Digital Public Library of America
Dpla: The Homestead Strike
This primary source set uses illustrations, documents, and photographs to tell the story of the Homestead Strike.
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...
University of Washington
University of Washington: Strikes and Unions
The Great Depression built the modern labor movement by growing and strengthening unions. Follow the labor movement through a day-by-day database of newspaper articles chronicling strikes in Washington State. Additionally, students can...
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National Humanities Center presents collections of primary resources compatible with the Common Core State Standards - historical documents, literary texts, and works of art - thematically organized with notes and discussion...
San Diego State University
San Diego State University: How Industrial Unionism Was Won
From Walter Lindner's Progressive Party pamphlet, this detailed description of the Flint sit-down strike of 1936-1937 outlines the causes and results of the UAW's collective action.
US Department of Labor
Bureau of Labor Statistics: Work Stoppages Involving 1,000 or More Workers
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.
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.
Other
Illinois State Museum: The American Railway Union
Excerpt from U.S. Strike Commission Report. Site also provides focus questions at the bottom.
Shmoop University
Shmoop: Labor in the Gilded Age
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...
University of California
History Project: The Homestead Strike of 1892
This high school activity focuses on the Homestead Strike of 1892. Students are asked to write an essay explaining why the strike occurred and how the Carnegie Company went about winning the strike. Included are twenty-seven primary...
Other
Ue News Feature: The Great Strike of 1877 Remembering a Worker Rebellion
Read about how the Railroad Strike of 1877 was a first in many ways in labor history. This article sets up the reasons for the strike and the mixed results.
University of California
History Project: The Pullman Strike of 1894
Given background information and primary source documents, students will write an essay describing the events of the Pullman Strike of 1894 organized around a theme.
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Comission
Expore Pa History: Railroad Strike of 1877 Historical Marker
Read about the Railroad Strike of 1877 that started in Pennsylvania and spread across the Midwest. Find out about the violence against the strikers and the use of the military to end the strike.
Chicago History Museum
Encyclopedia of Chicago: Railroad Strike of 1877
This article from the Encyclopedia of Chicago explains how a strike by railroad workers in West Virginia eventually made its way to Chicago and was taken up by workers from many industries. See how city officials resolved this general...
Ohio History Central
Ohio History Central: Little Steel Strike of 1937
An interesting article about the strike against the Little Steel companies in Ohio in 1937. It describes the use of the sit-down strike by the unionized steel workers.
Hartford Web Publishing
World History Archives: Bread & Roses: The Strike Led and Won by Women
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...
Harvard University
Women Working: National Women's Trade Union League of America
An explanation of the formation of the National Women's Trade Union League of America that brought together working class women and professional women. Read about what their goals were for women in the workforce. Find links to primary...
Other
Usa: Chapter 9: Labor in America: The Worker's Role
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.
Ohio History Central
Ohio History Central: Knights of Labor
Ohio History Central gives a brief summary of the actions and goals of the Knights of Labor in the last half of the 19th century. Find out about their push for improved working conditions and whether striking was advantageous or not in...
University of Houston
University of Houston: An American Industrial Revolution Unit: Rise of Labor
Students 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...
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.
Other
Illinois Labor History Society: When Women Were Knights
This article discusses women's roles in the Knights of Labor.
Other
Illinois Labor History Society: The Parable of Pullman
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.
University of Groningen
American History: Essays: The Iron Horse: Labor Conflicts and Unionism
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...