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Homestead Strike In The American Civil Labor Movement

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1. Unrestricted Capitalism in America
Determining the overall importance of the Homestead Strike in the American Civil Labor Movement requires the investigation to examine the reasons for which the common laborer moved towards unionism and, later, full-fledged strikes.
The overarching structure of American capitalist society which grew significantly in the Progressive era which extended from post reconstruction into the early 20th century and consisted of the laborers of which was the most significant portion of the population; and the management which included a very select, miniscule percentage of the population. During this period agrarian work declined and did not have a large effect on the Labor Movement and the corresponding events …show more content…
The rise of “Big Business” was the centerpiece of the American economy entering the latter part of the 19th century. The railroads were the first “Big Businesses”, as they had to control and manage vast areas of track and all other interworkings of the businesses; they pioneered the creation of a managerial structure which determined who had control over what process within the business and how those people would then delegate each task to an individual or group. From a business aspect this is known as a “vertical structure” and was predominate far into the twentieth century. The new managerial structure spread to the majority of businesses at the time and allowed corporations to manage vast quantities of materials and products as cheaply as possible. Andrew Carnegie used this structure to refine his steel company into becoming the most efficient, most successful steel manufacturer in the world. Standard Oil, led by John D. Rockefeller, used this method to dominate the distribution of kerosene and gasoline by the end of the nineteenth century. By streamlining their businesses the entrepreneurial moguls of the time were able to amass massive amounts of wealth; however, this drive for success and wealth also caused a great number of hardships especially for the workers in …show more content…
However, it was not until the industrialization of the country that the first “labor combination” cases were seen in the United States. In first three decades of the 1800s there were only twenty-three strike cases in six states; these cases, instead of being focused on changes in business, were focused on affirming the coalition’s right to bargain for better pay, hours, and conditions. The cases were generally cast in the favor of the bargaining groups however, they did not particularly affect the businesses in any

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