Key events under the presidents Flashcards
When was Lincoln’s presidency? Was he Democrat or Republican?
-1861-1865
-republican
What things happened under Lincoln’s presidency?
-immigrants arrived from Europe and Asia 1860s onwards
-AA workers arrived from 1865
What was the impact of immigrants arriving from Europe and Asia? When?
-1860s onwards (Lincoln)
-caused further divisions amongst workers->they were not allowed to join unions
What was the impact of AA workers arriving? When?
-from 1865 (Lincoln)
-caused divisions amongst the workforce as they would accept lower pay than white workers
When was Ulysses Grant’s presidency? Was he Democrat or Republican?
-1869-1877
-republican
What things happened under Ulysses Grant’s presidency?
the Molly Maguires 1873
Who were the Molly Maguires? When?
-1873 (Grant)
-were a group of Irish immigrant miners who employed violent tactics->they did not encourage union membership and employers used heavy-handed tactics to deal with them
When was Cleveland’s first presidency? Was he Democrat or Republican?
-1885-1889
-democrat
What things happened under Cleveland’s first presidency?
-The Knights of Labor 1885
-Haymarket Affair 1886
What did the Knights of Labor do? When?
-1885 (Cleveland)
-conducted successful strike action against the Wabash Railroad in 1885 which saw its membership increase from 20,000 to 700,000
What was the Haymarket Affair? When?
-1866 (Cleveland)
-improve working conditions->violence broke out between striking workers and police->lack of worker solidarity and divide between workers (he sent police)
When was Cleveland’s second presidency? Was he Democrat or Republican?
-1893-1897
-democrat
What things happened under Cleveland’s second presidency?
-Wobblies’
-The Homestead Strike 1892
-Pullman Strike 1894
What did the Wobblies use of violence do?
use of violence saw a decrease in support of employers to negotiate with unions (1890s ish) (Cleveland)
What was the Homestead Strike? When?
-1892 (Cleveland)
-almost bankrupted the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers which led to a decline in union membership
What was the Pullman Strike? When?
-1894 (Cleveland)
-Members of the Pullman company went on strike due to wages - prevented trains running across the US->employees in other industries also joined the strike out of sympathy->causing other strikes->business stopped as goods could not be transported->mail transported by rail so government used this as an excuse to break up the strike->this was the Omnibus Indictment Act (1894)->federal government sent in troops
-hindered TU
When was Teddy Roosevelt’s presidency? Was he Democrat or Republican?
-1901-1909
-republican
What things happened under Teddy Roosevelt’s presidency?
-Women’s trade Union League (WTUL) 1903
-Lochner vs New York 1905
What was a result of the Women’s Trade Union League (WTUL) being established? When?
-1903 (Roosevelt)
-women were under represented in unions before hand
-as well as improving working conditions it also campaigned for the vote
-it came into conflict with male unions who believed it was their responsibility to negotiate terms
What was Lochner vs New York? When?
-1905 (Roosevelt)
-involved the 14th Amendment to declare as unconstitutional a law imposing a 10 hour day (claimed it violated the rights of workers)
-others placed federal injunctions on unions that organised strikes and attempted to boycott unfair employers or encourage others to do so
When was Wilson presidency? Was he Democrat or Republican?
-1913-1921
-democrat
What things happened under Wilson’s presidency?
-NWLB (1918)
-WW1
-Welfare Capitalism of the 20s
What was the NWLB? When?
-National War Labor Board
-1918 (Wilson)
-created by Wilson to settle disputes between workers and employers->ensure production was maintained and not interrupted by strikes ->the government began to recognise and negotiate with unions through the NWLB
What was the impact of WW1?
-increased demand in production offered employers the opportunity to increase their profits->encouraged the government’s intervention in the economy which benefited the workers and increased union members
What was the impact of the Welfare Capitalism of the 1920s?
-saw employers more likely to offer benefits to workers such as pensions, insurance and working hours. But the acceptance led to no-strike agreements and yellow-dog contracts
When was Coolidge’s presidency? Was he Democrat or Republican?
-1923-1929
-republican
What things happened under Coolidge’s presidency?
-Brotherhood of the Sleeping Car Porters 1928
-The Great Depression 1929
What was the Brotherhood of the Sleeping Car Porters? When?
-1928 (Coolidge)
-the porters relied on tips for their income and were exploited-> Pullman Porters wanted to ‘fight or be slaves’
-didn’t gain recognition until 1928 due to Pullman Company banning meetings
-it unionised a significant workforce bearing in mind that due to the Great Migration a significant proportion of AAs had moved north into factory work
What was the impact of the Great Depression? When?
-1929 (Coolidge)
-in the high unemployment, worker and union rights suffered as employers could exploit the weak position of workers who feared for their jobs-> employers often called the police on striking workers
When was Hoover’s presidency? Was he Democrat or Republican?
-1929-1933
-republican
What things happened under Hoover’s presidency?
-union workers realising strength in numbers was vital 1930s
-unemployment rose in 1933
-union membership increased
-AFL 1930s
What did unions and workers realise by the 1930s?
-strength in numbers was critical to securing rights
(Hoover)
What happened to unemployment in 1933 and what was a result of this? Which presidency?
-Unemployment rose by 25% in 1933->only 10% of the workforce was unionised
-Hoover
How did Union membership increase under Hoover’s presidency?
from 3.4 million in 1930 to 8.7 million in 1940. By 1945 it reached 15 million
What was the AFL more concerned with in the 1930s?
with linking craft unions rather than encouraging a growth in membership
(Hoover)
When was FDR’s presidency? Was he Democrat or Republican?
-1933-1945
-democrat
What did FDR fear?
-feared TUs would limit employer control
What things happened under FDR’s presidency?
-WW2
-NIRA 1933
-Wagner Act 1933
-Pullman Company
-sit in strike 1936
-CIO 1937
-Fair Labor Standards Act 1938
-Alphabet Agencies: NRA, SSA, FSA, CCC, WPA
What impact did WW2 have? Which president?
-FDR
-increased demand in production offered employers the opportunity to increase their profits->encouraged the government’s intervention in the economy which benefited the workers and increased union members
What was NIRA? When?
-1933 (FDR)
-National Industry Recovery Act (NIRA) ->under the New Deal
-established the NRA ->agree codes of practice about issues such as production levels, wage rates, working hours, prices and trade union rights->gave workers the right to organise TUs and collective bargaining->Unions being recognised->indicator of the government’s want to help workers during the Great Depression
-declared unconstitutional in 1935 and replaced by the Fair Labour Standards Act and Wagner Act
What was the Wagner Act? When?
-1933 (FDR)
-aimed to regulate and reduce labour disputes by providing a structure for bargaining->first legislation to recognise the right of workers to elect their own representatives and undertake collective bargaining->promotes TU and replaced NIRA 1935->Workers had the right to join trade unions->Set up the NLRB which could bargain on behalf of workers and reinstate those unfairly dismissed
-declared unconstitutional in 1937
What did the Pullman Company do? Which presidency?
-FDR
-employed a large number of African American workers who had limited opportunities for promotion, poor wages and no union representation
-Brotherhood of the Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP) was established in 1925 but the company refused to recognise it->was eventually successful by 1935
What did the Sit in Strike in 1936 result in? Which president?
-FDR
-the recognition of the United Automobile Workers’ Union and then the Steel Workers Organizing Committee was recognised by US Steel in 1937->these were industries previously resistant to unions
What was the CIO? When?
-1937 (FDR)
-Congress of industrial Organisations
-represented mass production industries
-attempted to organise labour in mass production industries had 3.7 million members->-sit ins and sit downs became the new form of protest- used against car industry (Henry Ford) in 1936
What was the Fair Labor Standards Act? When?
-1938 (FDR)
-created $25 minimum weekly wage, time and a half for working 40 hours+ as well as banning child workers under 16 yrs
-TU membership increased but disputes continued to occur
Which Alphabet Agencies were important for TUs? Which president?
-FDR
-NRA (National Recovery Administration)
-SSA (Social Security Act)
-FSA (Farm Security Administration)
-CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps)
-WPA
What was the NRA? Which presidency?
-FDR
-alphabet agency
-encouraged minimum wage and abolition of child labour
What was the SSA? Which presidency?
-FDR
-alphabet agency
-pensions and benefits for people with disabilities
What was the FSA? Which presidency?
-FDR
-alphabet agency
-lent money to sharecroppers
What was the CCC? Which presidency?
-FDR
-alphabet agency
-employed 2.5 million men-> tree planting, flood control and conservation of national parks
What was the WPA? Which presidency?
-FDR
-alphabet agency
-strengthened power of labour unions by allowing collective bargaining
-by the 1940s unions still did not represent African Americans, immigrants, women or agricultural workers
When was Truman’s presidency? Was he Democrat or Republican?
-1945-1953
-democrat
What things happened under Truman’s presidency?
-NWLB 1941
-Taft Hartley Act 1947
-AFL-CIO merge
What was the NWLB? When?
-1941 (Truman
-National War Labor Board
-increased pressure to increase wages, permitted 15% cost of living increase; wage rise plus overtime pay boosted average industrial earnings by 70%->designed to settle disputes between workers and employees-> increased wages during wartime production due to reliance on workers
What was the Taft Hartley Act? When?
-1947 (Truman)
-made it illegal for unions to operate a ‘closed shop’ and affirmed the right of states to pass ‘right to work’ laws
-regulated conduct of unions in their dealings with employers->restrained the power of TUs, weakened CIO due to divisions->weakened claim towards representing unskilled working classes
What was the AFL-CIO merge caused by? What was a result?
-the Taft Hartley Act
-membership declined due to dismissal of many Unions over the years of the merging
When was Eisenhower’s presidency? Was he Democrat or Republican?
-1953-1961
-republican
What was Eisenhower’s support of TUs like?
-less inclined than Truman to promote civil rights but more turning points happened during his administration than any other
What things happened under Eisenhower’s presidency?
-AA education
-union membership wages in 1955
-AFL-CIO merge 1955
What impact did AA education have? Which presidency?
-Eisenhower
-African American education was significantly below that of white workers and prevented them access to higher skilled work
What were union member wages like in 1955? Which presidency?
-Eisenhower
-union members wages were 20% higher than non-union workers
What did the AFL-CIO merge in 1955 cause? Which presidency?
-Eisenhower
-brought together 85% of union members
When was JFK’s presidency? Was he Democrat or Republican?
-1961-1963
-democrat
What things happened under JFK’s presidency?
-female and white collar workers post 1960s
-clashes between workers and unions were uncommon by 1960s
What were female and white collar workers less interested in joining in the 1960s? Which presidency?
-JFK
-less interested in joining unions
What were the numbers of striking workers in 1950 compared to 1965? Why? Which presidency?
-JFK
-by the 1960s clashes between employers and unions were uncommon
-the number of striking workers had changed from 3 million in 1950 to 1.5 million by 1965
When was LBJ’s presidency? Was he Democrat or Republican?
-1963-1969
-republican
What things happened under LBJ’s presidency?
-Civil Rights Act of 1964
-union membership in the late 60s declining
What was the Civil Rights Act? When?
-1964 (LBJ)
-outlawed discrimination based on race, colour, religion, gender or national origin
Why did union membership decline by the late 1960s? Which presidency?
-LBJ
-technological changes resulted in a more skilled workforce who no longer needed union protection
When was Nixon’s presidency? Was he Democrat or Republican?
-1969-1974
-republican
What happened during Nixon’s presidency?
-size of businesses decreased after the 1970s
Why did the size of businesses decreased after the 1970s? Which presidency?
-Nixon
-due to changes in technology which made it harder to organise workers
When was Ford’s presidency? Was he Democrat or Republican?
-1974-1977
-republican
What was Ford’s support for TUs like?
-unwilling to commit to further Civil Rights progress but wanted to keep good relations
What happened during Ford’s presidency?
Salad Bowl Strike early 1970s
What was the Salad Bowl Strike of the 1970s? Which presidency?
-Nixon
-Cesar Chavez led the agricultural workers union, the United Farm workers Organizing Committee in 1967 and later the United Farm Workers (UFW) Union in 1972
-Chavez adopted a policy of non-violence
-in the early 1970s he led strike action including the largest farmworker strike in US history, the Salad Bowl Strike, which won higher wages for lettuce and grape growers
-the UFW declined in the 1970s but in 1975 he secured victory in California when the California Agricultural Relations Board was established to oversee collective bargaining
When was Reagan’s presidency? Was he Democrat or Republican?
-1981-1989
-republican
What was Reagan’s support for TUs like?
-wanted to reduce powers of unions
What things happened under Reagan’s presidency?
-PATCO Strike 1981
-lack of public sympathy for the Air Traffic Controllers Strike of 1981
What was the PATCO Strike? When?
-1981 (Reagan)
-the government was unwilling to allow air traffic controllers to be paid more for working fewer hours->strikers were told by Reagan that if they didn’t return to work within 48 hours their contracts would be ended->redefined industrial relations which was reflected in the decline in strikes and union membership
-Labor Relations Board appointments made by Reagan so he appointed people who shared his views ->ensured that any disputes that went before it were likely to favour the employer
-hindered
What was a result of the lack of public sympathy for the Air Traffic Controllers Strike of 1981?
discouraged other strike action
When was Bush’s presidency? Was he Democrat or Republican?
-1989-1993
-republican
What happened during Bush’s presidency?
-welfare packages
What was a result of the welfare packages by the 1980s and 1990s? Which presidency?
-Bush
-decreased union membership
