The first problem workers in 1800s obviously faced were working conditions. Given that the majority of workers were needed by the employers for low-skills positions, their working conditions were not so much cared about. For instance, workers laboured for too long during a shift, this was not regulated sharply and justly. Also, almost all workers were underpaid (Baristony).
The second problem was the living conditions of workers. There were several reasons for this. First of all, at the beginning of the XIX century there was a big migration flow from the province to the cities. Therefore, cities got overcrowded, with workers ghettos being created mainly in the suburbs. Secondly, the fact that workers were underpaid and worked in bad conditions was decisive for the misery of their lives (Baristony).
Thirdly, the problem that was incrementally becoming more serious was the fact that manual work was being gradually replaced by machinery. The trend has thrown into the streets many people who had previously carried out manual work. The following photos illustrate child labor and appalling conditions of women at work.
(Courtesy of The Unhealthy Truth)
First of all, these were the protracted trends, like industrialization. It was already mentioned before that industrialization was the cause why many people were kicked out of work. Manual labor was gradually being substituted by machinery which was found by the unlucky workers to be unjust. And they had every reason to think this way.
The second misfortune that happened to America in 1890s was the financial and economic recession that added up to instability and fragility of the worker’s conditions. Naturally, this took the latter to the streets. The first big strike occurred in 1892 at the Carnegie Steel Company in the state of Pennsylvania. This strike became known as Homestead strike in the aftermath. Then the Pullman strike followed in 1893 (The Labor Movement: A violent Period in American History).
The principal idea that originated in this period and was widely adopted in the XX century was the idea of trade unions. These structures became more coherent and targeted at more specific coordination and closer cooperation between workers. It evolved into a strong tool of defense of the rights of workers.
The following picture illustrates to what extremes the workers were ready to go in their dispair. The allusion to actual war with the White House and the inscription show the gravity of demands.
(Courtesy of the Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor)
Works Cited
“The Labor Movement: A violent Period in American History” ILWU Local 19. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.
Baristoni, Austin. “Working Conditions.” The Unhealthy Truth. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.
