The Gilded Age was a period of terrible labor violence, as industrialists and workers fought for control of the workplace. Workers organized the first large American labor unions during the Gilded Age, while employers tried to stop the...

A listing of all work stoppages in 2012 which have involved at least 1,000 workers. Plant name, city, unions, and start and end dates of strike are given.

Read reports of the 1919 Steel Strike in Pittsburgh that appeared in the National Labor Journal in October, 1919. An interesting viewpoint of the strike and strikers.

This several page chapter from the site From Revolution to Reconstruction outlines the growth of the union in the railroad industry in the late 19th century. Read about the strikes, working conditions, the beginning of the American...

This site discusses how for much of the latter half of the 1800s, the life of the common laborer was horrendous. Working in a unsanitary factory, for at least 10 hours a day, making far less than needed to survive, the struggles of the...

Theodore Roosevelt had many talents. See how he acted as arbitrator in the coal strike of 1902, and supported the demands of the United Mine Workers to improve the working conditions of the miners.

An article detailing the activities of the Minute Men of Seattle, a volunteer organization whose objective was to rout out any enemy of the United States during World War I.

The Chicago Historical Society presents extensive information about the 1886 bombing at Haymarket Square that helped change the course of the labor movement. Read about the bombing, arrests, trial, executions, and other events that...

You can listen to or read an interview with a woman who was a strike supporter during the Colorado Coal strike. In this interview she recalls how she helped save women and children during the Ludlow Massacre in April, 1914.

"Attention Workingmen! Mass Meeting Tonight, at 7:30." This pamphlet was distributed on May 4, 1886. Chicago had been simmering with labor disputes which culminated in a riot at Haymarket Square where eight officers were killed. Use this...

This Library of Congress site provides information on the fight for the eight-hour workday. Discusses labor unions and strikes.

In 1946, as the United States was recovering from World War II, coal miners struck. Read the transcript of a news conference President Harry Truman held to address this pressing economic issure.

Learn about the factors that helped the Populist Party gain followers and what caused it to lose them after the 1896 presidential election.

[Free Registration/Login Required] This lesson plan seeks to discover the impact George Pullman had, not only on the railroad industry, but also on American life, by improving rail travel, and also establishing a company town for his...

As Big Business grew in the Gilded Age, so did conflict between the workers and management. Read about the techniques used by both groups to try to press their points and get the upper hand in negotiations.

A good review of the Western Federation of Miners and its actions in Colorado in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Find out why the organization was seen to have socialist leanings.

Site presents the statement given by August Spies, who was convicted and hanged for his role in the Haymarket Square riot.

Read about how President Roosevelt used his presidential powers to prohibit labor strikes during World War II. Scroll to page 4 of this PDF to read this background information which is part of a discussion about President Truman's...

Read about the dangers of coal mining in Pennsylvania, the emergence of unions in an attempt to protect the miners, and some of the mining disasters that took place in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

An interesting account of the Homestead Strike of 1892. Learn about the demands of the steelworkers and the violent response of the factory owners. Find drawings and pictures of what happened.

An eyewitness account provided by an electrical engineer about the brutal Ludlow Massacre in which three women and eleven children were killed in a tent city in Ludlow, Colorado, during the height of the Colorado Coal Strike.

Read about the growth of the Socialist Party in America under the leadership of Eugene V. Debs. Find out about the strikes he led, his political activities, and his arrest for sedition in 1918. Read also about the radical union,...

This digital collection represents the photographic files of one of America's earliest news picture agencies. The collection richly documents sports events, theater, celebrities, crime, strikes, disasters, political activities including...

Many songs, born of the American labor and civil rights movements, called people to action and were used to spread the messages of workers' rights and civil rights. Here you will find a nice collection of such songs. All songs in the...