Keeping the Wheels Turning

So far, the story has been one of seeming endless growth and growing abundance, which are hallmarks of the Industrial Era. Now we look at the darker underside of industrialism, which is the frequent exploitation of labor.

Before the great tide of immigration, beginning in the 1840s, workers are a somewhat scarce commodity in most of America. In order to attract workers, the first big mills in Massachusetts offer free company housing.

This is simple supply and demand at work, but the balance soon begins tipping towards excess supply. New immigrant workers are plentiful, and willing to work cheap. Manufacturing establishments absorb many of them.
Labor, 1910

  Wage Slaves
Even today, American workers frequently complain of low wages. In the 1890s, the situation is made worse by the much longer working day, which frequently exceeds 10 hours. This is sometimes tolerable, as there isn't much to do at home anyway, after dark. But easily-replaced workers have no leverage with employers. The only way to fight back is to form a union.

Child labor, 1910

  Helping out the Family
Textile mills are notorious for hiring young girls to attend the spinning machines, but young boys are also being employed, almost everywhere. The issue begins to attract the interest of lawmakers, who try to deal with the worst offenders. Actually, the families themselves are often to blame, pulling their children out of school for the extra family income needed just to get by.


Unions and socialism, 1910

  Not just Communists
The start of the movement may be traced to the publication of the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx.  His thesis, which is later championed by Communists in Russia, reasons that the ills of industrialism are due to the concentration of power among owners of machinery, mills and factories. It argues for giving more power directly to the workers. There are 20 major strikes in America by 1910, but almost all fail due to intervention by the courts, or the deployment of troops.