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Mercedes Gaskin
Rebecca Howard
HIST 1302
12 December 2020
Final Essay
In the late 1800s labor unions were set out to improve how the abused workers were
treated. Working back then was different then now, now we get a minimum wage, laws to make
sure we are treated right at work, and there is no job designed for one gender. It was not
uncommon for abused workers to get low pay, have long hours, and unfair company practices.
The Robber Barons, also known as industrialists, wanted to run their business how they saw
would benefit them and maximize their incomes. Organized labor unions only wanted to fight for
better wages, reasonable hours, and safer working conditions.
The background and facts are what you have to analyze to understand how and why the
workers wanted to change how they were being treated. On August 20, 1866 they wanted to
shorten the work day to 8 hours so they had to go to congress to try to get a law passed so that
could happen. The law ended up not getting passed, which only brought more focus to the reform
issue. In 1870, the rich would get richer and the poor would get poorer. Eventually the behavior
and conditions led to strikes throughout America. “Consolidation of companies and investment
banking turned individual companies into massive corporation.” (StressedAndCylent) The
employees of these massive corporations would be under-paid and over-worked, but the heads of
the businesses would make millions by already having money and making the poor do their work
to get rich. A group called The Molly Maguire’s, who were Pennsylvania Irish Catholics, worked
in coal mines. This group would use harsh methods to keep everyone around them quiet so they
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would not speak out about how they handled anyone wanting to speak out against them. “They
used intimidation, terrorism, beatings and murder to protest against the conditions in the mine
and against anyone that spoke out against them.” (GCastaneda)
The Haymarket Affair was the most violent and important conflicts of the time. There
was a bomb that took place at a labor demonstration in 1886, the Haymarket affair was the
aftermath. It started out as a peaceful protest for bringing work day hours to 8, but it quickly
turned. There was a violent confrontation between the police and a protestor. “Following the
confrontation, in which several police officers and demonstrators were killed and scores injured,
August Spies and seven other labour leaders were tried and convicted of murder. Four of them,
including Spies, were hanged; one committed suicide; and three were eventually pardoned by
Illinois Gov. John Peter Altgeld.” (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica)The Haymarket
