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...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: American Federation of Labor
Samuel Gompers, master organizer, had a vision of a national union that would have economic clout, but would steer clear of politics. Read about his organization of skilled workers in craft unions under the banner of the American...
![Colorado Historical Society: Chin Lin Sou, Chinese Railroad Laborer [Pdf] Handout](https://d15y2dacu3jp90.cloudfront.net/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/FPO-knovation.png "Colorado Historical Society: Chin Lin Sou, Chinese Railroad Laborer [Pdf] Handout")
Other
Colorado Historical Society: Chin Lin Sou, Chinese Railroad Laborer [Pdf]
Find out about a Chinese immigrant who, after laboring on the Central Pacific Railroad, became a wealthy miner in Colorado. From the Colorado Historical Society.
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.
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.
University of Houston
University of Houston: Engines of Our Ingenuity: American Industrial Revolution
Aimed at middle school teachers and students, this resource contains lists of labor links. It includes a brief history of strikes, the Knights of Labor and the AFL.
Council for Economic Education
Econ Ed Link: Work, Earnings and Economics: Using Lyddie by Katherine Paterson
In reading and discussing Lyddie, by Katherine Paterson, young scholars examine basic economic concepts and explore the growth of labor unions and the role of government in a market economy.
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.
![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...
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
Mighty Fine Films: Where Do You Stand?
Through voices of mill workers, learn the struggle of the American worker to unionize. Includes a timeline and a study guide. The website is a companion piece to the film that must be purchased.
Curated OER
History Matters: Eight Hours for What We Will!
Passage of the Adamson Act in 1916 was a huge victory for labor unions pushing for an eight-hour day. Read about that victory and find an illustration celebrating that fact.
Library of Congress
Loc: America's Story: Cesar Chavez
Learn about Cesar Chavez (1927-1993), the Mexican American labor activist and leader of the United Farm Workers. During the 20th century, he was a leading voice for migrant farm workers.
Hartford Web Publishing
World History Archives: Indispensable Ally: Black Workers, Formation of the Cio
This article relates the history of African Americans in the union movement during the Great Depression. Read about the importance of black membership in the CIO, the ILA, and the steel industry.
National Women's Hall of Fame
National Women's Hall of Fame: "Mother" Mary Harris Jones
The National Women's Hall of Fame recognizes the important and influential life work of the famous labor organizer and worker's rights activist "Mother" Jones.
Other
United Mine Workers of America: Umwa History: The Ludlow Massacre
A brief history of the Ludlow Massacre in Colorado in 1914. Read about the thwarted attempts of coal miners to unionize.
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Comission
Explore Pa History: Founding Convention of the Cio Historical Marker
Read about the formation of the Congress of Industrial Organizations, a union that represented steel workers, among many other factoy workers. Find out about their tactics used in strikes during the Great Depression.
Curated OER
History Matters: I Will Kill Frick
Find information about the Homestead strike and the treatment of the workers inspired some labor activists to plot the murder of Henry Clay Frick. Part of the autobiography of Emma Goldman.
Other
American Federation of Labor: George Meany (1894 1980)
This resource presents a brief history of AFL-CIO leader George Meany.
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Comission
Expore Pa History: Making Steel
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....
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.
Council for Economic Education
Econ Ed Link: Worker Safety the Triangle Fire Legacy
Learners investigate the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire tragedy and how its impact is still felt today. Students identify eerie parallels between the Triangle Fire and more recent workplace events with safety implications. How can future...
Digital History
Digital History: National Recovery Administration
Resource provides an overview of the codes set by the National Recovery Administration that helped industry and labor in the 1930s and their positive and negative affects.
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Comission
Expore Pa History: Stories From Pa History: Labor Strikes and Mine Disasters
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.
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