Apush Dbq Research Paper

In the first half of the 19th Century the working class in the newly industrializing American society suffered many forms of exploitation. The working class of the mid-nineteenth century, with constant oppression by the capitalist and by the division between class, race, and ethnicity, made it difficult to form solidarity. After years of oppression and exploitation by the ruling class, the working class struck back and briefly paralyzed American commerce. The strike, which only lasted a few weeks, was the spark needed to ignite a national revolt by the working class with the most violent labor upheavals of the century.

Wages were very low for the amount of work people were expected to do. People would only make anywhere from $1.25-$1.50 for the entire 10-12 hour workday. Not only were these wages extremely low, but employees often lived in expensive company housing which left barely any money for the other necessities of life. Nobody was satisfied with the wages during this time period but another struggle was the long hours. People worked 60-80 hour work weeks in the hot overcrowded factories, only doing one monotonous job. Lastly, the boss was very distant from the work crowd and there was little to no contact between the two groups. Also, the workers were very controlled by the foreman. The doors were locked on all floors to prevent theft during the day and bathroom breaks would be monitored by a floor manager. Overall, during the late 1800’s everyone was overworked and underpaid and this led to many troubles as years went on.

During the Progressive Era of the Gilded Age, many laborers were being mistreated by the companies that they worked for. Because of this, workers started forming labor unions or organized association of workers, formed to protect and further their rights and interests. Many of these labor unions failed, while few of them achieved their goals and still exist today. Many factors contributed to the failure of these labor unions. The labor unions were given a bad image, the reason for this was the media, and they did this by publishing articles depicting the unions as violent, communist groups. The government supported big business during this time, since the government had a lot of power; this was a huge setback in the labor unions’ battles.

In the late 1800s and the early 1900s, labor was anything but easy. Factory workers faced long hours, low pay, high unemployment fears, and poor working conditions during this time. Life today is much easier in comparison to the late 1800s. Americans have shorter days, bigger pay and easier working conditions. Not comparable to how life is today, many riots sparked, and citizens began to fight for equal treatment. Along with other important events, the Haymarket Riot, the Pullman Strike, and the Homestead strike all play a vital role in illustrating labor’s struggle to gain fair and equitable treatment during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

The chief political issue of the late 1800s was working conditions for laborers. Big businesses, having sought to cut costs however possible, created horrible working conditions for laborers. In an effort to improve these conditions, workers waged strikes and formed labor unions, so that they might gain some semblance of bargaining power. However the fight to improve conditions for workers was largely ineffective thanks to public support of big business, disorganization amongst labor unions, and the negative connotation that came to be associated with labor unions.

The 1800s is characterized with the rise of industrial America. As technological advances were introduced to industry, unskilled labor also rose in accordance to the rise in factories. However, this rise also introduced several labor unions such as the Knights of Labor, which organized a series of protests and riots. The labor unions had good intentions, aiming to lower the average work hours for workers, as well as increase their wages. However, their methods which involved riots and protests, were altogether not effective, and ended up being detrimental to their cause. Between 1875 and 1900, labor unions surged and were temporarily successful; however, their methods would prove detrimental to their cause overtime, leading to their

During 1816 Congress chartered The Second Bank of the United States. Two year later in 1818, the state of Maryland passed legislation to impose taxes on the bank. The cashier of the Baltimore branch of the bank, James W. McCulloch, refused to pay the tax. An unanimous decision, the Court held that Congress had the power to incorporate the bank and that Maryland could not tax instruments of the national government employed in the execution of constitutional powers. Chief Justice Marshall noted that Congress possessed unremunerated powers not explicitly outlined in the Constitution. Marshall also held that while the states retained the power of taxation, "the constitution and the laws made in pursuance thereof are supreme.. they control the constitution

What makes a person’s spirit triumph ? Love,Laughter, and Nature are all what make a person’s spirit triumph.

The years following the Civil War and Reconstruction was an era somewhat gilded. The Second Industrial Revolution came about with new inventions, and revolutionized how factories and jobs were worked. Factory workers in this time period were working in poor conditions and had no power whatsoever. Often they were abused and their wages were cut very low. The mass immigration also did not favor laborers as it made them so easy to replace. In order to fight back laborers would join labor unions in order to protest; however, during this time the labor unions were not that affective during 1875 and 1900 because although they had their efforts many of them would not work to their advantage; efforts would give them a bad reputation, go out of

In the late eighteen hundreds, machines started to take place of people in industries. Work became unskilled labor, or labor that requires zero to little experience. Not soon after, the economy crashed and left millions out of work. Workers who got to continue working had their wages cut. By 1877, railway workers had enough of the wage inequity and went on strike. This was known as the Great Railroad Strike. From Pennsylvania to California, railroad systems had workers leave their posts. Not long after the strikes, state governments started calling for Federal troops to take down the activity. Though the majority of the middle class agreed with the strikers motivations and reasoning, they were disappointed in the damage that occurred.

During the late 1800s work and wages were hard to come by. There was very little work for people to get so everyone were fighting to get one and make the smallest amount of money they could. In 1877, the great strike happened which is referred to as the railroad strike of 1877. It was supposed to be a complaint against the new economy situations . The rail road ordered a ten percent cut in wages and planned which double the numbers of cars per train to cut workers .

Leading up to 1877 in the midst of a great economic depression, white American workers faced rivalry for work from un-free black labor, partially due to weak labor unions that lacked the ability to cope with national competition, including an influx of mass immigration. Additionally, immigrants, unemployed workers, and unskilled laborers crowded the cities as the cost of settling on the land out west remained unaffordable to them. In the opening half of the 19th century workers’ movements retained diminutive results for the condition of working people in American society, however, in the latter half of the 19th century labor movements set in motion by better organized unions began to enable labor

The formation of the early labor unions within the United States actually started with labor strikes being first on the agenda (Schultz, 2013) The first strike was due to the cuts that were made by the railroad in 1877 as business owners were always trying to find ways to decrease their overhead. The workers in West Virginia chose to retaliate against the company by shutting down most of the rail traffic. It was actually this event that took place that received national attention and others railroad employees in other states followed suit. After calling in the national guard there were many killed, injured, organized leaders were imprisoned, and the railroad workers still took a pay cut in their salaries. This circumstance helped to recognize

The point of a union was to unite workers against careless employers to make it hard for the employer to continue to carry on business and force them to recognize their errors and hopefully make necessary changes. However, the federal government mostly backed wealthy industrialists and often ruled against workers who went against the system. Lack of effective governance greatly contributed to the dangerous and poorly kept work environments. Employees were not provided any type of safety net or alternatives for if they were injured or killed while performing their jobs. There was no job security, minimum wage or legally required safety measures for the workplace. The uneven distribution of wealth in America didn’t help the working class either. Most industrial workers were faced with poverty making barely enough or less than enough to sustain a decent living and forcing more women and children to enter the workforce. Large numbers of children and women were forced to obtain jobs to help support their families

Labor unions, a movement that dates back to the 1800’s. Without determined leadership, workers were unable to avoid the long lengthy days consisting of minimum wage, as well as the life threatening conditions that came with their jobs ("Labor Movement”). However, as persistent leaders began to take control, the environment in which the laborers worked in began to be acknowledged by businesses and the government (Dray 28). Gradually, modifications were made, overall accomplishing their goals. Over the course of decades with hard work, labor unions have been successful with their impact on businesses, by raising wages, improving working conditions, and providing job security for their union members.