Civil Rights in the USA : Revision Notes
Revision Notes broken up into themes and sub-themes for ease.
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Topic: The Position of African Americans in 1865 (The Reconstruction Period)
What was the position of African Americans in 1865?
Subtopic: The Position of African Americ...
Civil Rights in the USA (1865-1992):
Trade Unions
The Position of Trade Unions (TU) and Labour
Issues around the position of union and labour rights
o right for unions to exist
o recognition of unions
o involvement of unions in negotiations over pay and working conditions
o establishment of systems for mediation
o freedom of workers to withdraw their labour without fear of punishment
progress not continuous
o period where improvements were non-existent or limited
employers & government reluctant to support unionisation
o periods of improvement usually accompanied by economic change
Factors of progress
o economic change
o growth of capitalism
o amount of immigration
Start of period (1865)
o rights of workers and unions completely dependent on what workers could
negotiate w/ employers
o no requirements for employers to recognise or negotiate with unions
o workers had no representation/protection from employers – exploitation
End of period (1992)
o workers won the right to join a union
o some employers able to create workplaces where unions were forbidden
workers forced accept due to periods of low wages, low employment &
economic decline
o Unions secured right to collective bargain
limited in practice
w/out union representation workers in a weak position to improve rights
did not want to risk confrontation w/ employers for fear of losing jobs
o Unions secured the right for workers to withdraw their labour and strike
limited in practice
no-strike clauses – prevented industrial action
Position of workers improved since start of period but the gains were not always maintained
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Civil Rights in the USA – Trade Unions
,The Extent of Labour and Union Rights by the First World War
The position of unions improved in the period leading to the outbreak of WW1 in 1914
o reflected in the growth of union membership
o gains limited to white male workers
o no guarantee these gains were permanent
the unions that did exist in 1865 only represented skilled workers in craft industries e.g.
shoemakers
USA undergoing rapid industrialisation
o many of the new, unskilled workers were excluded from unions and had no
representation
employers hired unskilled workers under contracts rather than permanent employment
o workers could be laid off when there was less need for work
workers were working long hours in factories w/ limited safety precautions
o large number of accidents
o employers often not introduce health and safety standards
o reduce profits due to greater supervision
o workers who suffered industrial injuries received little or no support from employers
o courts considered industrial injury was a risk the employee had to take
Unions in the Late 19th Century
increasing industrialisation did result in development of a number of unions
Knights of Labor (KOL)
o reached membership of 700,000 by 1886
o 20,000 members in 1881
o suggesting strike action was crucial in growth
o Violence of Haymarket Affair tarnished reputation and membership collapsed to
100,000 by 1890
American Federation of Labor (AFL)
Industrial Workers of the World (or Wobblies) established in 1905
o union less effective
o its militancy and violence meant it as disliked by employers
o attracted 100,000 members by 1923
o declined after
Not just the violence of the Haymarket Affair that affected membership
o obvious divisions w/in workforce
Arrival of AA workers in labour market after abolition of Slavery at end of Civil war
o white workers no longer enjoyed a monopoly of the labour market
o former slaves now available for employment in the growing industries and most
accepted lower rates of pay
o employers exploited this by laying of white workers and replacing them w/ AA
Page 2 of 23
Civil Rights in the USA – Trade Unions
, Their position was worsened by the arrival of immigrants from Europe and Asia
o added to the pool of workers
Existing unions saw these arrivals as a significant challenge and refused them to join
o limited the size of unions and their ability to exert pressure on employers
o a divided workforce made it easier for employers to exploit them
progress weakened further by other strikes: Homestead (1892) & Pullman (1894)
The Homestead Strike of 1892
o virtually bankrupted the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers
o decline in union membership from 24,000 in 1891 to 6300 in 1909
The Pullman Strike of 1894
o developed from employer’s refusal to recognise the right of working to use
collective bargaining to protect their living and working conditions
o showed the difficulties unions faced in trying to gain recognition
By the outbreak of WW1 little had been achieved in advancing union and workers’ rights
lack of progress balanced against
o union membership across the US grown to over 2 million
o unions had begun to put pressure on candidates in elections to support workers’
rights
more factors that suggest the position of organised labour was no stronger than in 1865
o unions only represented 20% of non-agricultural workforce
o many industries (e.g. steel & car manufacturing) did not have unions
o often negotiations between employers and unions but many of the unions not
legally recognised and lacked real power over decisions
o workers divided by ethnicity, gender and level of skill – exploited by employers
o gains that had been made often limited to white, male skilled workers
The First World War 1914-18
position of workers and unions improved
increase in demand for products (e.g. textiles for uniforms, steel for weapons)
o more opportunity to increase profits
o more willing to be conciliatory towards their workers
to ensure production maintained the gov recognised and negotiated through the National
War Labor Board (NWLB)
o the length of working hours limited to 8
o workers agreed to no-strike policy
The Boom of the 1920s
the economic boom that followed the war resulted in a rise in real wages and decline in
unemployment
appeared workers made further gains as employers offered
o reduction in working hours
o pensions
o insurance
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Civil Rights in the USA – Trade Unions
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