Industrialization, Immigration and Labor

• "The labor question" in American society involved concerns about:
  • Who benefits from industrial production
  • The impact of wage dependence on democracy
  • The political influence of wealthy capitalists

Features of Industrialization

• Included changes in production methods
• Involved the growth of factories and mechanization
• Characterized by industrial capitalism
• Spurred by growing markets and railroad construction

Immigration and Urbanization

• Industrialization led to increased immigration and urbanization
• 10 million immigrants came to the US between 1860-1900
• Immigrants sought factory jobs in cities

Loss of Independence

• Industrialization resulted in a loss of economic and political independence for many American wage workers
• Workers became dependent on their bosses

Beneficiaries of Industrialization

• "Bosses" or "capitalists" benefitted the most from industrialization
• Industrialization led to unprecedented wealth among the top class and increasing poverty among workers

Conditions of Workers

• Unskilled and semi-skilled workers faced the worst working conditions with extremely long workdays
• Skilled workers had slightly better conditions and shorter days
• Both groups shared issues of wage dependence and lack of economic/political independence

Justification of Inequality

• Upper and middle classes justified economic inequality and harsh conditions through social Darwinism
• They thought the wealthy were rich because of natural selection
• They also thought God put everyone in their places

Knights of Labor

• They aimed to secure and enjoy the wealth workers create

Knights of Labor vs. American Federation of Labor

• Knights of Labor negotiated with employers
• American Federation of Labor negotiated with factory managers

Obstacles to Progress

• Factors preventing workers from improving their conditions
  • A fragmented working class
  • The power of capital and the state
  • The Pullman Strike and Boycott of 1894.

Old Immigrants

• Overwhelmingly Catholic
• Came via boats
• Cities made up of at least 30% immigrants

New Immigrants

• Protestants and Catholics
• Children of old immigrants
• Born in America

Social Darwinism

• A social philosophy based on Charles Darwin's theory of evolution
• Justified imperialism, racism, eugenics, and social inequality

William Graham Sumner

• Believed the wealthy were rich because of natural selection and advocated for Laissez-Faire Economics

Laissez-Faire Economics

• The concept that government should not interfere with or regulate business and industries

Liberty of Contract

• The right of individuals to make contracts without government interference

8-Hours Song

• Lyrics consider long working hours a violation of God's will

United Labor Party

• A third party formed by socialists, labor leaders, and single-tax advocates
• Elected local candidates in 1885
• Ran candidates in over 200 communities

Samuel Gompers

• Creator of the American Federation of Labor
• Served as its president for nearly 40 years
• A leading trade unionist and labor spokesman

Pullman Strike and Boycott

• Occurred in 1894 because the company slashed wages significantly during the second year of depression
• Groceries and rent did not decrease in price

Great Railroad Strike of 1877

• Railroad workers went on strike due to wage cuts
• President Hayes sent troops to stop the rioting
• The worst violence was in Pittsburgh

St. Louis General Strike

• Leaders of the strike were mostly Socialists
• They believed railroad workers suffered because of capitalism
• The strike should address issues of all wage work factories

General Strike

• A strike that addressed broad issues

Third Parties in the US

• America's two party system makes elections adopt "winner takes all" ideas
• This system makes it difficult for any third party to get anywhere.
• Major parties often adopt the issues raised by third parties

Problems Faced by Farmers

• Declining crop prices
• High interest/ debt rates
• High railroad rates
• Fear of loss of land/ independence.

Farmers' Alliances

• Groups that worked to achieve better conditions for those who worked in the fields
• Many of the planters who joined were Republicans
• They supported the political movement called populism

People's Party Coalitions

• Sought to create a coalition between farmers in the South and West and urban laborers in the Midwest and Northeast
• However, the groups had great difficulty working together.

Omaha Platform

• Suggested a federal loan system so farmers could get needed money
• Called for the elimination of private banks
• Proposed a system of federal storage facilities for farmer's crops
• Farmers supported the Populist party because of these proposals

1892 Election

• Populist candidate Weaver did well, winning some states
• Weaver actually won some states: Kansas, Colorado, Nevada, Idaho

Populist Success

• Particularly popular in the Midwest/ West
• 3 governors elected from Populist party
• Weaver wins 8.5% of the popular vote

1894 Election

• The party had an increase in rural votes
• But it failed to make gains with urban workers

Difficulty Winning Urban Votes

• Failure to appeal to urban workers due to no safety net
• Populists wanted inflation
• They also called for shorter work days

William McKinley's Focus

• Focused on higher tariffs, gold, and a "live and let live" approach in the 1896 presidential election

Dilemma for Populists

• The Democratic Party nominated William Jennings Bryan who was pro-silver on currency, like the Populists

1896 Election Results

• William McKinley won the election

Contributing Factors to Bryan's defeat

• His campaign focused on silver, which did not appeal to urban workers
• The coalition of wealthy, middle-class, and urban workers that defeated Bryan kept Republicans in power until 1932

Populist Proposals Adopted

• Proposals from the Omaha Platform adopted during the Progressive era included an 8-hour work day limit and a federal loans system

Populist Movement

• Contributed to the adoption of disfranchisement laws in the South during the 1890s
• Due to continued racism, Democrats changed state laws in 1902 to disfranchise blacks

Disfranchisement Laws

• Southern states adopted voting restrictions such as the grandfather clause, poll taxes, and literacy tests
• They included a criminal disenfranchisement provision for additional security

Jim Crow Laws

• State and legal statues that legalized racism
• Adopted in 1890 in the American South

Subtreasury Plan

• Devised by alliance leader Charles Macune
• Farmers could store commodities in government warehouses and receive low-interest loans using the crops as collateral

The Producing Classes

• Farmers, artisans, and laborers

Poll Tax

• A requirement that citizens pay a tax in order to register to vote

Literacy Test

• A test given to persons to prove they can read and write before being allowed to register to vote

Societal Problems

• Societal problems that concerned many middle-class Americans by the turn of the 20th century
  • Powerful corporations
  • Poverty
  • Political corruption
  • Urban vice

Threat of Power Corporations

• Progressive reformers believed that power corporations threatened workers, consumers, and small business owners

Progressive Reformers Profile

• Middle class professionals and college educated women
• Mostly white men, some women, college educated

Intellectual Traits

• Permanence of large corporations, empirical investigations of problems, intervention of experts, faith in progress, idealism.

Progressives

• social progressives worked towards social/ economic justice
• political progressives worked against political corruption
• social control progressives worked to control others; leisure time

Settlement Houses

• Houses lived in that provide poverty assistance
• Many social progressives supported due to the support of social/ economic justice.

Settlement House Activities

• Consisted of cooking/ sewing classes, kindergartens, and employment agencies

Settlement Houses

• Investigation of poor working/living conditions
• Reform campaigns- city services and workplace reforms

Social Reforms

• Social progressives advocated for child labor, regulation of women's hours and wages, women's labor unions
• Fairly successful in child labor, but not so successful when it came to women's rights

City Election Reforms

• Political progressives supported at-large elections and a city manager form of government
• They thought that corruption would be lower if they changed the way city elections ran

Commercial Issues Addressed

• social control progressives were concerned about movies and dance halls because they were viewed as inappropriate
• Enacted the National Board of Censorship (1909) and Dance Hall Ordinances

Political Machines

• Corrupt organized groups that controlled political parties in the cities

Political Bosses

• Leaders of political machines that bribed citizens in order to receive votes

National Child Labor Committee

• The committee started in 1904
• Their goal was to pass legislation to outlaw child labor

Keating-Owens Act

• 1916
• Limited children's working hours
• Prohibited the interstate sale of goods produced by child labor

Muller v. Oregon

• Considered whether a state could limit the amount of hours a woman could work

Women's Trade Union League

• A U.S. organization of both working class and more well-off women
• Formed in 1903 to support the efforts of women to organize labor unions and to eliminate sweatshop conditions

National Board of Censorship

• Formed in 1909 by theater owners
• Prostitution, childbirth, drug use all on banned list

Causes of War in Europe

• Long-term causes
  • Militarism
  • Alliances
  • Imperialism
  • Nationalism
• Short-term cause
  • Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

Wartime Alliances

• Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire
• Allies: Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Japan

President Woodrow Wilson's Reaction

• Declared neutrality to the war in Europe
• This position was popular because Americans did not want to go to war
• Difficult to remain neutral due to ethnic groups taking sides, greater economic ties to the Allies, and Wilson's sympathy towards the Allies

Factors Contributing to Wilson's Decision

• Continued attacks on US merchant ships
• The Zimmerman Telegram
• The Zimmerman Telegram was sent from Germany attempting to convince Mexico to attack the U.S.

Wilson's 14-Point Speech

• Basic principles: Free Trade/ End to Empires, Political Self Determination, Collective Security: League of Nations
• Wilson thought these principles would avoid future wars because the League of Nations wouldn't allow alliancesMajor allies did not like it because they wanted to expand their empires

Success of Wilson's Principles

• Not successful at all
• America rejected the Treaty of Versailles

Reasons for Opposition

• Principles bastardized
• League of Nations an imperialist club
• League interferes with U.S. unilateralism
• Racist critique of the League

Failure to Ratify

• Some believed this contributed to the coming of WW2; however, Dr. McIntyre does not agree

League of Nations

• An international organization formed in 1920 to promote cooperation and peace among nations

Mandates

• A nation governed by another nation on behalf of the League of Nations

Unilateralism

• World order in which one state is in a position of dominance
• Allies are following instead of joining the political decision-making process

This content discusses the impact of industrialization. It covers the labor question, immigration, urbanization, and the shift in economic independence. It highlights who benefited most from the industrial era.