Exam 2 Flashcards
Great Upheaval
Was a massive labor strike in July of 1877 against the railroad industry.
Started with railroad workers in West Virginia protesting labor cuts and quickly spread as one of the first mass labor strikes in the country’s history.
Led to violent fights with workers protesting wage cuts, working conditions, and job security.
Ended after the federal government intervened but served as a precursor to the future US labor movements and highlights the tensions between labor and capital in the Gilded Age.
Knights of Labor / “cooperative commonwealth”
KoL was one of the most significant labor groups in the late 19th century that gained popularity after the Great Upheaval brought labor issues to national attention
Sought 8-hour workdays, end of child labor, equal pay, workers cooperatives, better wages and working conditions, anti-monopoly
Internal divisions and a decentralized structure led to their decline with groups like the AFL taking over
Inclusive of women and african americans, but not immigrants
A cooperative commonwealth is a society in which the means of production are collectively owned and managed by workers and this was heavily advocated by the Knights of Labor
strike-breaking/Pinkertons
Strike breaking is the process of ending or undermining a labor strike, often through government intervention
The Pinkertons was a government agency that became famous for their involvement in labor disputes
Would be hired by company industrialists to break up labor strikes and unions.
Employed to protect company property, intimidate workers, and infiltrate labor unions
Had a famous incident during the Homestead Strike at a steel mill owned by Andrew Carnegie. Clashed violently with steelworkers that led to death on both sides.
Henry George/single tax
Henry George had a proposal called the single tax which was mean to impose a tax solely on the value of land itself rather than the labor or capital on the land
Believed that land and natural resources are common property
People would pay an economic rent based off the increase in land value and this would reduce inequality
No other taxes would be necessary
Taylorism
A theory focused on improving economic efficiency through the application of scientific principles to the work process
Used time-motion studies to identify the singular best way to perform a tax in order to maximize efficiency
Led to a standardizing of tasks and major specialization
Was applied most famously in Henry Ford’s assembly lines
Led to more wages due to an incentive system but also dehumanization and labor unrest
Social Darwinism
Derived from evolutionary Darwinism that the idea of the strongest, smartest people’s bloodlines will thrive and survive thus making the country stronger
Has the premise that the people who rise to the top are the people with some sort of greater virtue
Used as a justification for inequality and a critique of welfare and social programs
The problem with this is that revolutions become likely
American Federation of Labor
Labor organization that rose after the fall of the Knights of Labor
Aimed to organized skilled workers and improve labor conditions through collective bargaining and political action
Worked to influence political parties and promote pro-labor candidates
Organized the Homestead Strike and the Pullman Strike
Pullman Strike
A significant railroad strike that occurred in 1894. Marked by labor unrest which highlights tensions between labor and management in the industrial economy
Begun as when the economy faced an economic recession, the Pullman Company cut wages by about 25% while maintaining high rents in company-owned housing
Workers went on strike organized by the American Railway Union that prompted Grover Cleveland to dispatch federal troops to beat the strike
Led to an increase in American awareness of workers rights
Organized by the AFL and supported by the Socialist Party
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
Deadly workplace fire that had significant implications for labor rights, workplace safety, and industry regulations
Labor unions pushed for improved workplace safety in the wake of the fire and led to the establishment of the Factory Investigating Commission in New York
Relates to Fellow Servant Rule, Contributory Negligence, and pecuniary/non-pecuniary damages
Andrew Carnegie
Steel Baron and Scottish immigrant
Ruthless with suppressing competitors by outselling them with economies of scale
Maintained his public persona with the rags to riches story
Has the idea of corporate benevolence so that the wealthy can sponsor public good such as parks and libraries in exchange for not being taxed
Believes that it should be privately chosen how and what by the owners of capital
Sharecropping
A system where freed slaves without much money would rent land from landowners, but would have to pay a large percentage of crops grown to their land owner
Lacked capital leading to them needing to take out loans from their tenants which caused a circle of debt and reliance on the landowners
Extremely difficult for the tenants because they owned none of the means of production and made it tough for them to escape
While it provided a little bit of autonomy, it perpetuated the economic and social inequalities facing African American southerners
Very much tied to debt peonage
Jim Crow
A set of laws that promoted racial segregation and discrimination and mass inequality
Came with sharecropping and led to economic inequality as black americans were forced into low wage jobs
Led to african americans in the great migration going north and then their vote had to courted
Promoted by Plessy vs Ferguson which ruled for separate but equal
Socialist Party
Played a significant role in American politics advocating for the rights of workers and the redistribution of wealth
Its roots can be traced back to labor organizations such as the Knights of Labor
Led in early days by Eugene Debs who had popular support and ran for president 5 times
Ran on economic equality, labor rights (showing great support for the Pullman Strike), women’s suffrage, and social welfare
Had great election success gaining local representation for the party and found a way to drive mainstream policy changes in the New Deal Era
Progressives
Progressives who are tied to universities have the belief that they are the ones with the expertise to shape the society, policy making, and the public
State-building was also big to them
Not as radical as socialists/populists
Big into segregation and eugenics
Theodore Roosevelt (trust-buster) was a major leader of their’s who enacted significant reforms
Believed in women’s suffrage, labor reforms, and a reformed school system
Self-made man
Attached to the notion of the American Dream with the idea of wealth being the metric for it
Wealth is the outward manifestation of inner virtue
Framed around the idea that anyone has the ability to self-make success
The idea that greater virtues leads to being atop the social hierarchy
Carnegie with his rags to riches story was a symbol for the self-made man
Very closely tied to Social Darwinism
Muckrakers
A group of progressive investigative journalists and writers who sought to expose corruption, social injustices, and unethical practices.
Exposed monopolistic practices of John Rockerfeller
Created support for labor laws and enhanced social welfare problems
