Other
Kansas Heritage: Pullman Strike, Chicago, 1894
This detailed and informative site explains how the Pullman Strike, which began as a peaceful protest about rent in the company town of Pullman, spread across the country and brought railroad traffic to a halt.
University of Pennsylvania
A Celebration of Women Writers: Civilization in Southern Mills
Stories of women and children working in Southern mills in the late 1800's. Poor wages and poor working conditions are commonplace throughout this recounting by Mother Jones in 1901.
Other
Nysed: The Great Railroad Strike of 1877
This very complete lesson plan from the New York State Library uses newspaper accounts to give a "you are there" feeling to the discussion of the Railroad Strike of 1877. Included are a history of the strike, student activities,...
University of Missouri
Famous Trials: Western Federation of Miners
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.
Curated OER
History Matters: Camella Teoli Testifies About the 1912 Lawrence Textile Strike
Read the gripping testimony of an immigrant girl who testified before a U.S. Congressional committee detailing the conditons in the textile mill in which she worked. Because of these unsafe working conditions, the textile workers...
Curated OER
History Matters: Ideas in Conflict: Opposing Views of the Cripple Creek Strike
The violent strike in Cripple Creek, Colorado, pitted the Western Federation of Miners against the mine owners. Read these statements by the two organizations giving their views of what happened in that conflict.
Other
Haymarket Trial: August Spies, Address to the Court
Site presents the statement given by August Spies, who was convicted and hanged for his role in the Haymarket Square riot.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Houghton Mifflin Company: Teacher's Guide for Bread and Roses, Too
Katherine Paterson writes historical fiction for middle school aged students. This book on the Bread and Roses strike includes good factual information about the strike woven into a personal story. This teacher's guide is a handy...
Digital History
Digital History: Wagner Act
Read about the growth of labor unions during the 1930s as the Great Depression continued, due to the passage of the Wagner Act. Find out about the strikes and the conflict between labor and management, as well as conflict within the...
The History Cat
The History Cat: Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
Looks at the garment factory industry in the 1800s and the early part of the 20th century, where workers toiled in sweatshop conditions. After a terrible fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company in 1911, labor unions gained support in...
Steven Kreis, PhD
The History Guide: Lech Walesa
A brief biography of Lech Walesa and the independent labor movement in Poland. Describes how labor used strikes to improve their working conditions and qualities of life. Their struggles have been an inspiration to labor movements all...
Other
Encyclopedia of Cleveland History:1919 Steel Strike
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.
Other
History World International: Industrial Revolution
A short history of the Industrial Revolution, the reasons that it began in England, some of the significant inventions that had a major impact, changes in transportation, the rise of labor unions, its spread to the United States, and the...
University of California
Uc Berkeley: Emma Goldman's Published Essays and Pamphlets: Samuel Gompers [Pdf]
An essay dedicated to Samuel Gompers, founder of the American Federation of Labor, written by Emma Goldman and published in 1925.
University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame: The Story of the Steel Seizure Case [Pdf]
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...
Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum
Cprr Photographic History Museum: Tunnels of the Pacific Railroad
This site offers an abstract from Van Nostrand's Eclectic Engineering Magazine from 1870 from a paper by John R. Gilliss. A comprehensive look at the tunnels built along the route of the Central Pacific Railroad and the Union Pacific...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Eugene v. Debs and American Socialism
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,...
Utah Education Network
Uen: Utah History Encyclopedia: Golden Spike National Historic Site
This resource provides information about the first transcontinental railroad, which was built by nearly 30,000 Irish, German, Italian, and Chinese laborers.
Washington State University
Washington State University: Introduction to 19th Century Socialism
This article discusses the origin of 19th-century socialism. Discusses the Enlightenment, Industrial Revolution, social classes, Karl Marx and labor unions. An in-depth article.
Curated OER
History Matters: Welfare Capitalism and Its Conceits.
Examine this political cartoon that looks at welfare capitalism and how companies used it to keep workers from establishing unions.
PBS
Pbs: American Experience: President Franklin D. Roosevelt
This companion to the PBS series surveys the career of the longest-serving president in U.S. history and leader through the Great Depression and World War II.
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.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Harcourt: Biographies: Cesar Chavez
Learn about this leader who helped bring many important changes for farm workers in the U.S. Following the peaceful examples of King and Ghandi, Cesar Chavez helped much needed improvements take place.
Other
Lehigh University: The Molly Maguires
An interesting site compiled by a Lehigh University undergraduate student, regarding a secret mining organization known as the "Molly Maguires" who operated in the Pennsylvania coal mines during the latter part of the 19th century.
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