Industrial Supremacy
Celina Estrella
Bethanie Perry
2-22-13
History 109
Industrial Supremacy During the 1880’s also known as the Gilded Age, industrial supremacy contributed to America’s growth in many ways. From the boom and bust for iron and steel to the start of the automobile, men were being replaced with machines and lower wages. In Thomas O’Donnell’s testimony, he states that child labor, job security, and capitalism caused extreme problems for the working man. Child labor led to men losing their jobs. Low wages caused many of the men to become unable to provide for their families. Capitalism led Mr. O’Donnell to the U.S. Senate Committee to explain to Senator Henry W. Blair about the mill work because his job was taken by machines and others who were more likely to work for a lower wage than his. Child labor in the Gilded Age was a big issue that caused numerous amounts of men to go out of work. The children were able to work longer hours and accept lower wages. In the testimony Mr. O’Donnell talks about how the men would bring the young boys with them to the mill and get work first. Stated in the testimony, Mr. O’Donnell said “Men who have boys of their own capable enough to work in a mill, to earn $.30 or $.40 a day…The object is this: They are doing away with a great deal of mule-spinning there and putting in ring-spinning, and for that reason it takes a good deal of small help to run this ring work, and it throws the men out of work…for that reason they get all the small help they can to run these ring-frames.(O’Donnell, 61)” Mr. O’Donnell knew he had no chance of work as long as children were allowed in the mills. Even though Mr. O’Donnell had himself two young boys they were not yet old enough to go to work in the mills. “I said to the boss once it was my turn to go in, and now you have taken on that man; what am I to do; I have got two little boys at home, one of them three years and the other one year, and how am I to find something for them to eat; I can’t get
Bethanie Perry
2-22-13
History 109
Industrial Supremacy During the 1880’s also known as the Gilded Age, industrial supremacy contributed to America’s growth in many ways. From the boom and bust for iron and steel to the start of the automobile, men were being replaced with machines and lower wages. In Thomas O’Donnell’s testimony, he states that child labor, job security, and capitalism caused extreme problems for the working man. Child labor led to men losing their jobs. Low wages caused many of the men to become unable to provide for their families. Capitalism led Mr. O’Donnell to the U.S. Senate Committee to explain to Senator Henry W. Blair about the mill work because his job was taken by machines and others who were more likely to work for a lower wage than his. Child labor in the Gilded Age was a big issue that caused numerous amounts of men to go out of work. The children were able to work longer hours and accept lower wages. In the testimony Mr. O’Donnell talks about how the men would bring the young boys with them to the mill and get work first. Stated in the testimony, Mr. O’Donnell said “Men who have boys of their own capable enough to work in a mill, to earn $.30 or $.40 a day…The object is this: They are doing away with a great deal of mule-spinning there and putting in ring-spinning, and for that reason it takes a good deal of small help to run this ring work, and it throws the men out of work…for that reason they get all the small help they can to run these ring-frames.(O’Donnell, 61)” Mr. O’Donnell knew he had no chance of work as long as children were allowed in the mills. Even though Mr. O’Donnell had himself two young boys they were not yet old enough to go to work in the mills. “I said to the boss once it was my turn to go in, and now you have taken on that man; what am I to do; I have got two little boys at home, one of them three years and the other one year, and how am I to find something for them to eat; I can’t get