History of America During the Period of 1865 1900 - Term Paper Example

Weakening of Labour in the Gilded Age of American History America history during the period of 1865 – 1900 was a time of massive and unprecedented economic growth. The era is termed the age of reconstruction since the civil war and there high investments were mainly concentrated on rapidly expanding Midwest of the American continent. Most of this capital was used to exploit the rich natural resources of the newly found land that had not been touched by the native American Indians for centuries, and included industries such as coal, silver and other types of mineral mining, manufacturing of steel and rearing of large scale cattle herds on the fertile Midwestern plains. In addition to this, there were the other infrastructure industries that flourished upon this massive economic boom, such as railroads, shipping and banking industries, that sprung up to facilitate and support the process of industrialization. The period of the American history is also called “The Gilded Age”, due to the massive wealth generation, which took place in the time. While this time in history may have been gilded for those who benefited from the created wealth, there was an increasing political and social tensions resulting from a wide variety of issues-including feelings of inequality. A growing rift between the socially segregated elite and the common working class was prevalent and paved way to ideologies such as the populism which saw the working class as being oppressed by the elite who held the rains of the factors of productions. The massive concentration of wealth with a few, bad working conditions in factories, mines and railroads coupled with the large influx of immigrants into the country, were all contributing factors that reshaped the political, social and economic landscape during this period. This is particularly relevant in evaluating how these circumstances have interacted to influence the labor market and the weakening of power of labour in terms of commanding of wages, job security or sufficient standards in working conditions. One of the marked factors which contributed to the weakening status of labour in America in this era included the large scale businesses which hired tens of thousand of workers and treated workers in highly autocratic manner driven by the arrogance of management backed by the sheer size of these organizations and the power they wielded on the economy. The workers in these companies saw themselves as highly oppressed, marked by vast disparity of distribution of the created wealth. With the Industrial revolution, few very influential people became extremely wealthy due to the first mover advantage they enjoyed in the fields of railroads, steel manufacturing, shipping and banking. The great expansion of these industries in such a short period of time led to a few “Robber barons”, the collective name given to the very wealthy, very powerful business people who controlled these highly lucrative industries. The 19th century economist and sociologist Thorstein Veblen wrote in his The Theory of the Leisure Class, that the modern day business men were of no different from a barbarian that used brute force, cunning and competitive skills to make money from others, and then lives off the spoils of conquests rather than producing things himself. Some of the main business people to be coined with this term are, Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, J. P. Morgan and Cornelius Vanderbilt. Andrew Carnegie the founder of the Carnegie Steel Corporation in 1889 became dominant in the steel industry by taking control of all the processes in the production of steel-from the foundries to the transportation required for taking the finished steel to the market. Carnegie's companies were involved in other areas of the railroad industry such as publishing, locamotive manufacturing etc. The adverse working conditions which prevailed at Carnegie Corpoeration and the exploitation of the workers lead to the Homestead strike which as a bloody labor confrontation known to be one of the most serious in the history of America. Notwidthstanding the unionized pressure extended by the workers, the company maintained its position on proposed wage reductions. Another large scale ventures which is know to have conducted their busineses with sole aim of profit maximization and with little regard to workers demands was the Standard oil, founded by the richest man in this era – David Rokerfella. Through a number of widely-criticized business tactics, Rockefeller built Standard Oil into the largest oil refineling business in the world. Cornelius Vanderbilt is yet another who built his wealth in shipping and railroads during this era and was know for ruthless business practices and was marked by his infamous public statement "The public be damned." Most of these organizations were accused of some degree of corruption and exploitations of workers in their business dealings. This added to growing tensions in the labor force that was being utilized to create and amass the great wealth enjoyed by these few individuals. Incidents such as the Homstead strike at Carnegie Steel and the suppression of union activities and jailing of the activists of Pullman Railcarriage manufactureres, demonstrarted how powerful these large corperations were and what little consideration they had in terms of workers rites and unioninzed bargaining. It can be seen that the growth of these large scale companies contributed significantly to the weakned status of the Amrican labour in this era. Another factor, which influences the labour market situation, involved the industrial revolution itself, and the creation of new jobs in the factories, mines and railroads. These industries offered employment with working conditions that were crude and hazardous even by the standards of the time in review. The influx of population to industrial and mining cities created neighborhoods, which were lacking even in basic living standards and the workers rights were minimum in these industries. Workers in this period faced many hardships and threats, many employers refused to pay workers in U.S. currency, instead they were paid in “scrip notes” which were redeemable at company owned stores (which charged higher prices on goods than the shops in the market). Others required the workers to live in company housing. Many worked 10 hours or more a day, 6 days a week. Unsafe machines presented a threat to workers’ health and lives, but courts consistently ruled that a worker accepted the risk of any job undertaken. The Great Strike of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company in the summer of 1877 was an example of how workers reacted to the prevailing exploitations of the railroad and mining companies. The strike was primarily due to a 10 per cent wage cut on the remaining wage earners after massive lay offs by the railroad company due to reasons sited as low company revenues. What followed was the largest and most violent strike in America to date. Beginning in Baltimore and Pittsburgh but spreading as far as St. Louis and Chicago, the strikers not only refused to work but also tried to prevent the non-strikers from working as well. Coal miners too began their own strike in St. Louise and La Salle against having to work 12-14 hours a day in hazardous conditions and being paid minimal wages. In the suppressions of the strike, activists clashed violently with national guards and strikebreakers and over 50 people were killed and many more were wounded. The Great Strike is an indication of how poorly placed the worker rites and their strength of collective bargaining practices were within the era of industrialization in America. The third most significant contributing factor towards the weakened status of the American labour during the 1840 – 1900 periof was the unprecedented and diverse influx of immigrants who came to the United States. A total of approximately 37 million migrated to America from variious parts of the wrold. These immigrants came to America for a variety of reasons, ranging from economic opportunities to the search for harvestable land to escaping from the Irish Potato Famine. Many were fleeing from religious or political opression in their countries and therefore were willing to settle for any opressive conditions in America, with the hope of starting new lives. Upon arriving in America too, these immigrants were subject to discrimination, and dangerous and exploitative labor conditions which prevailed at that era throughout much of the United States. The American labour market was already experiencing excess of skilled labour at this time due to the technological improvements, which added so much to the nation's productivity and allowed companies to continually reduced the demand for skilled labor. Therefore the imigrants who added on to the unskilled labour pool in the market worsoned the weak labour situation. This influx of unskilled workers who had little choice but accept whatever terms of employment offered, vastly impacted upon the labour supply. With the increased supply of unskilled and undemanding labour availability, the employers were not concerned of any shortage of labor and thus could fire any worker who did not comply with them. They were also forcing down the existing wage rates and laying of many old workers to be replaced by the cheaply paid immigrant workers. Success of immigrants, especially those from China, in surviving the hardships and harsh and often unfair labour conditions, caused competition and social antogonism from the citizens. These social undercurrents may have pressurized the government decisions such as the Chinese Exclusion Act which banded further Chinese immigration to USA. In conclusion, it can be noted that while the overall benefit of the industrial revolution and the development of major industries such as railroads, banking, steel and oil were the foundations of the new economy of America which pushed the nation in to the forefront in the global economy, these no doubt had its own costs. As always is the case, no gains are made without costs, the cost of these economic achievements seems to be at the expense of the working class of America who contributed their efforts in hash and demanding work conditions, at unreasonably low wages and with little or no bargaining power to demand an end to the oppressions. Allowing of the migrant workers to participate and contribute their labour to the American economy may have been seen as socially benevolent but that too had its fair share towards contributing to the further deterioration of the power of labour in the Gilded Age of American history. The Third Great Awakening and Populism All great societies with rich diversity of social and religious schools of thoughts and belief systems undergo changes and revivals of its belief systems. In the American history, a cyclical revival of religious and social thinking has been identified over the period from 1700s where the Hegelian process of “thesis, antithesis, and synthesis” of beliefs has been termed as Great Awakenings. Starting from 1730’s the successive cycles revivals have taken place and termed as First, Second, Third Great Awakenings while some historians evan identify a Fourth Awakening in the 1960- 1970 period. The First Great Awakening wahich took place during the 1730 – 1740 period began as a religious movement among American colonial Protestants. This period can be seen as a great religious revival in which religeon was brought in to the day to day life with a passion and a zeal and people were emotionally involved in their religion. Historians see the First Great Awakening as the first truly "American" event which established and increased the independent, self-determined spirit of colonists. In contrast to the First Great Awakening, which promoted religious faith and involvment as a singular movement, the Second Great Awakening which took place during the years 1820-1830 consisted of several kinds of activity and was distinguished by fragmented and localized religious beliefs. For example, New England region was marked for the revival of evangelical enthusiasm which gave rise to missonary cultures. In New York, revival paved way to the emergence of new denominations which are strong even today, such as the Seventh Day Adventists. In the region such as Kentucky and Tennessee, the revival manifested in a new form of congregrations – the camp meetings where tens of thousands of people gathered as Baptist and Methodist Ministered preached of the need for religious revival. The Second Great Awakening which paved way to the formtion of many relegous denominations reflected and contributed to the growing social diversity of the nation during this era. The Third Great Awakening, also refered to as the Missionary Awakening during the period from 1886 to 1908 took place in the the backdrop of the growth of vast business empires of the likes of Carnegie corporation and railroad giants fueled by the industrial revolution.The Third Awakening's beginning was marked by the Haymarket riot and student missionary movement. Main elements which made up the Third Awakening was the agrarian protest and labor violences which retaliated against the hash conditions of working and the unreasonably low wages dictated by those big business owners termed the Robber Barons, who amassed vast fortunes at the expense of workers. The teachings of the Second Awakening which held the notion that people were improvable by their own works and material failure was a punishment for moral sin, contradicted the pathetic conditions of life the hard working labourers of the Gilded Age had to experience. Thus, people sought new means of explaining the prevailing situation of opression and hardships.With the publication of The Origin of Species in 1859, the Bible was proved falliable and traditional interpretations of Christianity came under qustioning. Development of the philisophy that of natutal selection principle and the survival of the fitast, was also applied to social life. This Social Darwinism was taken up by the large corporations to jutify their exploitations of labour, social inequalities as well as monopolisic practices. The mission of bringing the Gospel in to the lives of the people was widely prevelent during the period and Social Gospel, a Protestant Christian movement was prominent in its principles which sought to align Christian principles to social problems. These faiths aimed combatting injustice, suffering and poverty in society. Its doubtless that these relegous movements, which fueled and organized the people in their push for political power through the populist party provided the religoius underpining which is prevelant to this date within the American politics. The recent case of withdrawal of Supreme court nomination of Hariet Mires is just one example of how religeous faith is brought in to the playing of politics even in todays context. Another manifestation of the era was the "new woman" feminist movements, which promoted women’s liberation from their domestic stereotyping and pursuing of public roles and participation in economic decisions. The revivalist movements in the era supported the feminist principles and encouragement of women’s participation in the Granger movement during the agrarian protests is an example. The feminist movement and its principles can be seen as the foundation of the political and social structure in the modern America where women plays a significant role. The workers uprising and retaliation which characterizes the Third Awakening is demonstrated in events such as the Hey Market Riot, the Homested strike and the Great Srike of 1877. These bloody uprisings sets the distinctions between the Third Awakening and the precedding First and Second which were bloodless revivals The Hay Market Riot which is cited as the starting point if the Third Awakening took place on the 4th of May 1886 in Chicago and was the culmination of a strike organized by the labor unions, demanding an eight-hour work day. The workers from the factories, the mines and the railroads, worked ten to twelve hour days in harsh work conditions for 6-7 days a week. Stikers were attached by the police without a warning on the 3rd of May when they met at the Cyrus McCormick reaper plant. The attack killed two, wounding several others and sparked outrage within the city's working community. The subsequent rally at the Hey Market started as a peasful procession but led to a bloody supression when an unknown party threw a fused bomb at the advancing police who ordered the rally to be dispersed. Seven policement died as a result and over 50 people were dead from the fire opened upon them by the police. Many were wounded. Many of the activists were arrested, tried and sentenced to death while others were jailed with sentences of life inprisonments. This revival era was also marked by its own brand of journalism, terms as Muckraking. These journalists and writers sought to serve the public interest by uncovering crime, corruption, waste, fraud and abuse in the public and private sectors. Most famous of muckraging work includes Ida Tarbells’ The History of Standard Oil which added fuel to the already existing public distate of the Rokerfella’s business empire and caused public attacks on the company. The Agrairian protest were the other main element of the Third Great Awakening. The farmers of 19th century America was experiencing debdtedeness and recurring periods of hardship. Practivces such as sharecropping further deteriorated the farmers’ economic conditions. In the backdrop of these hardships the first organized effort to address general agricultural problems was the Granger movement which was launched in 1867. The movement focused initially on social activities to counter the isolation most farm families encountered. Women's participation was actively encouraged which reflects the feministic perspectives which were being developed during the era. In furthering the agrairian protests, the Granger movement was replaced by the Farmers' Alliances with its political outlook and elaborate economic programs. The Farmers Alliance derived its thinking from the Agrarian populism and its early platform was to "unite the farmers of America for their protection against class legislation and the encroachments of concentrated capital”. The agrarian protests culminated with the formation of the populist party and the elections of 1890 brought the populist party into coalitions that controlled some of the Southern and Western States and made representations in the governmnet through populist senators s and representatives to Congress. Populism is a political philosophy upholding the view that the ordinary citizens are oppressed by the elite. Their commitment was to the defending and protecting the rights of the ordinary people and to intervene in governance to provide benefits and opportunities for advancement of the people as a whole. The large corporations who put their profit motives ahead of the working class’ economic hardships were seen as the oppresor (Kazin, 1995). Populists are seen by some scholars as a largely democratic and positive force in society, while other scholars argue populist mass movements are irrational and introduce instability into the political process. Historians view populism as a part of the Third Great Awakening and this view is justifiable in that, the populism was the culmination point of the revivalists’ push for political power with the aim of easing the burden of the miserably oppressed common people. Populism As described by a noble prize-winning economist and historian, Robert W. Fogel “was driven by grass roots evangelical churches and the populism comes out of what we refer to as the religious right”. It is the view of historians of the likes of Robert Fogel that populists actually won out in their efforts in producing a state that is more friendly to labor which is reflected in the American politics today. In conclusion, its can be noted that religeous ideologies and revivals as experienced in the periods of Great Awakenings were not merely restructed to dictate or justify morality but have exerted influence on the politics of the United States of America. Religeous backing revieved by the Agrarian protest and the workers upheavesl which culminated in the formation of the populist party during the period of The Third Great Awakening demonstrates that populism was not just a part of the Third Great Awakening but a crucial climax point. Read More