Big Business and Labor Quiz

Laissez faire and Social Darwinism were crucial ideologies during the 19th century. Laissez faire means "allowed," as in big business owners were allowed to treat employees however they wanted because there were no laws against it. Since there were no laws against it there was nothing that laborers could do about it, so they started to create unions. Social Darwinism was an ideology that the wealthy were rich because they worked hard for it and the poor were poor because they don't work hard or smart enough. This had the effect on the laborers that being treated with poor conditions and wages was their fault. Carnegie also believed that there was nothing he could do to make the poor not poor anymore and that it was their own fault. The business ideologies had the effect on the laborers to create unions to try to get better overall working conditions.

Labor Unions and Big Business

Identify each of the following events or people. Give an explanation or description of the item. Answer the questions who, what, where, and when.

Explain the historical significance of each item in the space provided. Establish the historical context in which the item exists. Establish the item as the result of or as the cause of other factors existing in the society under study.
Answer this question: What were the political, social, economic, and/or cultural consequences of this item?

the Knights of Labor
a. Identification
The Knights of Labor's goal was to advert the idea of capitalism to make every man his own employer.
b. Significance
Their concept was to vague and soon diminished after failed strikes and no accomplishments towards their goal.
the Haymarket riot
a. Identification
In Chicago on May 1, 1886 was the country's largest spontaneous labor demonstration and mass strike took place.
b. Significance
In act of the Haymarket riot a military based was established and police forces were strengthened everywhere. Companies agreed to resist strikes and got striking insurance.
the American Federation of Labor
a. Identification
Focused on collective bargaining, or negotiations between represenatives of labor and management to reach written agreements on wages, hours, and working conditions.
b. Significance
Grew to 2.5 million and were very signifigant in getting workers their rights.
Samuel Gompers
a. Identification
Leader of the Cigar Makers' International Union, and president of the AFL.
b. Significance
Very powerful leader in the AFL and helped many people by getting them better working conditions.
the Homestead strike
a. Identification
In Homestead, Pennsylvania workers at an iron and steel company refused to accept pay cuts and in turn the company closed the plant and soon the strikers gave in.
b. Significance
This is signifigant because it shows how much power and control industrial companies had over their employees.
the Pullman strike
a. Identification
the Pullman strike was a protest to Pullman decreasing wages and increasing rent and store prices in the town where his employees worked and lived.
b. Significance
It was signifigant because the President at the time, Grover Cleveland had to go in and try to breakup the strike and the leader of the strike, Debs, was jailed even thought he was just standing up for what was right.
Eugene V. Debs
a. Identification
Invented the American Railway Union that was an industrial union with both skilled and unskilled laborers and leader of the Pullman strike.
b. Significance
Was put in jail for being the leader of the Homestead strike. this was signifigant because he was put in jail trying to help other's working conditions and was only trying to help.
the Industrial Workers of the World
a. Identification
Radical unionists and socialists invented the IWW a.k.a. the Wobblies with lumberers, miners, and cannery and dock workers including African Americans.
b. Significance
They espoused socialism and tactics of violence and sabotage.

Expansion of Industry

The three major factors that contributed to the immense technological boom was the plethera of natural resources, the government's support for industry, and the increasing urban population who had creative ideas and worked for cheap. Natural resources, such as coal iron and oil, were all major factors because the materials were practical for certain things. The natural resource, oil, was used for automobiles, and was called "black gold" because it was valuable. Iron was also very important because from it you could get steel. Steel was used for railroads, farm machines, barbed wire, skyscrapers and steel cables on bridges. The growing urban population was important because people made new technological discoveries and made jobs for people in factories where items were mass produced. Edison invented the incandescent light bulb which created electric power. Electric power meant that industry could be anywhere, not just near rivers. The inventions of the telephone and the typewriter made it so there were more jobs for women in clerical work and factory work. The industrial boom improved workers standards of living.