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Workers' Rights: Populism and Progressivism in U.S. History

Explore the struggles and progress of workers from industrialization to the present day, discussing labor unions, government regulation, and key historical events in this engaging 11th-grade U.S. History lesson plan. Students will analyze the impact of political movements like Populism and Progressivism, comparing the challenges faced by workers then and now. The lesson includes a reflection activity on a video about workers' rights in the garment industry today and during industrialization, followed by a discussion on labor movements, strikes, and government responses.

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Workers' Rights: Populism and Progressivism in U.S. History

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  1. 11th Grade U.S. History Mr. Weber

  2. Activator • 1. Who fights for the rights of workers? • 2. What can workers do to protest low wages, dangerous working conditions, discrimination or abuse from an employer? • 3. What is a union? • 4. What should government do?

  3. Agenda • Activator, agenda, and objective (10 minutes) • Unit 1 test corrections (15-20 minutes) • Made in LA video clip (30 minutes) • Made in LA reflection (15 minutes) • How did people react to industrialization notes (20 minutes) • How did government react? Populists and Progressives pair work (30 minutes) • Exit ticket: Should government regulate business?

  4. Objective • All students will: • Understand the effect of political programs and activities of the Populists and the Progressives. • Populists: Farmers Alliance, demands for radical social and economic change, money supply, government ownership of transportation, tax proportionate to income. • Progressives: Federal regulation of railroad transport, the Children’s Bureau, 16th amendment, Theodore Roosevelt, and Hiram Johnson.

  5. Unit 1 Test Corrections (15-20 minutes)

  6. Made in LA

  7. Made in L.A. Reflection • You will be writing a 1-2 page paper comparing the struggle of the workers in the garment industry today and the situation of workers during industrialization, 1880-1900. • Start by writing a reflection on the video just to get all your ideas out. • Remember to be thinking in terms of questions like the following: • Who fights for the rights of workers? • What should the role of the government be in stepping in between workers and employers? • Are laws about labor and the workplace a good thing? When did they come about? Why were they made? • What are the similarities and differences in the lives of workers during industrialization and today? • In what ways has opportunity not been equal in this country’s history?

  8. How did people react to Industrialization? • Industrial workers – labor unions – strikes. • Knights of Labor, AFL, Wobblies, • Railroad strike of 1877, Homestead 1892, Pullman 1894 • Farmers – Farmers Alliance – populism. • Money supply, nationalize transportation, tax rich more • Government – regulation – social programs. • Regulating the railroads. • Triangle Shirtwaist fire. • Municipal reforms. • Antitrust law

  9. Knights of Labor • An injury to one is the concern of all. • 8 hour work day. • Worker-owned factories. • No child labor. • Equal pay for men and women

  10. Child Labor

  11. American Federation of Labor (AF of L) 1886 Samuel Gompers • Mostly for skilled workers. • Represented them in political matters. • Maintained a national strike fund. • Mediated disputes between labor and management through collective bargaining. • Prevented disputes among many craft unions.

  12. International Workers of the World (IWW) or Wobblies 1905 • Opposed AFL. • Socialist leadership. • Violent strikes especially in WWI.

  13. The Great Railroad Strike 1877 • Started when wages were cut 10% during depression. • Strikers, sympathizers, rioters broke railroad property and clashed with local militias. • Federal troops called out – fired on crown in Pittsburg. • 20,000 angry people reacted by destroying $5 million in railroad property. • President Rutherford Hayes again called in troops. • Employers relied on state and federal armies to repress labor unrest.

  14. Haymarket 1886 • National demonstration for the 8 hour work day. • Police broke up a fight between strikers and “scabs” at McCormick reaper factory in Chicago killing many workers. • Protesters came to Haymarket Square where they were joined by anarchists (radicals who opposed government). • Riot with many dead on both sides. Four anarchists were tried for conspiracy to commit murder and hung. • Press blamed the AF of L.

  15. Pullman Strike 1894 • Pullman created a town for workers making luxury train cars. Built parks, etc. but also regulated behavior like banning alcohol etc. • Financial panic of 1893 – Pullman laid off workers and cut wages by 25% while keeping food prices in his town at the same level. • 260,000 workers joined the strike. • Because it blacked the delivery of mail, U.S. troops were called in. • The government cited the Sherman Antitrust law saying that the union was a trust and restrained free trade. • Set a pattern of government opposition to unions.

  16. Ch. 16: America’s Gilded Age Jigsaw Reading: In groups of 2-3, read/teach 1. America’s Gilded Age introduction pp.590-91 2. The Second Industrial Revolution, pp.591-92 3. The Industrial Economy, pp.592-93 4. Railroads and the National Market, pp.593-95 5. The Spirit of Innovation, pp.595-96 6.Competition and Consolidation, pp.596-97 7. The Rise of Andrew Carnegie, pp.597-98 8. The Triumph of John D. Rockefeller, pp.598-99 9. Worker’s Freedom in an Industrial Age, pp.599-600. 10. Increasing Wealth and Poverty, pp.600-601.

  17. Populists and Progressives • What was the government response 1880-1920? • In groups of 3 read either the section on Populists or the section on Progressives. • Take notes and search to answer this question: “What did the government do to regulate business? How did this help workers?”

  18. Populists pp.507-512 • Grew out of the Farmers Alliance • Demanded radical economic change • Increased circulation of money • Progressive income tax • Government ownership of transportation and communication • United front of African American and white farmers

  19. Progressives pp.614-620; pp.621- 627 • Federal regulation of railroad • Children’s Bureau • 16th Amendment • Theodore Roosevelt • Hiram Johnson

  20. The Response of Reformers In groups of 4 take notes on one of the below options and then make a bumper stickerwith an image and a slogan. Be prepared to present your work. 1. Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle (Handout, pp.1-5) 2. Middle Class reformers: Charity, Social Gospel, Settlement Movement, Temperance and Prohibition (Textbook pp.541-545)

  21. Exit Ticket • 1. What is a “Trust” and why would you need an antitrust law? • 2. Is government regulation of business a good thing? Explain why or why not. • HOMEWORK • 1-2 page essay connecting what you learned from the conditions of workers today (as shown in the Made in LA video) and the condition of workers during industrialization.

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