1. Immigration and the Labor Movement in America

2. Where are the workers coming from during the Industrial Revolution
Old immigration (Before 1880s)– People from northern and western Europe, Ireland and Germany
New immigration (1880s-1924)- shift to southern and eastern Europe – Italy, Poland and Russia. Also, Japan and China
From Rural areas and Europe
Desire employment opportunities
Escape poverty and oppression
New ethnic groups cluster together in cities
“Little Italy”

3. Danish Norwegian German Dutch Swedish English Scottish Welsh Irish
Northern Europe
German
Dutch
The
"Old"
Immigrants
Swedish
English
Scottish
Welsh
Irish

4. Southern & Eastern Europe
Italian
Russian
Greek
Southern & Eastern Europe
Jews
The
"New"
Immigrants
Romanian
Hungarian
Austrian
Serbian
Polish
Chinese

6. To Escape. Conditions in immigrants’ native lands often propelled
Religious
Persecution
Of Jews
The Irish
Potato Famine
To Escape. Conditions in immigrants’ native lands often propelled
or “pushed” them to leave. Immigrants came to escape
conditions of poverty or religious and political persecution.
Extreme Poverty
& Crime in
Italy
Political
Persecution
in Germany

7. The Land of Opportunity. Conditions in the U.S. also attracted or
Availability Of
Jobs
$ Higher
Standards
Of Living $
The Land of Opportunity. Conditions in the U.S. also attracted or
“pulled” many immigrants to come. Many newcomers heard about
these benefits. News of these benefits was spread by letters to
relatives, steamship advertisements and industrialists seeking
to recruit laborers.
Religious
Freedom
Greater
Political
Freedom

8. Statue Of
Liberty
Symbol
Open
Immigration

9. Ellis Island,
New York

11. Interior Of
Ellis Island

13. The Melting Pot Theory Americans Italians Irish Jews Greek Russian
Polish
Chinese
Americans

14. “Melting pot” theory – new American culture
Assimilation - The process when a minority group adopts the customs and attitudes of the nation’s culture.

15. Nativist laws passed to limit immigration
Nativism – belief that native-born Americans are superior to immigrants.
Chinese Exclusion Act of 1888
Emergency Quota Act of 1921
Lowered the amount of immigrants admitted to US = lowers immigration by 75%
National Origins Act of 1924
Lowers immigration from Eastern and Southern European Countries

16. restricting immigration
Pale face afraid you crowd him out, as he did me.
Chinese Exclusion Act
(1888)
All future Chinese
Immigration was
banned. This was the
first law in U.S. History
restricting immigration
Every dog (no distinction of color) has his day.

17. INFLUENCES ON IMMIGRATION TO THE
UNITED STATES ( )
U.S. Industrial Revolution
German Militarism
U.S. Railroad Building
Western Settlement
Revolution in Germany
Economic Depression in U.S.
NUMBER OF IMMIGRANTS (in thousands)
Famine in Ireland
U.S. Civil War
World War I
YEARS

18. Labor Movement

19. Wages and Working Conditions
Average income = $500 a year
Women and children labored for even less
No Job security
10 hour days (at the least)
Work places were:
Unhealthy, unsafe, many accidents
No worker compensation

20. Major Union Demands End Child Labor Shorter Hours Better Conditions
Better Pay
Achieve the right to collectively bargain to negotiate a signed contract.
Contract: outlines terms of working conditions

21. Knights of Labor Founded by Uriah S. Stephens in 1869
Reaches its height under Terrance Powderly
Open to both skilled and unskilled workers
Supported:
8 hour work day
Equal pay and better wages
abolition of child labor
Safety and health laws
Arbitration for disputes
No foreign contract labor
Gov’t ownership of utilities
Graduated income tax
Disappears by the turn of the century

22. American Federation of Labor (AFL)
Founded by Samuel Gompers in 1881
Only wanted skilled laborers
Excludes 90% of workers
Closed shop
Supported – “Bread and Butter” Issues
Higher wages
Better working conditions
8 hour day
Buy union
Collective bargaining
Strike if necessary
Use of arbitration
500,000 members by 1900

23. International Workers of the World aka “The Wobblies”
Who: Unskilled Industrial Workers
Led by “Big” Bill Haywood
Western miners
lumbermen
Goals:
single united union of all workers
Voluntary, cooperate human society
How:
Militant agitation
Violence is acceptable to overthrow capitalism
Obstruction of industry
Damages to businesses
Small (60k) - not very successful

24. Eugene V. Debs (Socialist)
Founding Member of IWW
Most famous Socialist in America
Supports American Railway Union and Pullman Strike in 1894
Would be sentenced to prison during Pullman Strike and WWI (protested U.S. involvement)
Ran for President from Socialist Party 5 times (1920 from jail)

25. Union Tactics
Collective bargaining – union negotiates for its members as a whole (wages, hours, rules, conditions)
no individual agreements
Strike – refusal to work until employer meets your demands
Scab - a worker who refuses to join a labor union, to participate in a union strike, or takes a striking worker’s job
Boycott – refusal to work for or buy products produced by a certain company or person
Blacklist – a list used by employers with names of people not to hire because of their ideas
Can also be a list of employers to be boycotted by workers and union members

26. Management v. Unions “Tools” of Management “Tools” of Unions
Non-union: “scabs”
Anti-union pr campaign
Used Pinkertons, militia, Fed. troops
lockout
blacklisting
yellow-dog contracts
court injunctions
open shop
“Tools” of Unions
boycotts
sympathy demonstrations
informational picketing
closed shops
organized strikes
“wildcat” strikes
Collective bargaining

27. Labor Disputes
Strikes and Riots

28. Railroad Strike of 1877 First major strike Protested wage cut
Refused to operate the rails
Riots in Pennsylvania, Maryland, W. Virginia, Illinois
Federal troops are called in
$5 million in property was destroyed
Workers go back even with pay cuts

29. Haymarket Riot – 1886 Haymarket Square in Chicago – 5/4/1886
Sponsored by AFL and K of L
Nationwide demand for 8 hour day
Anarchists attend strike
Bomb goes off
7 die, many wounded
8 anarchists are charged with murder

30. Homestead Strike - 1892 Carnegie Steel Company
Was going to cut pay for union members
workers strike
Pinkertons called in
7/6/1892 – battle, Pinkertons surrender
8,000 National Guard are sent in
4 month strike, union gives in

31. Pullman Strike - 1894 Protesting 25% wage cut
Led by Eugene Debs – American Railway Union
Boycott Pullman cars on railways
Freezes railroads from Chicago to Pacific coast
Pres. Cleveland sends in 2,000 troops
“If it takes the entire army and navy to deliver a postal card in Chicago, that card will be delivered!”
Injunction to force workers to deliver mail and commerce
Strikers refuse and are jailed
Strike ends

32. What effected the success of unions?
Diversity of workers
Skilled v. Non-skilled
Public Perception
Associated with violence and communism
Fear of Radicalism
Different Unions w/different goals
Power of management was greater

33. Union Membership

34. 1st Government Actions to fight Business
Interstate Commerce Act (1887)
est. reasonable rates, no rebates, no rate discrimination
not enforced well: Courts not willing to rule against RR’s
Sherman Antitrust Act (1890)
Prohibits monopolies by declaring any business combination “in restraint of trade” illegal
Very vague!
Courts fail to enforce the Act