AP DBQ 2000; Labor Struggles

Short 1

Thesis: Organized labor was unsuccessful in improving the positions of workers between 1875 and 1900 because of the inability of the unions to unite for one cause, government support of the companies, and economic crisis. Topic 1: The Labor unions were divided between occupations and didnt unite to benefit the workers due to their different positions Document F Different labor unions All different positions Utopian vs. Bread and Butter, industrial v. craft/trade unions Too many unions Haymarket Square Riot Labor Demonstration Chicago Anarchist union convicted of violence Various unions involved Didnt achieve anything POV: BiasedNewspaper drawing; political cartoonistalways lean some way; however accurate because primary sourceable to tap into feeling of that time period Document E Companies forbid workers from being in unions Causes strikes and disruptions in production Even though realize that unions have the power to benefit That is why forbid them from participation POV: Biased, against unions, but shows that realize power unions, thats why forbid workers to be active in them Topic 2: Government was against unions because they caused disruptions of systems of interstate commerce. Governmental job to regulate interstate commerce Make sure stable Document H Pullman Strike Govt assume command of RR Companies ARU helped organize Boycott caused disruptions in movement Attorney General (Former RR Lawyer) obtained injunction under Sherman Antitrust Act Boycott and strike were conspiracy in restraint Supreme Court upheld law because fall under govt job to regulate interstate commerce Conservative judges used it POV: Accurate because reflect position of legal officials in interpreting the laws and contemporary with the time period Document D Shows that the HOR really didnt care that the conditions were different and changing

AP DBQ 2000; Labor Struggles

Short 2

Didnt really act concerned about how the conditions were POV: Reliable because based on contemporary source Topic 3: The economic depression of 1893 contributed to the failure of organized labor movements to improve conditions. Doc A Shows that while conditions were starting to improve, did not include 1893 and onward Panic 1893 Went backward Cannot directly attribute different hours and wages to unions Employers might be more kind Slight reduction was due to recession Show that recessions and economic slumps undo changes or prevent changes POV: Reliable but misleading; does not include during the panic of 1893 Doc H The Government uses its power to stop the strikes See above POV Uses it to make the companies able to function normally If govt opposed and have ability to stop In midst of depression Did this even though not benefit workers Caused many labor movements to go away Samuel Gompers did not One of few left Shows that not much influence anymore because not many left Not as organized as used to be Less effective Depression of 1893-1897 Events after 1893 brought escalation of conflict. The most serious economic crises since the 1873-78 were triggered by the Panic of 1893. The collapse of the stock market led to a severe four-year depression. Complex origins: Economic slowdowns abroad British Banks to call some of their American loan (draining gold from the USA) Declining farm prices Attendant rural unrest Overly rapid expansion of railroad and manufacturing industry The depression, which was signaled by a financial panic in 1893, has been blamed on the deflation dating back to the Civil War, the gold standard and monetary policy, under consumption (the economy was producing goods and services at a higher rate than society was consuming and the resulting inventory accumulation led firms to reduce employment and cut

AP DBQ 2000; Labor Struggles

Short 3

back production), a general economic unsoundness (a reference less to tangible economic difficulties and more to a feeling that the economy was not running properly), and government extravagance . Economic indicators signaling an 1893 business recession in the United States were largely obscured. The economy had improved during the previous year. Business failures had declined, and the average liabilities of failed firms had fallen by 40 percent. The country's position in international commerce was improved. During the late nineteenth century, the United States had a negative net balance of payments. Passenger and cargo fares paid to foreign ships that carried most American overseas commerce, insurance charges, tourists' expenditures abroad, and returns to foreign investors ordinarily more than offset the effect of a positive merchandise balance. In 1892, however, improved agricultural exports had reduced the previous year's net negative balance from $89 million to $20 million. Moreover, output of non-agricultural consumer goods had risen by more than 5 percent, and business firms were believed to have an ample backlog of unfilled orders as 1893 opened. The number checks cleared between banks in the nation at large and outside New York, factory employment, wholesale prices, and railroad freight ton mileage advanced through the early months of the new year. The bankruptcy of Reading Railroad and the Natl. Cordage Co. in early 1893 caused 491 banks and 15,000 other businesses to fail. By mid-1894, unemployment rose to 14 percent. Pullman Strike: Pullman owned a large factory complex where worker enjoyed a descent working environment but the Panic of 1893 caused sharp decline in the order of cars, the company laid off 1/3 of its workforce and cut wages of the remaining by 30%. . 750,000 workers went on strike with the help of the American Railway Union. Railroads opened new areas to agriculture, linking these to rapidly changing national and international markets. Mechanization, the development of improved crops, and the introduction of new techniques increased productivity and fueled a rapid expansion of farming operations. The output of staples skyrocketed. Yields of wheat, corn, and cotton doubled between 1870 and 1890 though the nation's population rose by only two-thirds. Grain and fiber flooded the domestic market. Moreover, competition in world markets was fierce: Egypt and India emerged as rival sources of cotton; other areas poured out a growing stream of cereals. Money Trends

AP DBQ 2000; Labor Struggles

Short 4

The long period of price deflation from 1865 to 1897 exacerbated the problem of credit. A price decline of 1 to 2 percent per year added that many points cumulatively to the nominal interest rate. The 1862 wartime emergency issuance of treasury greenback notes had created a dual currency. After the war, the Treasury moved to bring the greenback dollar to par with gold. The limitation of money supply produced deflationary pressures. A controversy arose whether Union war bonds should be paid off by greenbacks or gold. Congress resolved this in 1869 by passing the Public Credit Act, which required payment in gold. Monetary stringency was a base cause of economic hard times. Because specie -gold and silver -- was regarded as the only real money, and paper money was available in multiples of the specie supply, when people viewed the future with doubt they stockpiled specie and rejected paper. The availability of specie was limited, so the longer hard times prevailed the more difficult it was for anyone to secure hard money. Check Specie Redemption Act Sherman Silver Purchase Act Free Silver Changing circumstances and expectations, and a persistent federal deficit, subjected the treasury gold reserve to intense pressure and generated sharp counterflows of gold. The treasury was driven four times between 1894 and 1896 to resort to bond issues totaling $260 million to obtain specie to augment the reserve. Meanwhile, restricted investment, income, and profits spelled low consumption, widespread suffering, and occasionally explosive labor and political struggles. An extensive but incomplete revival occurred in 1895. The Democratic nomination of William Jennings Bryan for the presidency on a free silver platform the following year amid an upsurge of silverite support contributed to a second downturn peculiar to the United States. Europe, just beginning to emerge from depression, was unaffected. Only in mid-1897 did recovery begin in this country; full prosperity returned gradually over the ensuing year and more.