Chapter 13 Section 4 T H E G R E A T S T R I K E S

Chapter 13 Section 4 T H E G R E A T S T R I K E S

Gulf Between Rich and Poor In 1890, the richest 9% of Americans held nearly 75% of the nation s wealth The average worker could earn only a few hundred dollars a year Some workers were drawn to socialism

Socialism Economic and political philosophy that favors public instead of private control of the means of production Believe society at large should take charge of a nation s wealth Wealth should be distributed equally to everyone Reflected the beliefs of Karl Marx Marx wrote the Communist Manifesto with Frederick Engels, denouncing capitalism and predicting that workers would one day overturn it Most Americans opposed it

The Rise of Labor Unions The first national labor organization was the National Trades Union, which was open to workers from all crafts. It survived only a few years. Unions began to emerge after the Civil War, demanding shorter work days, higher wages, and better working conditions In 1866, labor activists formed the national Labor Union, representing some 60,000 members, but failed when a depression began

The Knights of Labor The Noble and Holy Order of the Knights of Labor formed in Philadelphia in 1869 Members included farmers, factory workers, shopkeepers, office workers, African Americans, and women Under the leadership of Terence Powderly, they fought for equal pay for equal work, an 8-hour work day, and an end to child labor Disappeared by the 1890 s

Review Who held most of the wealth in the U.S. in 1890? What is socialism? What was the first labor union in America? What were the goals of the Knights of Labor?

The American Federation of Labor Formed in 1866 under the leadership of Samuel Gompers Organized only skilled workers Gained 250,000 members between 1886 and 1892 Focused mainly on workers wages, hours and working conditions Tried to force employers to participate in collective bargaining through strikes and boycotts Pressed for a closed shop

The Wobblies 43 groups of workers opposed to the AFL formed the Industrial Workers of the World, or Wobblies, in 1905 Was a radical union of unskilled workers that included many socialists

Reaction of Employers Employers disliked and feared unions They took measures to stop unions, such as forbidding union meetings, firing union organizers, forcing employees to sign yellow dog contracts, refusing to bargain collectively, and refusing to recognize unions

Review Who was Samuel Gompers? What were the aims of the AFL? How did employers react to unions?

The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 Began in July 1877 when the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad announced a wage cut of 10% Workers in Martinsburg, West Virginia, were the first to declare a strike, followed by workers in Pittsburgh, Chicago, St. Louis, and other cities Rutherford B. Hayes sent in federal troops to restore order

A week later, soldiers fired on rioters in Pittsburgh 20,000 men and women reacted by setting fire to railroad property causing $5 million in damage Hayes sent in more troops to end the riots

Debs and the Great American Railway Union Eugene V. Debs took a leadership role in the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen He disliked strikes and violence He formed the American Railway Union in 1893 to organize all railroad workers

Strikes Rock the Nation From 1881 to 1900, some 24,000 strikes occurred

Review What happened during the Great Railroad Strike of 1877? Who was Eugene V. Debs? How many strikes occurred from 1881 to 1900?

Haymarket, 1886 On May 1, 1886, groups of workers mounted a national demonstration for an 8-hour work day On May 3, police broke up a fight between strikers and scabs. There were casualties. A protest was called for May 4 at Chicago s Haymarket Square

Some anarchists decided to join the protest A bomb was thrown at the police killing an officer In the riot that followed, dozens on both sides were killed Police never found the bomb thrower 8 anarchists were arrested; 4 were hanged; one committed suicide They were later pardoned

Homestead, 1892 In 1892, Henry Frick tried to cut workers wages at Carnegie Steel The union at Homestead, PA called a strike Frick called in the Pinkertons to break up the strike 300 Pinkertons attacked striking workers on July 5. Several people were killed.

On July 23, anarchists Alexander Berkman tried and failed to assassinate Frick The union called off the strike on November 20

Pullman, 1894 George Pullman had developed a sleeping car for trains To keep his workers, he started a town that provided its workers with everything they needed Pullman held his town to high standards, such as banning use of alcohol In 1893, Pullman laid off workers and cut wages by 25% while keeping rent and food prices at the same level

When workers protested, he fired 3 of them, leading to a strike He refused to negotiate and shut down the plant The workers asked Debs and the ARU for help. They voted to join the strike. Debs warned workers not to interfere with the mail, but things got out of hand and mail delivery was disrupted

The General Managers asked the government to end the strike because it disrupted the mail On July 4, President Grover Cleveland sent 2,500 troops to enforce a court order forbidding all union activity that halted railroad traffic

Review What was the Haymarket Riot? What happened during the Homestead Strike? Who was George Pullman? Why did Pullman s Workers strike? How did the strike end?