The Decline Of The Industrial Revolution

On May 11th, 1894, one of the most violent labor strikes in American history took place in Pullman, Illinois. This labor strike, initiated by the American Railway Union (ARU) and led by Eugene Debs against the extremely wealthy and powerful George Pullman and his company, the Pullman Palace Car Company. This strike became a turning point in the national battle regarding U.S. labor laws, and was instrumental in the regulation of corporations by the government. The event that would eventually give birth to Labor Day took months of riots, struggles, and ultimately, violence. It showed America how important the lives and wellbeing of American workers was, and helped the nation recognize the rights that employees

Everyone was frustrated with work conditions and this led to the formations of unions around the country. The Knights of Labor was a very popular union that led the first major strike in the United States. The year was 1885 and Jay Gould’s Missouri Pacific Railroad was the target. The owner, Jay Gould, had recently cut wages drastically and fired union members. The Knights led the strike and eventually succeeded to improve wages for the railroad workers. With this great accomplishment the Knights gained

The Industrial Revolution was of great importance to the economic development of the United States. The new era of mass production kindled in the United States because of technological innovations, a patent system, new forms of factory corporations, a huge supply of natural resources, and foreign investment. The growth of large-scale industry in America had countless positive results, but also negative results as well. Industrialization after the Civil War affected the United States in several ways including poverty, poor labor laws, and the condition of the people.

America had a huge industrial revolution in the late 1800”s. Many changes happened to our great nation, which factored into this. The evidence clearly shows that advancements in new technology, a large wave of immigrants into our country and new views of our government, helped to promote America’s huge industrial growth from the period of 1860-1900.

They held several successful protests across the country, demanding the “8-Hour workday”. However an employer counteroffensive began in the aftermath of the Haymarket bombing in 1886 and stopped the Knights march by the end of 1880s (Rosenzweig, Pg 91). The Haymarket incident stunned the society & created fear in the hearts of people about radicals, mobs and labor movements. The government strengthened there stance against the labor movement with increasing the presence of police, militia and the US Army. The workers learned about the power of capital and had experienced firsthand the role of government in labor-capital conflict. Another stain on the Knights of Labor was that they blatantly discriminated against the Chinese by promoting the Chinese Exclusion Act in the early

The Industrial Revolution in the United States took place during the 18th and 19th centuries. This revolution was one of the most prominent turning points of American history as it modernized the workforce, developed American economics, and impacted the way people lived their lives. Before it began, America was mostly a rural society, people farmer to make a living and all work was done at home (“Industrial Revolution”). Afterwards, individuals began to become depend on factories to produce the products they once hand-made.

Homestead lockout- many workers got locked out of the union and lost their jobs this was often violent

When their wages were lowered but their rent stayed the same, they knew something had to give. To retaliate, workers started the Pullman strike in 1894. Other strikes included the Great Railroad Strike of 1877, which resulted when railroad companies cut their wages, and the Homestead Strike, which came about in 1892 over demands for increased production. There was also the Haymarket Riot in 1886 as a result of police brutality from a

Many laborers worked over sixty hours a week, without any breaks. Unions were formed and demanded terms that workers today often take for granted, “8 hours work, 8 hours rest, 8 hours recreation” (Document #5). Regulation was slowly introduced by the government after backlash over lack of intervention. In order for a child to work, the child had to complete “his or her ninth year” of school, work no more than “twelve hours in...one day,” and “attend some school” (Document 4). Although these rules were a step forward, the government still needed to reform the wage gap and ensure that workers would be able to work in conditions that would not risk the lives of any workers.

Knights of Labor were one of the first major unions. The union boasted a large membership

“Man is not the only one who labors; but he is the only one who improves his workmanship”-Abraham Lincoln. The industrial revolution in the United States’ happened from the mid to late 1700’s to the mid to late 1800’s. The revolution was going on as the American Civil War began and introduced many new technological advances which proved extremely useful during the war. The Confederate States of America was greatly at a disadvantage when it came to being industrialized. The Union or northern states controlled approximately 85% of all manufacturing plants in the U.S. at the time.

On average, the work for a week was around 59 hours. Many steelworkers put on more than 12 hour day work for a whole week. Even when the money levels were in an increase, the working conditions for people were still dangerous. Living like each day could be their last. American industry had the highest accident rate in the world. Business executives believed labor supply was a product to be at the lowest price possible. Some workers began protesting which created labor unions and strikings. This strike led to hundreds deaths and millions of dollars in property were destroyed. The strike was a failed

Numerous workers were able to come together and make changes to improve wages, working conditions, and much more. The National Labor Union, Nights of Labor, and The American Federation of Labor all had certain similarities and differences that made them alike and different from each other. Some of them failed, while the other was successful due to being smart and learning from the mistakes of the other two.

The Industrial Revolution was a time period in American history, starting from about the late 1700’s to the early 1800’s and peaked during the 1870’s. Samuel Slater came

The Industrial Revolution brought about an overwhelming amount of economic change to the United States. The first Industrial Revolution started in Great Britain and in Europe in the latter part of the eighteenth century and, it then spread to the United States and Germany. The Industrial Revolution itself refers to a change from hand and home production to machine and factory (Kelly). During this time period, America was growing in knowledge. The industrialization of America involved three great developments. Transportation was expanded, electricity was effectively harnessed and many improvements were made to several industrial processes (Kelly). Although this change greatly helped the United States economy, it had both a positive and negative impact on the lives of the American people.