Condition of Workers Between the Late 19th Century and Early 20th Century
Speaking in 1961 to a national leadership conference of labor unions, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stated, “Less than a century ago the laborer had no rights, little or no respect, and led a life which was socially submerged and barren.”
You will compose an essay of five pages:
1. Providing an historical example of Dr. King’s claim and explaining the struggle for “rights” of a particular group of workers in the United States in a specific industry, between 1861 and 1910. Examples might include railway workers, teachers, textile factory employees;
2. Describing marginalized populations such as immigrants in the context of exploitive industry practices, women in the context of the movement for equality, and/or African Americans in the context and aftermath of slavery;
3. Explaining how workers whose rights were violated advocated for change, and whether those conflicts did or did not resolve;
4. What lesson (regarding the example that you have chosen) can be learned from workers’ experience of promoting their rights, respect and a better life.
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History of Labor
The speech by Dr. King Jr made important highlights the struggles that workers went through a century before his address. The observations made by Dr. King showed that the situation of workers had had a dark history. This essay will explore the condition of workers between the late 19th century and early 20th century. The focus will be made by providing a historical example. In addition, the essay will focus on marginalized populations at the time, and the steps workers took to advocate for changes amid severe exploitation. Lastly, the essay will focus on the lessons learned from the struggles of workers. The lessons learned are important for setting the pace for a better future for workers.
Historical Example
Between 1861 and 1910, workers in various industries faced great atrocities. These workers were denied most rights and treated as one would treat objects. The concept of the rights of workers as we know it today was non-existent at the time. Therefore, it is no surprise that in 1961, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr recounts the horrific state of affairs just a century back. A great historical example that validates the claim by King Jr was workers in the textile industry. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, which fall within the timeline of Dr. King’s claim, thousands of employees were sought to work in textile factories. The majority of these employees were women and children (Salam, 341). These workers were manipulated in many ways.
One way in which the workers in the textile industry were manipulated was by being made to work for long workers. Despite working for many hours a day, they received meager wages, barely enough to have them survive. In addition, they were working under hazardous conditions, which posed great health and other risks to them. Due to these horrible working conditions and meager wages, soon demonstrations and strikes happened. For the textile industry, the first major strike was organized in Lawrence, Massachusetts. In the strike, more than 20000 workers walked out of their workstations and demanded better pay, reduced working hours, and an improvement in their working conditions. The strike became a great starting point for fueling the discussion of workers' rights.
Marginalized Populations
Immigrants, women, and African Americans were the most marginalized population groups in the late 19th century and early 20th century. In fact, the term marginalized was synonymous with the groups. At this time, as it is even today, most immigrants came to America in search of a better life. The news about the industrial revolution had spread like a bushfire, and most people around the world thought that there were great opportunities for making ends meet in America. However, unlike today where immigrants can get jobs meaningful and respectable jobs, most immigrant workers at the time were exploited. They found themselves working in conditions that had no regard for their occupational health and well-being (Miller, 70). In addition, they were made to work for long hours and paid significantly low wages. The workers also faced various forms of abuse from their employers.
At the time, women were considered inferior to men. In fact, it is almost as if women were considered to be the property of their husbands. The situation was so bad that women were not even allowed to vote (Miller, 70). Additionally, women experienced immense challen...