History of Labor and Work, 1880-1945

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History: Labor Work
The late 1800s in America were a period of great promise for the country. Industrial output was significantly high, and the country's GDP grew faster than anywhere else in the world. The main driver of the country's newfound success was expanding industrial capitalism. Nonetheless, this brought mass immigration as millions of people moved to the United States (U.S.) in search of better opportunities. However, even with the demonstrated success of industrial capitalism, workers were becoming increasingly discontent with the conditions under which they worked. Workers wanted the ideas of democracy and freedom championed by the constitution to apply to them. But employer resistance and government hostility only served to aggravate their efforts. Hence the 'labor question.' In this paper, the author shows why labor was essential to America's growing economy in the late 1800s and early 1900s. In particular, why employers and the government needed to recognize and agree to the demands of workers.
The late nineteenth century in America saw the growth of industrial capitalism. The idea was new, but it was also brutal. Between 1881 and 1900, an estimated 30,000 workers lost their lives every year (Currarino 18a). Strikes became commonplace during this period—Unions emerged as workers sought formal ways of communicating their grievances. There were two main problems that unions sought to address – low wages and unsafe working conditions.
Before industrialization, most people were farmers. Unlike industries, farming did not present any severe hazards to working people. Therefore, when factory workers realized the risk involved in working in factories, they began to voice their grievances. As the machines became more powerful, the work became more dangerous. Thousands of workers died each year due to industrial accidents, and thousands more were injured (NIFDI 473). The long working hours that factory workers had to endure provoked them even more. The increase in the number of industries meant that the country's railway system also had to expand. Workers were forced to work up to 40 hours before resting. These long working hours made accidents even more recurrent (NIFDI 473).
The rate at which companies grew made it easy for employers to distance themselves from their employees (NIFDI 473). Employers, in principle, became largely unconcerned about the problems of their workers. Factory owners often viewed their workers in the same way they viewed their machinery. As long as they could do the work for which they were getting paid, the owners could keep them, getting as much as they could from them (NIFDI 473). Like modern capitalism, employers became primarily concerned with the profitability of the business. Furthermore, this was only practical to the factory owners because if they gave in to the workers' demands, this meant increasing production costs, leading to losses for the business (Currarino 16b). An added advantage for employers was that there were always more people in need of jobs. Hence, if those currently employed wanted to leave, owners had no problem letting them go.
To have some sense of freedom and decision over their work, workers would move from one job ...