Labor Unions ?

In the late 19th century, most working people suffered long hours, low pay, and hazardous conditions at the hands of their employers. Despite these conditions, many refused to join had been organized to light for better treatment of workers. They feared they would lose their jobs, as employers often found some reason to fire such "trouble- makers." Imagine you're working in a cotton mill or a coal mine in the late 19th century. Your family needs your income to help put food on the table and keep the roof over your heads, but you work long hours in dangerous conditions. You work 14 hours a day, six days a week, and have seen co-workers lose lives and limbs on the job. What would you do if some- one asked you to join a labor union to fight for better working conditions?

Would you join, even if it meant you might lose your job? Or would you refuse to join, and accept your employer's unreasonable demands?

Haymarket Square Strike

On May 3, 1886, police fired into a crowd of striking workers at McCormick Reaper Company in Chicago, killing four people. The strikers held a protest rally the next day at Haymarket Square. A bomb exploded during the rally and killed seven police officers. The rally's organizers were quickly arrested and convicted, despite the fact that the actual bomber was never identified. Four men were hanged and three were jailed. Illinois governor John Peter Altgeld (1847-1902) pardoned the three survivors in 1893, a move that ruined his political career.

1. Do you think the organizers of the rally should have been convicted? Support your response.
2. What is your opinion Governor Altgeld's decision? Would you have done as he did and pardoned the survivors?
3. Would you have done so even if you knew it would cost you your career? 

Andrew Carnegie's "Gospel of Wealth"

Andrew Carnegie made a fortune in the steel industry and went on to give a good deal of it away. In an 1889 speech, "The Gospel of Wealth," Carnegie proclaimed that the rich had a responsibility to use their money to help others. He said, "The man who dies . . . rich dies disgraced."

Do you agree with Carnegie that the rich have an obligation to help others? Explain your reasons. If you had millions of dollars, how would you use it to help others?

Child Labor

Mary Harris Jones, also called Mother Jones, was a well-known union organizer at the turn of the century. In 1903, she led a "March of the Mill Children" from Philadelphia to New York City. The young workers carried placards that read, "We want to go to school," and "We want time to play." As a result of the march,Pennsylvania made child labor illegal.

Why do you think children were sent to work in the first place? How do you think children and families felt when child labor laws were passed? Why might these laws have been viewed as a mixed blessing? What do you think could have been done to make child labor unnecessary? 

The Industrial Age Begins

The late 1800s was a time of invention and advances in technology. These breakthroughs combined with railroad expansion and new   business practices to launch an age of industry. Government policies encouraged growth, and large corporations became an important part of the economy. Meanwhile, poor pay and working conditions led workers to form unions in an attempt to improve their lives.
How does technology change the way people live and work?

Reconstruction

The South was devastated physically, economically, and spiritually after the Civil War. Lincoln's Plan was to bring back rebellious states into the union with as little trouble for them as possible. After Lincoln's death, his successor, Andrew Johnson, wanted to follow to follow Lincoln's plan, however, Radical Republicans wanted to make it much more difficult for states that seceded to rejoin the Union. The Radical Republicans were more powerful than Johnson and had their way. They divided the South into military regions under the command of generals. They also required the states to adopt constitutions that allowed blacks to vote and to accept the 14th amendment, which extended citizenship to blacks.
Based on what you know about Reconstruction, which plan would you choose, the moderate plan like Lincoln or the harsher plan like the Radical Republicans?
Why do you think many northerners wanted to make it difficult for southern states to rejoin the Union?  Support you answer with facts.

Sherman's March to the Sea

In May 1864, General William T Sherman invaded Georgia with 100,000 Union troops. By September, Sherman had taken Atlanta. The General then marched to the Atlantic coast, destroying everything in his path. Sherman's tactics are now known as "Total War", meaning not just war against an enemy army, but enemy civilians, as well.
What is your opinion of the tactic of "total war"? Explain
Do you agree the old saying "All is fair in love and war?" Explain.