A learning module that begins with "The Life of a U.S. Industrial Worker" accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through free teacher...

The Seattle General Strike of 1919, was the first time workers in the United States participated in a strike. This site is rich in resources that include photographs, video footage and oral histories.

From the papers of Samuel Gompers, this is a description of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and its aims in the early 20th century.

A very brief description of the Industrial Workers of the World and what they represented.

Learn about the lives of the working class in Industrial America, what led to the formation of labor unions, and why labor unions were not successful despite strike actions.

Examines the transformation of work from artisan-centered to a mechanized workforce. Looks at the emergence of industrialization and the impact it had on production and on the worker experience, the development of the consumer society,...

The Victorian Web provides a report to British Parliament submitted in 1833 by a medical observer on how work in textile factories affected the physical health of the laborers. Also includes essays from a factory owner's point of view...

This scholarly paper investigates the treatment of the federal government, sometimes ambivalent, sometimes hostile, during the presidential terms of Woodrow Wilson. See how Wilson's need for industrial workers and soldiers in the time...

This interesting essay traces the growth of the Knights of Labor from a group that represented those in the shoe industry in Philadelphia to a nationwide union fighting for workers' rights. It also traces other union developments over...

This section of the text looks at how workers, owners, and the government responded differently to the negative effects of the Industrial Revolution. The Luddites rebelled against industrialization. Robert Owen, a wealthy socialist,...

Primary source documents related to the Industrial Workers of the World, a labor union that grew out of the effects of industrialization on the workforce. All materials can be downloaded.

As America grew, so did its production of agriculture and manufacturing, leading to a rise in workers and their demands. Study the history of worker's rights in America from the Industrial Revolution to today. This collection includes 13...

Cotton has long been an important and successful part of the economy and history of Arkansas. This is an overview of the cotton industry from the early days of plantations, slaves, immigrant workers to today's productive source of...

A look at the coal industry in the United States across the entire nineteenth century. Halfway through the page there is information about the advent of unions to represent the coal miners doing such a dangerous job.

Briefly describes the shift in offices from male to female clerical workers. Details the progression of women in going from clerical positions to managerial positions.

An information page on the rise of factory labor as the Industrial Revolution took hold in the North.

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...

This site from the Modern History Sourcebook of Fordham University provides an exerpt from "The Condition of the Working-Class in England in 1844". Personal account of what life was like for textile mill workers in Manchester.

This lesson examines the effects of the Industrial Revolution on women. It includes testimonies from England and Wales collected by Parliamentary commissions who investigated the industrial employment of women and children in the early...

This story documents the struggle of workers at Starbucks Coffee in New York City to get more guaranteed hours per week. (Nov. 18, 2005)

An excellent collection of artifacts that highlight the aims and aspirations of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). Members of the IWW, known as Wobblies, played a unique role in the American labor movement. Artifacts include...

Outline of the struggles, conflict and violence experienced by 19th Century industrial workers.

While the Industrial Revolution generated new opportunities and economic growth, it also introduced pollution and acute hardships for workers.

In this lesson plan from EDSITEment, young scholars will discuss the significance of the labor movement, the industrialists involved and the attitude of the American people toward working conditions in the United States. Contains links...