Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Early National Organizations
As early as 1866 a national union grew from the multitude of local unions in the country. Read about the growth of stronger unions, and find out what their goals were. See why the Haymarket Square Riot had an effect on unionization.
Virginia Tech
Digital History Reader: Which Side Are You On? The Flint Sit Down Strike
The first conflict between a corporation and labor union materialized in Flint, Michigan in the 1930's. Identify the tensions between General Motors and the United Automobile Workers during this time through Context, articles, images,...
Other
Nlrb: 1947 Taft Hartley Substantive Provisions
The Taft-Hartley Act was a contentious law aimed at limiting the influence of labor unions immediately after World War II. Read about the act and the changes it made to the Wagner Act.
Other
History World International: Industrial Revolution
A short history of the Industrial Revolution, the reasons that it began in England, some of the significant inventions that had a major impact, changes in transportation, the rise of labor unions, its spread to the United States, and the...
Fact Monster
Fact Monster: International Ladies Garment Workers Union
Due to the strife incurred by garment workers at the turn of the century, the International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU) was formed. Read about its history and its relevancy in the 21st century.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Ap Us History Period 6: 1865 1898: Quiz
This practice exercise from Khan Academy covers Period 6: 1865-1898 in American History. The Gilded Age is reviewed in this resource. This resource is designed as a review for the AP US History Test.
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Why Do Americans and Canadians Celebrate Labor Day?
In the United States and Canada, the first Monday of September is a federal holiday, Labor Day. Originally celebrated in New York City's Union Square in 1882, Labor Day was organized by unions as a rare day of rest for the overworked...
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Education: Spotlight Biography: Labor Reformers
Biographical information on Samuel Gompers, Frances Perkins and Cesar Chavez. All three were inspirations for the labor union movement.
Curated OER
History Matters: A Separate Peace: Alice Henry on Women and Unions
A primary source on the influence of women in labor unions in the early 1900's. A distinction between men and women at union meetings is examined.
Other
Woman's Christian Temperance Union
The fascinating history of the WCTU and the many causes it advocated.
Digital History
Digital History: The Second Red Scare
Senator Joseph McCarthy did not create the national obsession with communist subversion. It had arisen in the late 1930s, years before McCarthy had come to public notice. Angry that they had been barred from the corridors of power for 20...
Digital History
Digital History: Wagner Act
Read about the growth of labor unions during the 1930s as the Great Depression continued, due to the passage of the Wagner Act. Find out about the strikes and the conflict between labor and management, as well as conflict within the...
Employment Spot
Employment Spot: Labor Day
Today, most Americans view Labor Day as the last chance to take a dip in the pool, a great excuse to barbecue with friends or a farewell to summer. But in 1894, when Labor Day was declared a legal holiday, the day was a celebration of...
![Pbs Teachers: Joe Hill and the International Workers of the World [Pdf] Lesson Plan](https://content.lessonplanet.com/knovation/original/124631-83dafd05030fc28a51e60e4ff763225b.jpg?1661419417 "Pbs Teachers: Joe Hill and the International Workers of the World [Pdf] Lesson Plan")
PBS
Pbs Teachers: Joe Hill and the International Workers of the World [Pdf]
A lesson plan from the producers of the 16-episode PBS series "Freedom: A History of US" that focuses on the growth of militant labor unions like the International Workers of the World, on Joe Hill's role in the IWW, and on the...
The History Cat
The History Cat: Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
Looks at the garment factory industry in the 1800s and the early part of the 20th century, where workers toiled in sweatshop conditions. After a terrible fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company in 1911, labor unions gained support in...
Other
Key People in Labor History: Mother Jones (1837 1930)
Once called "the most dangerous woman in America", Mary Harris "Mother" Jones was one of the great organizers of the labor and union movements.
Other
Illinois Labor History Society: Gene Debs and the American Railway Union
Description of the rise and fall of the American Railway Union in the context of the Pullman Strike.
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Gilder Lehrman Institute: History Now: Postwar Labor Tensions
[Free Registration/Login Required] A brief look at the growth of unions in the early 20th century. Read about the strikes in 1919 and their consequences.
University of Maryland
University of Maryland: The Samuel Gompers Papers
Site from the University of Maryland provides primary source documents, a brief history of the labor movement, and biographical information about Samuel Gompers. A great resource for teachers and students.
Georgia Humanities Council and the University of Georgia Press.
New Georgia Encyclopedia: Knights of Labor
Reference source for information on the history of the labor organization, the Knights of Labor, nationally and in Georgia, in particular, in the late 1800s and the role it played in organizing southern laborers. Hyperlinks to additional...
Library of Congress
Loc: Today in History: September 2: The Rock Springs Massacre
Scroll down through this American Memory's Today in History to the Rock Springs Massacre. Find a brief description of what happened to the Chinese mine workers on that day in Wyoming, and the aftermath. Included are links to photographs...
National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center: America in Class: America in the 1920s: Prosperity: Labor Strike
The National Humanities Center presents collections of primary resources compatible with the Common Core State Standards - historical documents, literary texts, and works of art - thematically organized with notes and discussion...
Other
Illinois Labor History Society: The Haymarket and Its Memorial
This site contains a description of the Haymarket Tragedy, and also includes many related topics.
Library of Congress
Loc: Learning Page: Labor in America
A rich collection of resources, including primary sources, student activities, and lesson plans, to support study of Americans at work in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.