Labor Unions in 1900

A detailed Summary of Labor Unions in 1900


Would you have joined a Labor Union in 1900?

I believe that in 1900 I would have been torn over whether or not to join a labor union. Prior to 1900, people had organized together, but they really had no clout. Even though they stood up for what they believed, in the end, the federal government always stepped in on the side of business. Oftentimes, many people were killed during the process. For example, in 1877 when the four largest railroad companies got together and decided to cut their employees' salaries by ten percent, the workers struck back in defense. However, President Hayes called in federal troops. After a few weeks, the battle between the workers and the soldiers ended, but over 100 people were killed. There were also strikes by steel


Around 1900, however, things started to change, and the unions started having a little more power. The American Federation of Labor was formed in 1886 and had approximately 500,000 members by 1900. Up to 1900, they had spurred on over 23,000 strikes. The strikers lost about of their disputes, but they won or compromised the other half. In 1900, the public was beginning to understand that workers could join together and bargain collectively instead of individually. However, the businesses still had the upper hand, and it would be several decades before unions and corporations were on relatively equal ground. Consequently, I believe that in 1900, I would probably have started thinking about joining a union, but I probably would not yet have joined one.

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 511
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History

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