Labor in the Gilded Age (College Board AP® US History): Flashcards
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Define labor union.
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Cards in this collection (17)
Define labor union.
A labor union is an organization of workers that forms a united force against business leaders to demand better wages, working conditions, and fair treatment.
Which methods did labor unions use to challenge business owners?
Unions used strikes and slowdowns, and they pushed for government regulation to protect workers.
What were the main goals of Gilded Age labor unions?
Unions sought better pay, improved working conditions, an eight-hour workday, and limits on child labor.
What sparked the Great Railroad Strike of 1877?
Railroad companies cut workers' wages by 10% during a recession.
True or False?
President Rutherford B. Hayes sent federal troops to end the Great Railroad Strike of 1877.
True.
Hayes sent federal troops to Baltimore, and they ended the strike through the violent suppression of protests.
Why was the Great Railroad Strike significant for organized labor?
It showed that workers could organize and disrupt the economy, and it set the stage for future labor movements.
What caused the Pullman Strike of 1894?
George Pullman cut workers' wages but did not reduce rents and other expenses in the company town where they lived.
Who organized railroad workers across the country through the American Railway Union to support the Pullman strikers?
Eugene V. Debs organized railroad workers across the country through the American Railway Union to support the Pullman strikers.
How did railroad companies use the mail against the Pullman strikers?
They attached mail cars to trains, making it a federal offense to disrupt the trains.
Define Knights of Labor.
The Knights of Labor was one of the first major national labor organizations, open to all workers at any skill level, including women and African Americans.
Which demand for fairness in pay did the Knights of Labor push for?
The Knights of Labor pushed for equal pay for equal work.
What were conditions like for child laborers in the Gilded Age?
Children as young as ten worked in dangerous conditions for more than ten hours a day, for cheaper wages, and many did not attend school.
What happened at the Haymarket Square Riot (1886)?
A peaceful Chicago rally for the eight-hour day turned violent when a bomb aimed at the police exploded, killing police officers and civilians.
How did the Haymarket Square Riot affect labor unions?
It caused public fear; many saw unions as dangerous and radical, and support and membership declined.
Define American Federation of Labor (AFL).
The AFL was a union founded in 1886 by Samuel Gompers that represented only skilled workers and preferred collective bargaining.
The is the term for the growing middle class that emerged during the industrialization of the Gilded Age.
The bourgeoisie is the term for the growing middle class that emerged during the industrialization of the Gilded Age.
True or False?
The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 immediately won workers the wage increases they demanded.
False.
The strike drew national attention to workers' conditions, but workers did not immediately gain wage increases or better working conditions.
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