3. The great curse of the Old World-the division of society into classes has come to America. The Nation The great curse of the Old World-the division of society into classes has come to America. The Nation Economics taught that wealth flowed not to those who worked the hardest but to men with business skills and access to money.

4. Social Darwinism the idea of the natural superiority of some groups to others, which had been used to justify slavery was now used to justify the new labor system. The poor were responsible for their own fate.

5. Failure to advance in society was thought to indicate a lack of character, no self-reliance or determination to succeed. It was suggested that workers need to practice personal economy, keep out of debt and educate their children in the principles of the marketplace.

6. Social Darwinism helped to redefine freedom as limited government and an unrestrained free market. The Laws of Contract-labor contracts governed labor relations; individuals should decide whether they would work under certain conditions and wages, not the government. The government was unwilling to allow the regulation of the economy.

7. The 14 th amendment empowered the federal government to overturn state laws that violated citizens’ rights. Liberty of contract, not equality before the law, came to be defined as the amendment’s true meaning.

8. For decades the courts viewed state regulation of business as an insult to free labor. Munn v. Illinois-1877 SC decision that upheld the constitutionality of an Illinois law that established a state board to eliminate railroad rate discrimination.

9. Wabash v. Illinois-1886 the SC reversed itself; said that only the federal government could regulate railroads engaged in interstate commerce. Led to the creation of the Interstate Commerce Act- 1887

10. U.S. v E.C. Knight Co. 1895 the SC ruled that the Sherman Anti-trust Act of 1890, which barred monopolies, could not be used to break up a sugar refining monopoly because Congress could only regulate commerce, not manufacturing. However, the courts DID impede labor organization.

11. Labor Force Distribution 1870-1900

12. The Changing American Labor Force

13. Child Labor

15. “Galley Labor”

16. The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 Workers protesting a pay cut paralyzed rail traffic, militia tried to force them back to work. Troopers killed 20 strikers in Pittsburgh. Workers responded by burning the city’s railroad yards. President Hayes sent the army in to put down the strike. The strike revealed a sense of solidarity among workers and close ties between the Republican Party and big business.

17. The Great Railroad Strike of 1877

18. Knights of Labor-first group to try to organize unskilled workers, skilled, women, men blacks and whites (although they did exclude Asians ). Terence V. Powderly An injury to one is the concern of all!

19. Knights of Labor Knights of Labor trade card

20. Goals of the Knights of Labor ù Eight-hour workday. ù Workers’ cooperatives. ù Worker-owned factories. ù Abolition of child and prison labor. ù Increased circulation of greenbacks. ù Equal pay for men and women. ù Safety codes in the workplace. ù Prohibition of contract foreign labor. ù Abolition of the National Bank.

21. Labor Unrest: 1870-1900

22. Management vs. Labor “Tools” of Management “Tools” of Labor  “scabs”  P. R. campaign  Pinkertons  lockout  blacklisting  yellow-dog contracts  court injunctions  open shop  boycotts  sympathy demonstrations  informational picketing  closed shops  organized strikes  “wildcat” strikes

23. The Tournament of Today: A Set-to Between Labor and Monopoly

24. Anarchists Meet on the Lake Front in 1886

25. Haymarket Riot (1886) McCormick Harvesting Machine Co.

26. The American Federation of Labor: 1886 Samuel Gompers

27. How the AF of L Would Help the Workers ù Catered to the skilled worker. ù Represented workers in matters of national legislation. ù Maintained a national strike fund. ù Evangelized the cause of unionism. ù Prevented disputes among the many craft unions. ù Mediated disputes between management and labor. ù Pushed for closed shops.

28. Homestead Steel Strike (1892) The Amalgamated Association of Iron & Steel Workers Homestead Steel Works

29. Big Corporate Profits!

30. The Pullman Strike of 1894

31. President Grover Cleveland If it takes the entire army and navy to deliver a postal card in Chicago, that card will be delivered!

32. The Socialists Eugene V. Debs

33. The Hand That Will Rule the World  One Big Union

34. The “Formula” unions + violence + strikes + socialists + immigrants = anarchists

35. Labor Union Membership

36. Workers Benefits Today

37. The Rise & Decline of Organized Labor

38. Right-to-Work States Today