An article from Workers World describes the Bread and Roses Strike and explains why it ended up to be so effective. One interesting aspect is that there were immigrants working in the Lawrence textile mills speaking 25 different...

Chapter 9 provides an overview of the profound changes labor has undergone from agrarian times to a modern industrial state in the 20th Century and outlines the significance and history of organized labor.

A several page article about the labor unrest in the steel industries in 1937. Find out about what the union activists were fighting for, martial law that was declared in Ohio, and the final results of the strike.

Read the text and listen to President Truman's speech concerning his plans to address the railway strike that was affecting the post-World War II economy. (12 min.19 sec.)

Discusses the Homestead Strike of 1892 and the Pullman Strike of 1894 and how these ended, as well as responses of the federal government to the labor movement. Includes questions for students at end.

Labor turmoil spread across the United States in 1919. Read about how the Seattle General Strike led the way. Find out about how the shipyard workers were joined by others, and whether the strike was effective.

This resource gives an account of the Pullman Strike of 1894. It discusses what the strike was about, how it was resolved, and the effect its outcome had.

Prior to the nationwide Pullman Railway Strike in 1894, railroad workers struck against rail lines controlled by Jay Gould. Read about the strike, the initial success, and eventual defeat for the workers.

This brief article describes the actions of the local steel unions in Cleveland in support of the national steel strike of 1919. Find out about the effect of the strike on the unions.

A good look at three of the titans of the steel industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Read about Andrew Carnegie and his business relationship with Henry Clay Frick, and the development of Bethlehen Steel by Charles Schwab....

As part of a larger lesson plan about the Railroad Strike of 1877, this lesson asks students to compare that strike with the Homestead Strike against Carnegie's steel plant. Activity directions and questions are provided.

This collection uses primary sources to explore coal mining and labor in West Virginia.

This collection uses primary sources to explore the Homestead Strike.

The history behind the Labor Day holiday is far more complex and dramatic than most might realize, starting with a heated campaign by workers in the late 19th century to win support and recognition for their contributions. In July 1894,...

When the federal government was called in to suppress a railroad workers' strike, dozens were killed and politicians sought a way to show they still supported workers. July 1894, President Grover Cleveland finally signed into law...

Labor Day 2021 occurred on Monday, September 6. Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers and is traditionally observed on the first Monday in September. It was created by the labor movement in the...

1896, A Website of Political Cartoons and Commentary provides the illustrated story of both the Homestead and Pullman strikes with quotes from newspapers of the time and a brief characterization of Andrew Carnegie. The site includes a...

Pupils learn about the history of the labor movement in Industrial America, including some of the major unions that emerged and the most well-known strikes. Next, they make connections to the role of unions today. They then work in...

A strike by steel workers in Chicago eventually spread across the United States in 1919. Read about the strike, how was involved, and how the employers turned popular opinion against the strikers.

Read the history of the Seattle General Strike in 1919. Find out what its objectives were and why it ended up as a failure.

This site contains a description of the Haymarket Tragedy, and also includes many related topics.

[Free Registration/Login Required] An excerpt from an interview with a textile factory worker named Marianna Costa. In the interview, Costa talks about working conditions at the Arrow Piece Dye Works in Paterson, New Jersey, prior to the...

Excerpt from U.S. Strike Commission Report. Site also provides focus questions at the bottom.

A broad look at the Truman presidency domestically including the labor problems he encountered, his Fair Deal, the instransigence of the Republican Party, and McCarthyism.