Politics, Cities and
Organized Labor,1869-1903
“
Learning objectives: to understand
“ Politics
and business in the Gilded Age
and cities
“ The emergence of organized labor
“ Early strikes and their results
“ Immigrants
Political issues 1884-1892
“ From
Civil War to economics
“ Tariff
“ Railroad
regulation
“ Trusts
“ Gold
“ Free
Standard
Silver
Forgotten Presidents
“
Election of 1884
“
“
“
James G. Blaine (R)
Carl Schurz
“wallowed in spoils”
Mugwumps
“ Grover Cleveland
(D)
“ Rum, Romanism
and Rebellion
“
1
1888 and 1892
“
1888
“
Tariff reform
“
“
“
“
“
“
Benjamin Harrison
Farmers
Moderates
Free trade advocates
Industrialists
workers
Harrison’s actions
“
Highest tariff ever
“
Sponsored by
McKinley of Ohio
“
Pork barrel
“
Voter reaction
Review
“ Vertical
z
z
z
z
Integration
Control harvesting of natural resources
Control production of resources into goods
Control transportation
Control distribution
“ Horizontal
z
Combination
Corner and dominate the market on one good or
product
2
Railroad Regulation
“ Rockefeller
“ The
and the rebates
Grange
“ 1867
“ Interstate
“ Interstate
Commerce Act of 1887
Commerce Commission
“ Ineffective
“ precedent
Definititions
“
Tariff
“
“
“
Taxes placed on imported goods
High
Effect on domestic business
“
Gold Standard
“
Free Silver
“
“
“
Currency redeemable in gold
Coins and certificates
Silver Standard
Depression of 1893
“J
P Morgan’s plan
“ Rumors
“ Gold
Standard a negative
3
Cities
“ Increased
“ New
population
technology
“ Chicago
“ 100,000
in 1860
1,000,000 by 1890
“ Chicago fire
“ Over
Immigration
“
14,000,000 +
“
“
“
Unskilled
Italy, Turkey, Russia, Hungary
Causes
“
“
“
“
“
Depression in Europe
Persecution of Jews
Availability of jobs
Steamship ads
Word of mouth
4
Discrimination
“ Perception
“ Who
wanted restrictions? Why?
“ Literacy Test – 1896
“ Vetoed
by Cleveland
“ Immigrants
“ Brooklyn
built
Bridge
“ Skyscrapers
Brooklyn Bridge
Railway Exchange
Daniel Burnham - 1904
5
Lives of workers
“
“
10-12 hours a day, 6 days weekly
Women
“
“
“
Average wage
“
“
“
“
Garment industry
$1 a day
$500 yearly
Comparable to $8000 now
Unsafe
No benefits
Leisure
“ Read
about leisure and Coney Island
“ Research
Riverview Park, Chicago on
the internet
Great Railroad Strike of 1877
“B
& O Railroad
wages
“ Reduced
“ Brakemen
“ Another
“ Strike
“ Rail
walked out
10% after more than 50%
spreads
traffic paralyzed
“ President
Rutherford B Hayes
“ Effects?
6
Knights of Labor
1869
Stephens
“ Directed by Terence Powderly
“ Goals
“
“ Uriah
Public Railroad ownership
Income tax
“ Equal pay for women
“ No child labor
“ 8 hour workday
“
“
Terence V. Powderly,
Knights of Labor
Organized Trades and
Labor Union
“
Samuel Gompers
“
Organized 1883
“
Reorganized 1886
“
American
Federation of Labor
7
American Federation of Labor
“ AF
of L platform
Work within wage system
“ Represent only skilled workers
“
“ Results
Supported by churches, middle class women’s
groups, politicians, businessmen
“ Lobbied for Labor Day as national holiday,
1894
“
Haymarket Riot
“
May 1, 1886
“
Issue: 8 hour day
“
Target: McCormick Reaper Works
“
Pinkerton Detective Agency
“
John Bonfield
8
Aftermath
“ Trial
“ Eight
men – for their convictions
executed
“ One suicide
“ Three imprisoned
“ Four
“ Pardon
“ Governor
“ May
Altgeld
1st
Farmer’s Alliance 1899
“ Rural
Organized Labor
“ Background
“ Problems
Gold Standard
Railroad rates
“ Land speculation
“
“
“ Northwestern
joins Southern
Farmers’ Alliance
“ Membership by 1891: over 1 million
“ Colored
“ Cooperatives
“ Results
“ Political
movement
“ People’s
Party or Populist movement
Government storehouses and credit
“ Western land reform
“ Free silver and greenbacks
“ 8 hour workday
“ Reduced tariffs
“ Graduated income tax
“ State-owned railways
“
9
Homestead, PA Works
Lockout 1892
Steel mill blast furnace
Pittsburgh Steel Mills
10
Gary Works
The Story
“
Right to organize
“
Henry Clay Frick
“
AFL
“
Hugh O’Donnell
“
Assassination attempt
Aftermath
“ Union
“ 12
Leaders blackballed
hour day reinstated
“ 500
jobs eliminated
“ Carnegie
profits soar
11
Cripple Creek Miners Strike
1894
“ Working
hours (again)
“ Western Federation of Miners
“ Colorado’s Populist Governor
“ Davis
H. Waite
“ 1904
“ Union
members blacklisted
difference – no state action to uphold
private property
“ Only
Pullman Strike 1894
“ Pullman,
“ All
Illinois
rentals
“ Parks
“ Hotel
“ Library
“ Gilded
Cage
12
Pullman Workers
The Story
“ Depression
– 50% workers out of work
cuts of about 28%
“ Stockholders – 8% dividend
“ Eugene V. Debs leader of
“ American Railway Union
“ Plant closed
“ Railcars boycotted
“ Wage
“
Debs
13
General Managers Association
Strike breakers hired
“ Switchment fired
“ Newspapers’ role
“
“
Printed false stories
Federal troops
“ Debs jailed
“ ARU goes down
“ 1600 workers out of work
“
“It
looks bleak for labor
“Read
temperance
“Women’s
suffrage later
14