- Introduction
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- Task
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  Read the quote below from a 19th century Homestead mill laborer: "Hard! I guess it's hard...I lost forty pounds the first three months I came into this business. It sweats the life out of a man. I often drink two buckets of water during twelve hours; the sweat drips through my sleeves, and runs down my legs and fills my shoes." Quote citation"The Steel Business: The lot of a steel worker" PBS American Experience. Web. 10 March 2014 <http://www.pbs.org/ wgbh/amex/carnegie/ sfeature.html>. As the laborer in the Homestead mill noted, life in 19th century American factories was grueling. The hours were long, the work was dangerous, and the pay was minimal. Men, women, and children alike worked alongside each other with little job security. As challenging as the conditions were, there was ample supply of eager new workers to take their place. Learn more about life in the typical 19th century factory by watching the video below:
Photograph Citations (left to right): Child worker in a glass factory, around 1900. IRC, 2005. Image. Discovery Education. Web. 23 February 2014. <http://www.discoveryeducation.com/>. Workers, California Packing Corp, ca 1900. IRC, 2005. Image. Discovery Education. Web. 23 February 2014. <http://www.discoveryeducation.com/>.   During the late 1800s there were minimal regulations governing working conditions in factories. Tragedies, such as the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, were all too common. As time passed, workers became increasingly frustrated with such conditions and began to demand change. Many turned to labor unionsan organization that represents the interests of workers as a means to effect that change. Though the results were mixed, the unions of the period managed to enact some level of reform and brought much needed national attention to the plight of the working class. Learn more about the early labor unions by reviewing the information provided at the links below: Photograph Citations (left to right): Founders of the Knights of Labor. IRC, 2005.Image. Discovery Education. Web. 23 February 2014. <http://www.discoveryeducation.com/>. "The Homestead Riot". IRC, 2005.Image. Discovery Education. Web. 23 February 2014. <http://www.discoveryeducation.com/>.  A. Phillip Randolph Thus far the lesson has focused on the formation of primarily white labor unions during the Gilded Age, but there were numerous African American labor unions that organized as well. One of the more well-known African American labor leaders was a man named A. Phillip Randolph. Under his leadership, the Pullman Porters were able to achieve fair treatment and standards for all members in the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. Read the information provided at the links below regarding A. Phillip Randolph: Pullman Porters Museum Union History Photograph Citation: A. Phillip Randolph. Print. 1963. Lib of Congress. Web 25 February 2014. <http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/97519529/>. |
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