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...

A lesson plan from the producers of the 16-episode PBS series "Freedom: A History of US" that examines the life of activist Mary "Mother" Jones and the methods she used to change conditions for laborers, especially for child laborers....

A lesson plan from the producers of the 16-episode PBS series "Freedom: A History of US" that examines the conditions American workers faced in the late 1800s. Young scholars will understand the factors that precipitated the birth and...

This resource covers the changing of America due to the Industrial Revolution which brought in not only new technology but also opened the door to reform movements. From the series by Joy Hakim, "A History of Us." Includes a teacher's...

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.

In the late nineteenth century, the Knights of Labor attempted to organize workers of all kinds into a union to improve working hours and conditions for laborers.

As the United States became a major industrial power, conflict between workers and factory owners intensified. Read about the Homestead Strike and the Pullman Strike, two of the most famous labor battles in American history.

A quick comprehension check over labor in the Gilded Age.

A self-evaluation using primary sources assesses labor, slavery, and caste in the Spanish colonial system.

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...

The Progressive Era from the 1890s to the 1920s evolved as a response to the negative effects of industrialization. Reforms that emerged provided protections for workers and consumers and gave women voting rights. Backlash against the...

Summarizes the events of the Industrial Revolution in Britain by highlighting what happened in the cotton industry and the mining industry.

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.

After the Civil War, there was some impetus to modernize the South's economy to make it more industrialized and less agrarian. It never gained traction while sharecropping and tenant farming did, ensuring the persistence of rural...

Amazing number of agencies formed as a result of New Deal legislation. Read about the agencies and legislation whose acronyms have become part of governmental history.

Discusses the muckraking journalists and novelists who were at the forefront of movements pushing for stronger protections for workers and consumers. Their work led to the passage of several important pieces of legislation. Includes...

A quick, five question quiz over the Columbian Exchange, Spanish conquest, and the Spanish Colonial system.

Every economic system tries to anticipate and then meet human needs through the production and distribution of goods and services. The economic system is the mechanism that brings together natural resources, the labor supply, technology,...

Many colonists came to Jamestown to find gold. Read about what finally brought money into the colony, and what John Rolfe's role was in that. Read about who the workers were who provided the labor for this new money source.

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.

What started as a localized railway strike by workers upset by a pay cut spread across the country in the summer of 1877. Read about the striking workers and the force used against them, how the strike affected rail service, and what the...

A very thorough look at the industrial growth in the North because of the advent of the Industrial Revolution in America. See what industries grew, how factories became more productive, and find out how the states cultivated economic...

Provides a timeline, facts, and information about the history of US Immigration Laws with a description of the dates and the purpose of each of the US Immigration laws.

This comprehensive survey of the women's movement during the 1960s and 1970s documents women and politics, women's wages, legal discrimination against women, stereotypes of women, women's rights legislation, and women's rights...