Premium Essay

Labor Unions In The Early 20th Century Essay

Submitted By
Words 807
Pages 4
1. What was the role of labor unions upon their inception in the early 20th century?
1. To properly understand the modern role of labor unions, we must be willing to delve into at least a brief study of their past! While the advent of the industrial revolution brought with it great opportunity for workers, it also brought with it many new challenges and risks for those workers! Perils for these men, women, and children included dangerous equipment, demanding work schedules, abusive managers, and unsafe environments. Obviously, the individual worker lacked any significant influence over their working conditions. Banded together, though, many workers could establish a strong negotiating position with which to demand and obtain healthier working …show more content…
In the study of history, we naturally break up time in to periods of great change, turmoil, peace, or remarkable activities. From an American perspective, we know the early 1900s as the era of flight, industry, and World War I. The hallmark of the thirties is the Great Depression. Following World War II in the fifties, our country realized a revitalized, expanded, and industrialized workforce as the American war machine transitioned into peace. In the sixties and seventies, you will recall that the Vietnam War, and the Civil Rights Movement. Each of these occurrences impacted the American worker and subsequently, their labor unions. Consider the Great Depression. Many Americans were out of work and without union or government intervention, the average American was at the mercy of a potential employer with little power. In 1933, Congress imputed unions with the power of collective bargaining and just two years later further empowered unions to negotiate with the Wagner Act (Library of Congress, n.d.). Legislation like this promoted Unions from intercessors in times of trouble to active advocates for all things labor! Unions were no longer waiting until the working conditions were bad to step in and help workers. Now, they could work with workers through all parts of employment, facilitating benefits, work hours, and more. In the ensuing decades, unions came to experience a peak of power and membership in 1979 (20 million union members in America) before witnessing a

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Populism and Progressivism

...[pic] |[pic] | | |3.5.3 Test (TS): Populism and | | |Progressivism | | |Test | | | | | | |[pic] | | |U.S. History since the Civil War (S2978848) | | |Billy Jean Bonilla-Davila | | | ...

Words: 692 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

History

...Gonzalez 1 Rachel Gonzalez AP U.S. History Mr. Cranston 20 March 2015 Chapters 12 and 13 Essay Assignment Major themes of history evolve as time progresses. From the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, massive shifts occur. Regarding work, exchange, and technology; America in the World; politics and power; as well as ideas, beliefs, and culture, the evolution between the centuries have changed the significant themes throughout the United States. Work, exchange, and technology play a huge role in Americans lives throughout each century. People rarely used money; services and products were paid for mostly through trades and barters. Home and work were not separated; they were the same place. Nobody stuck to a schedule; things were done as needed. Skills were acquired through apprenticeship. An apprenticeship lasted from three to seven years. Apprentices lived with their masters during this time period, while trading knowledge for labor. However, women were not allowed to have such apprenticeships. Women gained knowledge of domestic skills through their mother, as it was assumed that the women would marry. Some women would work respectably as: servants, laundresses, seamstresses, cooks, and food vendors—or not respected as prostitutes. Men directed the lives of family members and apprentices: deciding occupations for sons, marriages for daughters, etc. Women (the wives) were responsible for: food, clothing...

Words: 3448 - Pages: 14

Premium Essay

Gender Roles Past & Present

...Danielle Weatherspoon Professor Robertson English 1102, Composition and Modern English II 30 March, 2014 Gender Roles Past & Present Both Fences and Trifles are plays concerning the difficulties of interactions between men and women. Glaspell's Trifles uses a murder mystery to portray a soured relationship between a husband and wife. One of the difficulties is that men and women have different interests and therefore take significance from different things. "While the men importantly bumble about trying to discover a motive, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale solve the case right under their dull noses.” (3) Throughout Trifles you are shown how little things add up to big things when small unnoticed facts slip by the Sheriff, the County Attorney and Mr. Hale. Meanwhile the women discover critical evidence. They determine that Minnie Wright, after social abandonment and a silent death, was likely provoked to kill her husband. Although Mrs. Wright says she was asleep at the time of her husband's death, the women find clues in the way that she kept her kitchen and are able to follow her thinking and conclude otherwise. The men only note that it the house is not well kept. The lack of communication and great difference in areas of concern show the men and women of Trifles completely different views of the matter at hand. In the kitchen pantry, the women can remember what it was like for themselves to have picked and preserved their fruit; and understood why Mrs. Wright...

Words: 1686 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Essay on Political Economy of Work - Discussing Taylor's Ideas on Scientific Management

...Essay in Political Economy of Work Do Taylor’s ideas on scientific management have any application in the contemporary workplace? Discuss with reference to evidence and alternative insights. Why for example do so many banks, health providers, and other companies ask you to key in your account number “for faster service,” when you will be asked to repeat it twice more to the people who are serving you? That is a symptom of Taylorism run rampant, a misplaced faith in technology unjustified by human experience. (Weisbord 2011: 12) The nature of work and its organization has interested managers, economists and social scientists for as long as people have been employed by others to engage in productive activity. Indeed, managers have largely been interested in maximizing output from available resources. Economists and social scientists have raised questions about the organization of work in relation to issues of the individual and society in general. Historically, the emphasis was on finding the best way in which to manage the human resource through scientific and mechanical means. Frederick Taylor (“Taylorism”) and Henry Ford (“Fordism”) were both looking to make labour more efficient by fitting workers to jobs. To counteract the some of the worst features of Taylorism, the job redesign and human relations movements stressed the importance of an understanding of employees’ social, rather than simply economic, needs. ...

Words: 2872 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Isaac Storm

...CORRUPTION IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Was it innovation or greed and corruption that played a pivotal role in making the United States the leading industrialized nation in the world during the late 19th Century and early 20th Century, also known as the Gilded Age? In the book, Isaac’s Storm by Erik Larson the author describes how greed and corruption by the United States government ultimately leads to poor decisions after a horrific disaster in 1900 [Larson]. In addition, well-researched essays by Henry Demarest Lloyd and Emma Goldman back up Larson’s theory that the Gilded Age was actually a very dark time for the United States. Isaac’s Storm describes the historical aspects of the national weather service, weather forecasting, and hurricane predictions. Larson gives insight into the personal tragedy of a destructive storm in September of 1900 and how it affected Galveston, Texas and its position as a major city in the United States. Teemed with devastation and arrogance, the book follows Isaac Cline who was one of the first meteorologists at a time when there really was not a true science connected to weather predictions. He showed a real aptitude in this new field and eventually found himself assigned to the weather bureau in Galveston, Texas [Larson]. At the beginning of the 20th Century, a great confidence pervaded the United States. Isaac Cline was one of the era’s new men, a scientist who believed he knew all there was to know about the motion of clouds and the behavior of storms...

Words: 2332 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Mass Media

...Linked From Here || The Web || Tuesday, April 13, 2010 Essay on Child Labor Essay on Child Labor Instead of aiming at abolishing child labor, should policy makers look for alternative approaches. Parents feel compelled to send their children to work as a means of survival. Although not immediately apparent, a simple ban on child labor does not prove effective in ridding of it. Therefore, integrative efforts should be made in conjunction with eliminating child labor. Instead of waiting for the natural economic growth to slowly remove child labor, the government and policy makers may intervene by offering incentives. Integrative policies include improved schooling, trade union involvement, school meals, and income subsidies. To find alternative means of addressing child labor where it prevails on a larger scale after establishing it as the perpetrator of such maladies as reduced adult wages, adult unemployment, and negative impact on human capital. Child Labor is a prevalent problem throughout the world especially in developing countries. Children work for a variety of reasons, the most important being poverty and the induced pressure upon them to escape from this plight. Though children are not well paid, they still serve as major contributors to family income in developing countries. Our Service Can Write a Custom Essay on Child Labor for You![->1] Schooling problems also contribute to child labor, whether it be the inaccessibility of schools or the lack of...

Words: 2713 - Pages: 11

Free Essay

Research Paper

...ANNOTATED SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR HISTORICAL INTERPRETATIONS OF THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION IN BRITAIN Gerard M Koot History Department University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Allen, Robert C., The British Industrial Revolution in a Global Perspective, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009. Pp. viii, 331. Allen’s book is an excellent example of the persuasiveness of the new economic history. It is solidly rooted in statistical data and uses sophisticated methods of economic analysis but its analysis is presented in plain English. He argues that the first industrial revolution occurred in northwestern Europe because its high wages during the early modern period encouraged technological innovation. Although high wages were initially a consequence of the demographic disaster of the Black Death, they were reinforced during the early modern period by the economic success of the region around the North Sea, first, in European trade and manufacturing, especially in wresting the textile industry from the Italians, and then in world trade. According to Allen, the first industrial revolution took place in Britain instead of the Low Countries primarily because of Britain’s abundant and cheap coal resources, combined with the central government’s ability to use mercantilist policies and naval power to reap the greatest benefits from an expanding European and world trade. Once it had taken the lead from the Dutch, and defeated the French, Britain used its comparative advantage to consolidate...

Words: 27796 - Pages: 112

Premium Essay

Syllabus

...student website to view this document. University policies are subject to change. Be sure to read the policies at the beginning of each class. Policies may be slightly different depending on the modality in which you attend class. If you have recently changed modalities, read the policies governing your current class modality. Course Materials Schultz, K. M. (2012). HIST2, volume 2 (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. All electronic materials are available on the student website. Week One: Reconstruction and the New South Details Objectives 1.1 Evaluate the outcomes of Reconstruction. 1.2 Summarize the economic, political, and social characteristics of the New South. 1.3 Explain the populist response to late 19th-century developments. Read the course description and objectives. Read the instructor’s biography and post your own. Read Ch. 16 of HIST2, Volume 2. Read pp. 318–325 in Ch. 19 of HIST2, Volume 2. Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings. Participate in class discussion. Respond to weekly discussion questions. 9/1 9/1 20 10 Due Points Course Preparation Reading Reading Reading Participation Discussion Questions Nongraded Activities and Preparation Freeman or Freedman Nongraded Activities and Preparation Populists: Elections of 1892 and 1896 Nongraded...

Words: 3907 - Pages: 16

Premium Essay

Study Guide

...LAST 170 Midterm Exam:   Wednesday, October 22 and Friday, October 24, 2014.   Wednesday and Friday during usual class time   •Students with last names beginning with A-K will take the test in 100 Gregory Hall   •Students with last names beginning with L-Z will take the test in 1LIB 66 •Please bring a #2 pencil.   Friday: students will go to their scheduled discussion sections and take the second part of the exam.   Format: 3 mini-essay answer; 40-60 multiple-choice questions; 5-10 fill-in-the-blank questions; and 5-10 two-sentence answers.   Short-essay answer: concisely answer the following questions. Be prepared to answer all of them. ACTUAL QUESTIONS FOR THE EXAM 1) Consider what you learned in lecture and from the readings by Rohter, Guimarães, Goldstein, Vaughan, and Stout. Discuss how people are racialized in Brazil and Cuba. Be sure to cover the following issues:   a. What historical conditions explain the high level of inequality in these countries? Why are socio-economic conditions connected to race? (10 pts) b. Provide one concrete example from the readings that shows how constructions of race in Brazil and Cuba are similar, and one concrete example from the readings to show how they are different (10 pts) c. Discuss why identities are mediated and how media is used as part of the process of racialization (10 pts). Use one example provided in class to explain your argument (10 pts). 2) Considering the movie “Even the Rain”  and from...

Words: 1467 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Nothing

...HISTORY 1500 WINTER 2014 RESEARCH ESSAY TOPICS 1. Select a crusade and discuss the extent to which it accomplished its objectives. Why did it succeed or fail? Jonathan Riley-Smith, The Crusades: A Short History; Carole Hillenbrand, The Crusades: Islamic Perspectives; Christopher Tyerman, God’s War: A New History of the Crusades 2. How did anti-Semitism manifest itself in medieval Europe? Kenneth R. Stow, Alienated Minority: The Jews of Medieval Latin Europe; Mark R. Cohen, Under Crescent and Cross: The Jews in the Middle Ages; Solomon Grayzel, The Church and the Jews in the Thirteenth Century 3. What was the position of prostitutes in medieval society? Ruth Mazo Karras, Common Women; Leah Otis, Prostitution in Medieval Society; Margaret Wade Labarge, A Small Sound of the Trumpet: Women in Medieval Life 4. Why did the French choose to follow Joan of Arc during the the Hundred Years War? Kelly DeVries, Joan of Arc: A Military Leader; Bonnie Wheeler, ed., Fresh Verdicts on Joan of Arc; Margaret Wade Labarge, A Small Sound of the Trumpet: Women in Medieval Life 5. Discuss the significance of siege warfare during the crusades. You may narrow this question down to a single crusade if you wish. Jim Bradbury, The Medieval Siege; Randall Rogers, Latin Siege Warfare in the Twelfth Century; John France, Victory in the East: A Military History of the First Crusade 6. Why did the persecution...

Words: 5531 - Pages: 23

Premium Essay

New Nationalism and Teddy Roosevelt: the New Ideals of Federal Intervention, Social Justice and Economic Welfare for the Nation.

...New Nationalism and Teddy Roosevelt: The new ideals of federal intervention, social justice and economic welfare for the Nation. Abstract In 1901 when President McKinley was assassinated, Roosevelt confronted sentiment, especially from the older members of the Republican Party, that he was not the right person to lead the country, often referring to him as “His Accidency.” Roosevelt was interested in quickly changing the mood of the country and establishing his legitimacy to his new position. He did so by introducing a “New Nationalist” form of Progressivism. When Roosevelt was sworn in, the Progressive Party had already been developing and growing since the end of the 19th century. It advocated for reforms and the lead of the government in changing society’s problems in response to socio-economic and political imbalances. Such thinking was a radical change in the country’s mindset, with earlier efforts supporting private efforts to solve the nation’s ills. The Progressive party had a broad platform, but the overall goal was for government to implement and lead efforts to alter societal inequalities. The Progressives called for eliminating corruption in the federal government as well as supporting a social welfare program, the women’s vote, penal system reform, and prohibition. Although the issue of civil rights for African-Americans was of concern of some members, this issue was not formally included in any of the Progressive party’s literature. With the support of...

Words: 5710 - Pages: 23

Free Essay

History's Impact on Women.

...History’s Influence on Women History has cultivated and paved the way for women and their rights, since the mid 1800s, and now in 2014. Presently women have more rights and nearing equality each day, thanks to the fights in early American History. Although women currently are still struggling with equality in the United States, history has opened the door has lead the cause for change and the women’s rights movement. Women had to fight through difficult times to get through discrimination in the 19th century. In the past, women did not have the rights and freedoms as most men and were treated harshly. Women had almost no rights at all. They were not allowed to vote, they could not hold a place in public offices, were not equal or have the same opportunities as men. As a result, women were often seen as homemakers, nothing else. Women were looked down upon, if they expressed their voices or sot after equality or opportunities that often men would. Women were inferior to men in many different ways. Women did not have any property rights and once she was married, she was no longer allowed to own any land or property. A man could sell his house and take all the money for himself, and leave his wife and child behind with nothing. During this time, women were often seen as nonexistent people, they were not recognized as people. Nor where they recognized by the government equally. The women’s rights movement helped them throughout the country by passing laws that would entitle...

Words: 1343 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Us History Review

...its significance. Terms in BOLD are primarily from American Society since 1900. Paul Robeson: African American singer and actor who became involved with the Civil Rights Movement. He became politically involved in response to the Spanish Civil War, Fascism, and social injustices. His advocacy of anti-imperialism, affiliation with Communism, and his criticism of the US government caused him to be blacklisted during McCarthyism. Furthermore, Native Land was labeled by the FBI as communist propaganda. Anschluss: the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938.[2] This was in contrast with the Anschluss movement (Austria and Germany united as one country) which had been attempted since as early as 1918 when the Republic of German-Austria attempted union with Germany which was forbidden by the Treaty of Saint Germain and Treaty of Versailles peace treaties. Germany became a dictatorship in 1933, when Adolf Hitler became chancellor. Hitler openly defied the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, which stated that Germany was not to acquire new territory or build up its military. Hitler, originally from Austria, saw the opportunity to take over Austria as beneficial to his plan of a German Reich (empire). Appeasement: Appeasement, the policy of making concessions to the dictatorial powers in order to avoid conflict, governed Anglo-French foreign policy during the 1930s. It became indelibly associated with Conservative Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain The League...

Words: 2687 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

The Ugly Americamn

...believed themselves to be superior, they saw it as their right as Christians and superior humans to spread their modern and advanced ways with "inferior" races. * 14 Points: A detailed list of war aims presented by President Wilson: 1) Recognition of freedom of the seas 2) An end to the practice of making secret treaties 3) Reduction of national armaments 4) An "impartial adjustment of all colonial claims" 5) Self-determination for the various nationalities within the Austro-Hungarian empire. 6) "A general association of nations..for the purpose of affording mutual guarantees of political independence and territorial integrity to great and small states alike" * Alexander Kerensky: 1881-1970 Liberal revolutionary leader during the early stages of the Russian Revolution of 1917; sought development of parliamentary rule, religious freedom * Apollonian vs. Dionysian Apollonian - emphasizes the objective, calm experience of the reasoning mind Dionysian - emphasizes the subjective, passionate experiences of...

Words: 2515 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

Diamond Growth Sustainable Model

...Framework for the study of political economy and economic development George David Smith, Richard Sylla, Robert E. Wright( NYU Stern School of Business For most of its existence, humanity neither enjoyed nor understood economic growth, or society’s capacity for creating wealth. Prior to the 18th century, the aggregate incomes of particular societies may have increased a little for short periods in a few places, but most of the time incomes hovered not far above the subsistence level. Powerful leaders and ruling classes could accumulate vast wealth, but this was normally achieved through the redistribution of incomes from the weak to the powerful, and certainly not through the creation of wealth as we know it today. Going back centuries, to paraphrase the 17th-century English philosopher Thomas Hobbes, human life was solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short. Peace and good weather were more likely to summon forth children more than prosperity. Whenever war, pestilence, and drought returned -- and they always did -- people died in droves. To many observers, humanity appeared doomed to spend eternity wet, cold, hungry, and grief-stricken. In the late 18th century, the English proto-economist Thomas Robert Malthus warned that the mass of humanity, quite aside from the foregoing perils, was doomed to a life at the margins of starvation, as surges of population growth would inevitably outstrip the finite sources of food supply. No wonder, then, that Victorian-era historian...

Words: 8652 - Pages: 35