Mill Workers In The 19th Century

sea of angry people engulfed the street, yelling, cursing, and waving their fists in malice. Sweaty, calloused hands grasped tattered pieces of cardboard that read:
“We deserve better pay!”
“Americans before foreigners!”
Even a number of scrawny children assumed a part in the riot, viciously waving signs proclaiming, “We want to go to school!” Threateningly, the mob surrounded the affluent home of a local cotton mill owner, a man who dared to hire Irish immigrants as a replacement for the mill workers who were on strike. Torrents of authorities came rushing in, pointing guns and arresting violent participants. Rapidly, the crowd diffused, leaving only a few mumbling men with the weight of the world on their shoulders, wondering how they
Business was thriving, the economy was growing, and life as a whole was improving. However, there was a growing minority of workingmen whose long, difficult hours of toil were being taken advantage of by greedy, selfish employers. These poor men and their malnourished, destitute families compiled the backbone of the thriving economy. Without them, production as a whole would have been at a standstill and the growing quality of life for Americans would have been dampened. Yet these hard-working people received no recognition. On the contrary, they were sorely mistreated by their employers. Threateningly, this problem was growing vaster, until finally workers began to take a stand. Did they make any impact? Did the movement last? Throughout the decades, labor unions have shaped the state of the American economy and the value of the common
Probably the most influential and well-known of these early organizations was the National Labor Union (NLU), which began in 1866. This union commenced to meet the immediate needs of workers who felt they were being cheated of their rights in the workplace and taken advantage of by their employers. Surprisingly, the NLU had a significant impact on this issue, beginning with the ruling of an 8 hour work day for Federal workers. Additionally, the union shot down the Contract Labor Law, which had been enacted in 1864. This law consisted of large business owners paying for the passage of immigrants from their native land to America, on the condition that the newcomers would work for the company. Many Americans believed that the immigrants were snatching away American jobs because the foreigners were willing to work for a lower wage, disadvantaging the lower class of Americans (Notgrass 437). Another dominant labor organization, the Knights of Labor, was formed in 1869, but didn’t reach its apex until the 1880’s. By 1886, the union, which was led by Terence Powderly, claimed 700,000 members. However, the Knights of Labor dilapidated rapidly after its involvement in the violent and widely unpopular Haymarket Riot (Notgrass 438). In 1886, these and several other dying organizations merged to create the American Federation of Labor, or AFL.