Labor And Labor Unions 1800-1900
Hayes 5
Thomas Hayes
[email protected]
Professor Bennett
U.S. History 2
14 Nov 2017
Midterm
(The Importance of Labor and Labor unions 1800 1900) Prior to the American Civil
War in 1861 much of American workforce was completed by slaves brought from
Africa. Slave labor was used mostly in southern agriculture. Working conditions for
slaves were dismal at best with inadequate housing, lack of food, resources and
broken families. The quality of life for slaves was seldom taken into account by
slave owners as slaves were seen as property rather than people or employees. After
the Unions victory however the newly freed slaves desired to live on their own on
their own land and work for themselves. In January 1865 General William T. Sherman
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This was done under contract and both white and black land owners that
participated in this form of labor. The establishment of labor unions by this point
was not a new idea however their impact on social change from this point forward
made the most significant changes. In 1869, a labor union known as the Knights of
Labor sought to defend the common worker from poor compensation and to improve
working conditions for the working class. The idea was to literally hold the employer
s hostage by going on strike under protest until their demands had been met. During
the 2nd industrial revolution brought about an enormous surge in jobs in
manufacturing and farming. This uptick in production in all sectors and the lack of
an income tax made many leaders in business extremely wealthy. Workers believed
that the distribution of the wealth was not fair and demanded they receive their fair
share. Though the wage disparity was high finding economic security and peace for
workers remain a fact of life to the present day. The change that labor unions bring
have brought about safer working conditions and wage increases however they
have also had an even greater effect on social issues. Labor unions played a
significant role in government early on fought on the grounds of social Darwinism
and liberty of contract Give Me Liberty, An American History Pg. 563 564 . They
used their power and influence of the voting poor to sway the