Overview
This lecture covers the harsh realities for industrial workers during the Gilded Age (1870–1900), the rise of labor unions, significant strikes, and reasons for the mixed success of the American labor movement.
Working Conditions in the Gilded Age
- The Gilded Age refers to 1870–1900, a period of apparent wealth masking deep social issues.
- Industrial growth relied on a low-paid, overworked urban labor force in dangerous factories.
- Factory jobs paid low wages, required long hours (10-hour days, 6 days a week), and often posed deadly risks.
- Work was repetitive and psychologically draining, with little concern for worker safety or well-being.
- Scientific management prioritized efficiency and profit over human needs.
- Women and children were increasingly employed and paid less, with child labor rates rising.
- Electric lighting allowed factories to operate 24/7, further lengthening potential work hours.
Labor Organization and Resistance
- Workers formed unions to improve pay and safety; unions are organizations of workers seeking better conditions.
- Strikes (refusals to work) were a common tactic, leading to business hiring "strike breakers" to replace workers.
- Unity among workers was undermined by racial, ethnic, linguistic, and cultural differences, especially among new immigrants.
- Belief in individual self-reliance ("rags to riches") also weakened support for collective action.
- Some labor groups, like the Molly Maguires, used violent tactics, resulting in harsh crackdowns.
Major Strikes and Labor Unions
- The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 saw widespread worker action across states, with violent clashes and federal intervention.
- The National Labor Union advocated for the 8-hour workday in the 1850s.
- Economic depressions led businesses to cut wages and lay off workers, worsening social tensions.
- The Knights of Labor welcomed all workers and promoted radical reforms but declined after being linked to violence.
- The Haymarket Affair (1886) in Chicago, involving a deadly bombing, discredited more radical unions.
- The American Federation of Labor (AFL), led by Samuel Gompers, focused on practical gains for skilled, white, male workers and became the era's most influential union.
- Strikes at Homestead Steel (1892) and Pullman (1894) ended in major defeats for workers after violent confrontations and government intervention.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Gilded Age — era of superficial prosperity in the US from 1870 to 1900.
- Scientific Management — factory efficiency system prioritizing profit over worker welfare.
- Union — an organization of workers seeking improved working conditions.
- Strike — organized refusal to work to demand better conditions.
- Strike Breaker — worker hired to replace those on strike.
- New Immigrants — recent arrivals from Southern/Eastern Europe, with diverse languages and religions.
- Molly Maguires — labor group known for violent tactics.
- Knights of Labor — inclusive labor union advocating broad reforms.
- AFL (American Federation of Labor) — major union for skilled, white, male workers focusing on concrete goals.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review the causes and effects of major strikes: Great Railroad Strike, Homestead, Pullman.
- Study the differences between the Knights of Labor and AFL.
- Know the barriers to labor unity and reasons for the limited power of unions during the Gilded Age.