers had been a member of the Cigar Makers' International Union. He joined this union with a few others to form the AFL, and then became president of it. the AFL focused heavily on both strikes and peaceful negotiation. The AFL worked mostly towards concrete goals - shorter hours, higher wages - rather than broader ideas.
b. The AFL's efforts to improve worker condition proved to be vastly successful. In just 25 years, wages for workers in some unions rose by an average of $6.50, and the hours that these laborers were forced to work dropped from 54.5 hours a week to about 49. These may not seem like huge changes, but the AFL inspired hope for unions all around the nation. It showed that with hard work, things could change for the better, even if it took years.
Samuel Gompers
a. Formerly a member of the Cigar Makers' International Union, Gompers used his intellectual skills and entrepreneurial ideas to form the AFL. It was the first of its kind, and it achieved remarkable things for its time. Gompers himself was a remarkable man, simply for forming this union - up until this point, unions had generally been segregated by craft. Gompers was able to create a sense of togetherness between skilled workers all over the country.
b. This banding together of workers would inspire many other craft unions to form. Gompers also was a perfect example of the pragmatic union leader, a figurehead who could inspire change throughout the country. Many people at the time were skeptical or fearful of unions, but Gompers showed that unions could achieve their goals, without causing outbursts of violence.
the Homestead strike
a. The Homestead Strike happened on June 29, 1892, after the president of the Carnegie Steel Company's Homestead plant announced a wage cut to his workers. The workers struck in response, and the president acted defensively, calling in hundreds of guards from the Pinkerton Detective Agency to break the strike. The strikers fought back, rather successfully, against the guards, and the state militia was called in. The strike continued for five months, but eventually the workers were forced to give in.
b. The violence against the guards, a threat to the president of the plant's life, and the length that the strike went on for meant that the strikers received little support from the general population. On one hand, the Homestead strike showed the passion of the laborers for their cause. This strike made it clear to the country and the government that the unions were not going anywhere anytime soon, and they were not afraid to fight for their cause, even if it meant extreme violence. On the other hand, though, the strike lent a negative view to the unions. To the public, this particular strike looked over the top, especially because of the threat to the president of the company's life.
the Pullman strike
a. After the economic crash of 1893, the Pullman company began laying off many of its employees and severely cutting wages. When conditions had not improved a year later, the workers in the Pullman town in Chicago rebelled and went on strike. Pullman called in strikebreakers, and when that made the situation even worse, the President sent in federal troops. Eventually, the majority of the workers who had participated were simply fired, and many were blacklisted so that they could not be re-hired.
b. The Pullman strike raised much hostility among the workers. The involvement of federal troops and the blacklisting of workers made this particular strike stand out. Also, the Pullman strike caused the boycotting of many Pullman trains by the American Railway Union; this had severe economic consequences for the Pullman company.
Eugene V. Debs
a. Having been involved in the world of labor unions practically all his life, it is no surprise that Debs formed one of the most well known unions - the American Railway Union. The ARU was made up of mostly semiskilled or unskilled laborers, although some skilled workers joined too. The ARU met great success soon after its start, and continued to build momentum for the labor movement. This can be largely accredited to Debs, who was passionate about his work. Later on in life, he became a strong socialist and eventually became nominated as the candidate for the Socialist Party of America.
b. Debs was a driving force of the labor movement. He was involved in many of the major strikes of the 19th century, and organized the ARU. Debs was an inspiration to many; a worker all his life, he was just an average man. Because of this, he was able to effect many people in a way that other leaders could not. His organizations drew great success, and even after his prison sentence, he continued to make waves - he was one of the biggest proponents of socialism in the US during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
the Industrial Workers of the World
a. Also known as the Wobblies, the Industrial Workers of the World was formed mainly by a group of Colorado mine workers in 1905. They were big proponents of worker unity, much like the Knights, but unlike that group, they strongly supported violent means to get their points across. William D. Haywood, along with others, led many powerful strikes in the Western territories. Also tied to these strikes was a woman known as Mother Jones, who supported these mine worker unions but also focused strongly on women and child workers' rights.
b. The IWW was significant for two reasons - one, it was the most major union in the Western lands, and two, its ties to Mother Jones pushed women and child workers' rights into the public eye. Up until this point, the union movement had mainly been concentrated in the North, with some action in the South. The IWW brought significant attention to the workers in the West. Also, until Mother Jones began pushing for them to be recognized, women were vastly ignored by unions. The fact that Mother Jones worked so closely with William Haywood was a huge step in itself for women, let alone what Mother Jones would do later on for their rights.
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