Labor developments of women in the U.S. from colonial times to 1900
In colonial America, women earn their living as tailors or keep boarding houses. In the early 19th Century, women occupations have the limitation of factory and domestic work. Professional women can only work as teachers and writers. The traditional families had many children this prevents women them from pursuing professional careers. Professional organization in the colonial era does not enroll women. In 1800s, most women worked as secretaries, bookkeepers, machine operators, and inspectors.
Historically, women have fewer career opportunities and legal rights than men do (Murolo and Chitty 10). A woman role consists primarily of home making in the 1900s (Murolo and Chitty 11). Women in the 20th Century have the right to vote, further their education, and pursue professional interests (Murolo and Chitty 11). Women have been successful in fighting for the reevaluation of historical perception of their role in the community. Women in the early period are tempting and perpetrate evil in the society.
The worldview is that women are inferior to men. For instance, Greek mythology informs of Pandora, a woman who opens the forbidden box to release plagues that destroy humanity. The earlier Roman laws detail that women are weaker than men are. In ancient India, women do not have propriety rights and individual freedom to marry. Hinduism requires women to obey men and walk behind them. Women in this era have personal and intellectual freedom to pursue own interests. In the middle Ages, Aristocratic women enjoy the power and prestige such as Queen Elizabeth in 16th Century, Catherine the Great in 18th Century, and Queen Victoria in 19th Century (Murolo and Chitty 12). Women do not have the physical endurance to perform manual work such as hunting and can only do household chores.
According to Murolo and Chitty (13), women have psychological tolerance more than men have and live longer since females’ are resistant diseases. A girl in the historic Western culture learns from her mother how to behave like a future mother. American girls learn to read and write at dame schools. In 1870, a fifth of the college enrollment represented girls. This proportion continues to increase in the 1900 since many girls can access tertiary education. Traditionally women cannot sue for property in their own name (Murolo and Chitty 16). This happens before the introduction of Equity law that ensured liberalization for a woman to sue a husband. In the 1900, women can work in textile mills or even anywhere outside the homes. Women work in poorly ventilated rooms with their children for many hours (Murolo and Chitty 17). In 1847, Britain passed legislation for women and children to work for 10 hours.
At around 1910 United States, pass legislation to limit the number of working hours of women as well as improving the working environment (Murolo and Chitty 19). The labor laws at this period restrict the rights of working women. For instance, a woman cannot work at night, have many occupations, or even work more than eight-hour shift. Labor law instructs the maximum weight of weight is 15 pounds. Laws that concern the welfare of women, abortion, prostitution, and crime portray discrimination.
Homemaker is a term that refers to women occupation in the home, in colonial America. At this period, few occupations are available for the women due to the legal framework and traditional view. Legally, a woman has no property right since she is under her father or the authority of the husband. The majority of women in American colonies joins families and can only engage in household chores. A colonial woman works at home and assists the husband in farming and artistic work.
Murolo and Chitty (33) find that women have different experiences from one colony to another in the colonial era. In this era, American colonies absorb the Dutch and Swedish people. In the 1700s, young women arrive as immigrants to colonial America in search for a new life. The Puritan women work in the fields with their husbands. Some European immigrants grant women control over property, unlike the English women. The Dutch women can own personal items and can write wills to discharge property after death. New England has settlers who brought with them religious values to affect the social structure. Puritan settlers hold that women are subordinate to men and are a homemaker. Immigration helps in the rapid economic growth ensuring high population to cultivate the abundant cheap land. At the colonial period, the abundant land present benefits farm laborers and this translates to economic growth. Young families can establish themselves easily during this period. The strong entrepreneurship leads to specialization of labor; wages for men go up as new opportunities for women open up such embroidery, teaching, and upholstery design.
New England passes legislation to support the education of girls in 1767 (Murolo and Chitty 33). Massachusetts delays adopting this legislation since it has influential upper social class who do not want to pay taxes to support education for the impoverished. The schools in the colonial era taught mostly boys than girls. There was an education disparity between boys and girls such that most women can only read, but cannot write. Hispanic women play a pivotal role in the traditional Spanish colonies, in New Mexico. Murolo and Chitty (34) say that most women are illiterate and are subject to sexual exploitation. The traditional American woman is either a princess or a destructive person in the society. For instance, Pocahontas succeeds as a powerful heroic princess emanating from narratives on her contribution on intermarriage and gender issues. Jamestown, the current Virginia, has three Caribbean women as slaves from Caribbean in the 1600s. In 1619, 90 women came to Jamestown to become wives of the men in that area. These women are christened tobacco brides since one has to exchange tobacco to purchase a woman.
Historically, labor in United States prior to 1900s has a well-set organization curtail to the needs of the worker. Labor unions at this time negotiate for fewer hours of working, higher wages, and elected politicians who lobby for legislation that works towards the interest of the workers. Dubofsky and Joseph (3) notes that that historic labor union elaborates a set of values that ensure people remain in solidarity with one another. This labor union caters for the interest of all the workers with no form of discrimination. The historic labor union has the commitment and the spirit of mutual assistance to ensure equality and democracy. Dubofsky and Joseph (8) believe that labor-based political organizations advance capitalist system in the nation. Organized labor in America leads to the industrial revolution. During the era of colonialism, there are minor cases of labor unrest since laborers work in a solid group as they negotiate. The government administration does not consider strikes as illegal, and this enables legal recourse for the injured people in the course of the strike. The exemption to this statement is the criminal prosecution of workers in Savannah, Georgia 1746 (Dubofsky and Joseph 8). The industrial revolution marks a change in the major cities with high populations such as Boston and Chicago. Most of the workers are journeymen who replace the masters in the face of high rural-urban migration. The migration to the coastal cities creates a large population due to the potential laborers that invest in the cities to derive large-scale enterprises (Dubofsky and Joseph 10). Construct workers in these cities such as Philadelphia launch competition and this lead to limitation in opportunities to create substantial risks due to the existence of downward mobility. According to Dubofsky and Joseph (14), this issue leads to the indictment of workers in at least six states, in America. The contentious issue in this labor case lies on whether to permit collective bargaining to ensure an increase in salaries, few hours of working, improved conditions, and other benefits.
The Landmark case of Commonwealth v. Hunt to settle the issue of legality of unions declares that trade unions are illegal in the United States as well as the general law. This case solidified in 1721 in the case of Rv Journeymen Tailors of Cambridge that declares tailors guilty of conspiring to raise salaries. Similarly, in People v. Melvin the court convicts cordwainer in an attempt to conspire to raise wages. Murolo and Chitty (21) inform that the National Labor Union (NLU) enacted in 1866 was dissolved in 1872. The Order of the Knights founded in 1867 at St. Crispin was one of the largest unions in the country since it has 50000 members by 1870 (Murolo and Chitty 24). The daughters of St. Crispin union admit women. The union has poor organization and soon collapses. Members fight consists of encroachments of machinery and the autonomy of skilled workers. The Crispin constitution limits innovation to skilled workers only while the semi skilled workers can use the machines to their job quickly. The Knights of labor in 1869 believe in the interests of all the members classified as producers. This organ champions for own grievances through political and cooperative fronts. The Knights developed the working class culture that involves women and argues for republicanism (Murolo and Chitty 24).
Works Cited
Dubofsky, Melvyn, and Joseph Anthony McCartin. American labor: a documentary collection. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007. Print.
Murolo, Priscilla, and A. B. Chitty. From the folks who brought you the weekend: a short, illustrated history of labor in the United States. New York: New Press :, 2005. Print.
