2000 Dbq Essay

Workers established organized labor to enhance conditions in the last quarter of the nineteenth century. As a result of poor working conditions and long hours, workers in companies started to unionize to fight for better conditions and wages. Although there were some successes of labor unions between 1875-1900, because of the losses of labor unions, company policies, and the Great Railroad Strike in 1877, organized labor in improving the position of workers failed to reach great success. Factors that rose before the last quarter of the nineteenth century led to a tremendous amount of labor in industries. First of all, the Industrial Revolution significantly mechanized farms and consequently made the process of harvesting crops easier. The abundance …show more content…
In 1877, a nationwide railroad strike occurred in response to the cut in wages that were already very low. More than 100,000 railroad employees were involved in the strike that lasted for about two months. The protest was broken up by the president at the time, Rutherford B. Hayes, using troops and killing over 100 railroad workers. The purpose of it was to destroy “the goose that lays the golden egg” (Document C), or in other words, bring down capital and management while also increasing the wages for workers. For this reason, the rally lasted so long; many people saw the strikers as “bold and determined” and had “sympathy” for the strikers (Document B), thus believing in the cause of the strike. However, the government's response to the strike confirms that the strikers can't gain any real success. For instance, the president sending troops to stop the strike indicates that the government is on the industry side. The nation profits from industries with cheap labor and goods that can be “produced a great deal cheaper than it used to formerly” (Document D) while maintaining high

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