Open the App

Subjects

AP US History

Nov 24, 2025

32

6 pages

APUSH Chapter 17 Notes: Late 19th Century Overview

J

juhee kim @juheekim_kcxf

The industrialization of America after the Civil War brought massive economic change, new technologies, and profound challenges. This... Show more

Late 19th century - after civil war - tech developments
Sources of Industrial growth
● Most important tech development - iron and steel prod

Sources of Industrial Growth

After the Civil War, America's industrial landscape transformed dramatically through key technological breakthroughs. The most significant development was iron and steel production through new techniques like the Bessemer process, centered in western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio. These advances fueled the expanding railroad system and led to the rise of the oil industry.

Transportation innovations fundamentally changed American life. Henry Ford revolutionized the car industry while the Wright brothers pioneered aviation with their test gliders, though planes wouldn't become commonplace until the 1920s. Corporate leaders began sponsoring their own research programs, creating a more diverse approach to innovation than government-directed efforts alone.

The workplace itself was transformed by Scientific Management (Taylorism), which subdivided tasks to speed production and reduce the need for skilled workers. Henry Ford's moving assembly line further revolutionized manufacturing by dramatically cutting production time. These changes gave employers greater control while making workers more interchangeable and less independent.

Did you know? The railroad industry standardized time across America! Before railroads established "standard time," every town set their own local time based on the sun's position, making train schedules nearly impossible to coordinate.

Despite all these innovations, railroads remained the principal engine of industrial progress, turning Chicago into the nation's slaughterhouse and concentrating railroad control among a few powerful individuals. This period saw the rise of the modern corporation, with laws allowing businesses to raise money by selling stock while limiting investor liability, enabling entrepreneurs like Andrew Carnegie to gather vast capital for ambitious projects.

Late 19th century - after civil war - tech developments
Sources of Industrial growth
● Most important tech development - iron and steel prod

Corporate Consolidation and Critics

Powerful business leaders developed new strategies to dominate industries and eliminate competition. Horizontal integration combined firms in the same business into single corporations, while vertical integration took over all different businesses a company relied on. John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil empire masterfully combined both approaches, controlling an astounding 90% of refined oil in America.

Companies tried various consolidation methods—from informal pool arrangements to trusts (where stockholders transferred their stocks to trustees) to holding companies. These strategies concentrated enormous power in few hands, promoting industrial expansion but generating intense controversy. Many Americans worried this new corporate power threatened the very foundation of republican society.

Business leaders justified their wealth and tactics through the philosophy of Social Darwinism, arguing that economic life was controlled by natural laws of competition where only the fittest survived. Herbert Spencer and William Graham Sumner popularized these ideas, suggesting government regulation would inevitably fail. Ironically, most businessmen actually feared true competition and worked hard to eliminate it!

Think about it While tycoons publicly championed competition and the "self-made man" myth, their actual business strategies aimed to crush competition and secure monopolies. What does this contradiction tell us about the true nature of industrial capitalism?

Not everyone accepted these justifications. Critics like Lester Frank Ward argued that human intelligence, not natural selection, should govern civilization. Henry George blamed social problems on land monopolists in his book "Progress and Poverty," while Edward Bellamy's utopian novel "Looking Backward" envisioned a cooperative society replacing competitive capitalism. These alternative visions gained popularity as the gap between rich and poor widened dramatically.

Late 19th century - after civil war - tech developments
Sources of Industrial growth
● Most important tech development - iron and steel prod

Workers in the Industrial Economy

The factory boom created enormous demand for labor, drawing people to industrial towns and cities. New immigration patterns brought workers from southern and eastern Europe, along with Mexicans in the west. These newcomers often fled desperate situations or were lured by false promises, creating ethnic tensions as they competed for jobs.

While the average standard of living increased during this period, industrial work offered little security. Workers faced boom and bust economic cycles, with jobs that were impersonal, repetitive, demeaning, and frequently dangerous. Women made up about 17% of the workforce, mostly young and white, concentrated in the textile industry where they earned significantly lower wages than men.

Many married women worked to supplement their husbands' insufficient earnings, though society generally viewed female employment as inappropriate. Child labor remained common despite ineffective regulation attempts. Most child workers labored in agriculture, which wasn't covered by the limited child labor laws that existed.

Reality check While industrialists celebrated economic progress, most workers experienced a harsh reality of low wages, dangerous conditions, and zero job security. The economic benefits of industrialization were distributed extremely unevenly.

Workers attempted to fight these poor conditions through unionization, but with limited success. The National Labor Union emerged in 1866 as the first attempt to unite separate unions nationally, but it excluded women workers and disappeared after the Panic of 1873. The Molly Maguires used more militant tactics in Pennsylvania's coal region, but violence damaged public perception of labor activism, with the middle class increasingly viewing unions as dangerous radical organizations.

Late 19th century - after civil war - tech developments
Sources of Industrial growth
● Most important tech development - iron and steel prod

Labor Struggles and Organization

The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 erupted when eastern railroads cut wages by 10%, triggering what essentially became class warfare across the nation. The violence required federal troops to quell and resulted in approximately 100 deaths. As the first major national labor conflict, it revealed both the depth of worker resentment and the fragility of the labor movement.

The Knights of Labor emerged as the first genuinely national labor organization, welcoming all workers including women. With a loose organization and vague program, they envisioned replacing the wage system with a "cooperative system" where workers controlled much of the economy. While popular in the 1870s, they faded by the 1890s after failing in key strikes.

The American Federation of Labor (AFL) proved more enduring by focusing only on skilled workers rather than attempting to organize everyone. Led by Samuel Gompers, the AFL accepted capitalism's basic premises while fighting for better wages and working conditions. Unlike more radical groups, they opposed creating a workers' party and resisted government involvement in labor relations.

Historical turning point The Haymarket Bombing of 1886 devastated labor's public image. What began as a peaceful rally for an 8-hour workday ended with a bomb killing police officers. Though evidence was questionable, eight anarchists were convicted and executed, allowing opponents to successfully link labor organizations with violence and radical anarchism.

Two other major conflicts further weakened organized labor. The Homestead Strike saw Carnegie Steel breaking the powerful Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers after violent confrontations with Pinkerton guards and National Guard intervention. The Pullman Strike, led by Eugene V. Debs, briefly paralyzed railroads across 27 states until President Cleveland ordered federal troops to break the strike, demonstrating how corporate interests could count on government support.

Late 19th century - after civil war - tech developments
Sources of Industrial growth
● Most important tech development - iron and steel prod

The Defeat of Early Labor Movements

Labor's major defeats in the Homestead and Pullman strikes revealed the overwhelming power corporations wielded against workers. After the Homestead Strike, Carnegie Steel successfully broke union influence, symbolizing the general erosion of union strength across industries. By 1900, every major steel plant in the Northeast had eliminated union representation.

The Pullman Strike began when the Pullman Palace Car Company slashed wages while maintaining high rents in their company town. Workers received support from Eugene V. Debs' American Railway Union, which refused to handle Pullman equipment, effectively paralyzing transportation from Chicago to the Pacific. Despite sympathy from Illinois Governor Altgeld, President Cleveland intervened with federal troops, crushing the strike and demonstrating federal support for corporate interests.

These defeats highlighted how corporations could rely on government intervention at all levels. When workers gained any advantage in strikes, companies could count on local police, state militias, or even federal troops to protect their interests and break worker resistance.

Connect the dots Notice how in nearly every major labor conflict, government forces intervened on behalf of businesses rather than workers. This pattern reveals how economic and political power were deeply intertwined during the industrial era.

The Haymarket affair became particularly symbolic of the challenges facing labor. What began as a peaceful rally for an 8-hour workday ended in violence when someone threw a bomb at police. The subsequent trial of eight anarchists (with little evidence connecting them to the bombing) fueled public fear of labor activism. For many Americans, unions became associated with radicalism, anarchism, and violence—making peaceful organizing even more difficult.

Late 19th century - after civil war - tech developments
Sources of Industrial growth
● Most important tech development - iron and steel prod

Why Labor Remained Weak

Despite their efforts, labor organizations achieved few meaningful gains by the century's end. Wages barely rose, legislative victories were rarely enforced, and most workers had less political power and workplace control than before industrialization. Several key factors contributed to labor's weakness.

Principal labor organizations represented only a small percentage of the industrial workforce. They routinely excluded unskilled workers, women, blacks, and recent immigrants, severely limiting their potential membership and power. These divisions, combined with tensions between different ethnic and racial groups, kept the labor movement fragmented and ineffective. Women eventually responded to this exclusion by forming the Women's Trade Union League in 1903.

The constantly shifting nature of the workforce made organizing extremely difficult. Many immigrants planned to work temporarily before returning home, giving them little incentive to join unions. Other workers frequently moved between jobs and locations in search of better opportunities, making sustained organization nearly impossible.

Think critically The exclusion of women, immigrants, and people of color from major unions not only limited labor's power but also reflected and reinforced social hierarchies. How might labor history have been different if these organizations had been more inclusive from the beginning?

Most fundamentally, corporations possessed overwhelming advantages substantial financial resources, sympathetic local judges, and the ability to call upon state militias or federal troops when threatened. When workers struck, companies could hire strikebreakers or simply wait them out as desperate families exhausted their savings. This combination of corporate resources, government support, and labor's internal divisions ensured that industrialists maintained the upper hand throughout this period.

We thought you’d never ask...

What is the Knowunity AI companion?

Our AI companion is specifically built for the needs of students. Based on the millions of content pieces we have on the platform we can provide truly meaningful and relevant answers to students. But its not only about answers, the companion is even more about guiding students through their daily learning challenges, with personalised study plans, quizzes or content pieces in the chat and 100% personalisation based on the students skills and developments.

Where can I download the Knowunity app?

You can download the app in the Google Play Store and in the Apple App Store.

Is Knowunity really free of charge?

That's right! Enjoy free access to study content, connect with fellow students, and get instant help – all at your fingertips.

2

Smart Tools NEW

Transform this note into: ✓ 50+ Practice Questions ✓ Interactive Flashcards ✓ Full Mock Exam ✓ Essay Outlines

Mock Exam
Quiz
Flashcards
Essay

Can't find what you're looking for? Explore other subjects.

Students love us — and so will you.

4.9/5

App Store

4.8/5

Google Play

The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.

Stefan S

iOS user

This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.

Samantha Klich

Android user

Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.

Anna

iOS user

I think it’s very much worth it and you’ll end up using it a lot once you get the hang of it and even after looking at others notes you can still ask your Artificial intelligence buddy the question and ask to simplify it if you still don’t get it!!! In the end I think it’s worth it 😊👍 ⚠️Also DID I MENTION ITS FREEE YOU DON’T HAVE TO PAY FOR ANYTHING AND STILL GET YOUR GRADES IN PERFECTLY❗️❗️⚠️

Thomas R

iOS user

Knowunity is the BEST app I’ve used in a minute. This is not an ai review or anything this is genuinely coming from a 7th grade student (I know 2011 im young) but dude this app is a 10/10 i have maintained a 3.8 gpa and have plenty of time for gaming. I love it and my mom is just happy I got good grades

Brad T

Android user

Not only did it help me find the answer but it also showed me alternative ways to solve it. I was horrible in math and science but now I have an a in both subjects. Thanks for the help🤍🤍

David K

iOS user

The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!

Sudenaz Ocak

Android user

In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.

Greenlight Bonnie

Android user

I found this app a couple years ago and it has only gotten better since then. I really love it because it can help with written questions and photo questions. Also, it can find study guides that other people have made as well as flashcard sets and practice tests. The free version is also amazing for students who might not be able to afford it. Would 100% recommend

Aubrey

iOS user

Best app if you're in Highschool or Junior high. I have been using this app for 2 school years and it's the best, it's good if you don't have anyone to help you with school work.😋🩷🎀

Marco B

iOS user

THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮

Elisha

iOS user

This app is phenomenal down to the correct info and the various topics you can study! I greatly recommend it for people who struggle with procrastination and those who need homework help. It has been perfectly accurate for world 1 history as far as I’ve seen! Geometry too!

Paul T

iOS user

The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.

Stefan S

iOS user

This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.

Samantha Klich

Android user

Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.

Anna

iOS user

I think it’s very much worth it and you’ll end up using it a lot once you get the hang of it and even after looking at others notes you can still ask your Artificial intelligence buddy the question and ask to simplify it if you still don’t get it!!! In the end I think it’s worth it 😊👍 ⚠️Also DID I MENTION ITS FREEE YOU DON’T HAVE TO PAY FOR ANYTHING AND STILL GET YOUR GRADES IN PERFECTLY❗️❗️⚠️

Thomas R

iOS user

Knowunity is the BEST app I’ve used in a minute. This is not an ai review or anything this is genuinely coming from a 7th grade student (I know 2011 im young) but dude this app is a 10/10 i have maintained a 3.8 gpa and have plenty of time for gaming. I love it and my mom is just happy I got good grades

Brad T

Android user

Not only did it help me find the answer but it also showed me alternative ways to solve it. I was horrible in math and science but now I have an a in both subjects. Thanks for the help🤍🤍

David K

iOS user

The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!

Sudenaz Ocak

Android user

In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.

Greenlight Bonnie

Android user

I found this app a couple years ago and it has only gotten better since then. I really love it because it can help with written questions and photo questions. Also, it can find study guides that other people have made as well as flashcard sets and practice tests. The free version is also amazing for students who might not be able to afford it. Would 100% recommend

Aubrey

iOS user

Best app if you're in Highschool or Junior high. I have been using this app for 2 school years and it's the best, it's good if you don't have anyone to help you with school work.😋🩷🎀

Marco B

iOS user

THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮

Elisha

iOS user

This app is phenomenal down to the correct info and the various topics you can study! I greatly recommend it for people who struggle with procrastination and those who need homework help. It has been perfectly accurate for world 1 history as far as I’ve seen! Geometry too!

Paul T

iOS user

 

AP US History

32

Nov 24, 2025

6 pages

APUSH Chapter 17 Notes: Late 19th Century Overview

J

juhee kim

@juheekim_kcxf

The industrialization of America after the Civil War brought massive economic change, new technologies, and profound challenges. This period saw the rise of powerful corporations, the transformation of labor, and intense debates about capitalism's impact on society. The way businesses... Show more

Late 19th century - after civil war - tech developments
Sources of Industrial growth
● Most important tech development - iron and steel prod

Sign up to see the contentIt's free!

Access to all documents

Improve your grades

Join milions of students

By signing up you accept Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Sources of Industrial Growth

After the Civil War, America's industrial landscape transformed dramatically through key technological breakthroughs. The most significant development was iron and steel production through new techniques like the Bessemer process, centered in western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio. These advances fueled the expanding railroad system and led to the rise of the oil industry.

Transportation innovations fundamentally changed American life. Henry Ford revolutionized the car industry while the Wright brothers pioneered aviation with their test gliders, though planes wouldn't become commonplace until the 1920s. Corporate leaders began sponsoring their own research programs, creating a more diverse approach to innovation than government-directed efforts alone.

The workplace itself was transformed by Scientific Management (Taylorism), which subdivided tasks to speed production and reduce the need for skilled workers. Henry Ford's moving assembly line further revolutionized manufacturing by dramatically cutting production time. These changes gave employers greater control while making workers more interchangeable and less independent.

Did you know? The railroad industry standardized time across America! Before railroads established "standard time," every town set their own local time based on the sun's position, making train schedules nearly impossible to coordinate.

Despite all these innovations, railroads remained the principal engine of industrial progress, turning Chicago into the nation's slaughterhouse and concentrating railroad control among a few powerful individuals. This period saw the rise of the modern corporation, with laws allowing businesses to raise money by selling stock while limiting investor liability, enabling entrepreneurs like Andrew Carnegie to gather vast capital for ambitious projects.

Late 19th century - after civil war - tech developments
Sources of Industrial growth
● Most important tech development - iron and steel prod

Sign up to see the contentIt's free!

Access to all documents

Improve your grades

Join milions of students

By signing up you accept Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Corporate Consolidation and Critics

Powerful business leaders developed new strategies to dominate industries and eliminate competition. Horizontal integration combined firms in the same business into single corporations, while vertical integration took over all different businesses a company relied on. John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil empire masterfully combined both approaches, controlling an astounding 90% of refined oil in America.

Companies tried various consolidation methods—from informal pool arrangements to trusts (where stockholders transferred their stocks to trustees) to holding companies. These strategies concentrated enormous power in few hands, promoting industrial expansion but generating intense controversy. Many Americans worried this new corporate power threatened the very foundation of republican society.

Business leaders justified their wealth and tactics through the philosophy of Social Darwinism, arguing that economic life was controlled by natural laws of competition where only the fittest survived. Herbert Spencer and William Graham Sumner popularized these ideas, suggesting government regulation would inevitably fail. Ironically, most businessmen actually feared true competition and worked hard to eliminate it!

Think about it: While tycoons publicly championed competition and the "self-made man" myth, their actual business strategies aimed to crush competition and secure monopolies. What does this contradiction tell us about the true nature of industrial capitalism?

Not everyone accepted these justifications. Critics like Lester Frank Ward argued that human intelligence, not natural selection, should govern civilization. Henry George blamed social problems on land monopolists in his book "Progress and Poverty," while Edward Bellamy's utopian novel "Looking Backward" envisioned a cooperative society replacing competitive capitalism. These alternative visions gained popularity as the gap between rich and poor widened dramatically.

Late 19th century - after civil war - tech developments
Sources of Industrial growth
● Most important tech development - iron and steel prod

Sign up to see the contentIt's free!

Access to all documents

Improve your grades

Join milions of students

By signing up you accept Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Workers in the Industrial Economy

The factory boom created enormous demand for labor, drawing people to industrial towns and cities. New immigration patterns brought workers from southern and eastern Europe, along with Mexicans in the west. These newcomers often fled desperate situations or were lured by false promises, creating ethnic tensions as they competed for jobs.

While the average standard of living increased during this period, industrial work offered little security. Workers faced boom and bust economic cycles, with jobs that were impersonal, repetitive, demeaning, and frequently dangerous. Women made up about 17% of the workforce, mostly young and white, concentrated in the textile industry where they earned significantly lower wages than men.

Many married women worked to supplement their husbands' insufficient earnings, though society generally viewed female employment as inappropriate. Child labor remained common despite ineffective regulation attempts. Most child workers labored in agriculture, which wasn't covered by the limited child labor laws that existed.

Reality check: While industrialists celebrated economic progress, most workers experienced a harsh reality of low wages, dangerous conditions, and zero job security. The economic benefits of industrialization were distributed extremely unevenly.

Workers attempted to fight these poor conditions through unionization, but with limited success. The National Labor Union emerged in 1866 as the first attempt to unite separate unions nationally, but it excluded women workers and disappeared after the Panic of 1873. The Molly Maguires used more militant tactics in Pennsylvania's coal region, but violence damaged public perception of labor activism, with the middle class increasingly viewing unions as dangerous radical organizations.

Late 19th century - after civil war - tech developments
Sources of Industrial growth
● Most important tech development - iron and steel prod

Sign up to see the contentIt's free!

Access to all documents

Improve your grades

Join milions of students

By signing up you accept Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Labor Struggles and Organization

The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 erupted when eastern railroads cut wages by 10%, triggering what essentially became class warfare across the nation. The violence required federal troops to quell and resulted in approximately 100 deaths. As the first major national labor conflict, it revealed both the depth of worker resentment and the fragility of the labor movement.

The Knights of Labor emerged as the first genuinely national labor organization, welcoming all workers including women. With a loose organization and vague program, they envisioned replacing the wage system with a "cooperative system" where workers controlled much of the economy. While popular in the 1870s, they faded by the 1890s after failing in key strikes.

The American Federation of Labor (AFL) proved more enduring by focusing only on skilled workers rather than attempting to organize everyone. Led by Samuel Gompers, the AFL accepted capitalism's basic premises while fighting for better wages and working conditions. Unlike more radical groups, they opposed creating a workers' party and resisted government involvement in labor relations.

Historical turning point: The Haymarket Bombing of 1886 devastated labor's public image. What began as a peaceful rally for an 8-hour workday ended with a bomb killing police officers. Though evidence was questionable, eight anarchists were convicted and executed, allowing opponents to successfully link labor organizations with violence and radical anarchism.

Two other major conflicts further weakened organized labor. The Homestead Strike saw Carnegie Steel breaking the powerful Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers after violent confrontations with Pinkerton guards and National Guard intervention. The Pullman Strike, led by Eugene V. Debs, briefly paralyzed railroads across 27 states until President Cleveland ordered federal troops to break the strike, demonstrating how corporate interests could count on government support.

Late 19th century - after civil war - tech developments
Sources of Industrial growth
● Most important tech development - iron and steel prod

Sign up to see the contentIt's free!

Access to all documents

Improve your grades

Join milions of students

By signing up you accept Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

The Defeat of Early Labor Movements

Labor's major defeats in the Homestead and Pullman strikes revealed the overwhelming power corporations wielded against workers. After the Homestead Strike, Carnegie Steel successfully broke union influence, symbolizing the general erosion of union strength across industries. By 1900, every major steel plant in the Northeast had eliminated union representation.

The Pullman Strike began when the Pullman Palace Car Company slashed wages while maintaining high rents in their company town. Workers received support from Eugene V. Debs' American Railway Union, which refused to handle Pullman equipment, effectively paralyzing transportation from Chicago to the Pacific. Despite sympathy from Illinois Governor Altgeld, President Cleveland intervened with federal troops, crushing the strike and demonstrating federal support for corporate interests.

These defeats highlighted how corporations could rely on government intervention at all levels. When workers gained any advantage in strikes, companies could count on local police, state militias, or even federal troops to protect their interests and break worker resistance.

Connect the dots: Notice how in nearly every major labor conflict, government forces intervened on behalf of businesses rather than workers. This pattern reveals how economic and political power were deeply intertwined during the industrial era.

The Haymarket affair became particularly symbolic of the challenges facing labor. What began as a peaceful rally for an 8-hour workday ended in violence when someone threw a bomb at police. The subsequent trial of eight anarchists (with little evidence connecting them to the bombing) fueled public fear of labor activism. For many Americans, unions became associated with radicalism, anarchism, and violence—making peaceful organizing even more difficult.

Late 19th century - after civil war - tech developments
Sources of Industrial growth
● Most important tech development - iron and steel prod

Sign up to see the contentIt's free!

Access to all documents

Improve your grades

Join milions of students

By signing up you accept Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Why Labor Remained Weak

Despite their efforts, labor organizations achieved few meaningful gains by the century's end. Wages barely rose, legislative victories were rarely enforced, and most workers had less political power and workplace control than before industrialization. Several key factors contributed to labor's weakness.

Principal labor organizations represented only a small percentage of the industrial workforce. They routinely excluded unskilled workers, women, blacks, and recent immigrants, severely limiting their potential membership and power. These divisions, combined with tensions between different ethnic and racial groups, kept the labor movement fragmented and ineffective. Women eventually responded to this exclusion by forming the Women's Trade Union League in 1903.

The constantly shifting nature of the workforce made organizing extremely difficult. Many immigrants planned to work temporarily before returning home, giving them little incentive to join unions. Other workers frequently moved between jobs and locations in search of better opportunities, making sustained organization nearly impossible.

Think critically: The exclusion of women, immigrants, and people of color from major unions not only limited labor's power but also reflected and reinforced social hierarchies. How might labor history have been different if these organizations had been more inclusive from the beginning?

Most fundamentally, corporations possessed overwhelming advantages: substantial financial resources, sympathetic local judges, and the ability to call upon state militias or federal troops when threatened. When workers struck, companies could hire strikebreakers or simply wait them out as desperate families exhausted their savings. This combination of corporate resources, government support, and labor's internal divisions ensured that industrialists maintained the upper hand throughout this period.

We thought you’d never ask...

What is the Knowunity AI companion?

Our AI companion is specifically built for the needs of students. Based on the millions of content pieces we have on the platform we can provide truly meaningful and relevant answers to students. But its not only about answers, the companion is even more about guiding students through their daily learning challenges, with personalised study plans, quizzes or content pieces in the chat and 100% personalisation based on the students skills and developments.

Where can I download the Knowunity app?

You can download the app in the Google Play Store and in the Apple App Store.

Is Knowunity really free of charge?

That's right! Enjoy free access to study content, connect with fellow students, and get instant help – all at your fingertips.

2

Smart Tools NEW

Transform this note into: ✓ 50+ Practice Questions ✓ Interactive Flashcards ✓ Full Mock Exam ✓ Essay Outlines

Mock Exam
Quiz
Flashcards
Essay

Can't find what you're looking for? Explore other subjects.

Students love us — and so will you.

4.9/5

App Store

4.8/5

Google Play

The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.

Stefan S

iOS user

This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.

Samantha Klich

Android user

Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.

Anna

iOS user

I think it’s very much worth it and you’ll end up using it a lot once you get the hang of it and even after looking at others notes you can still ask your Artificial intelligence buddy the question and ask to simplify it if you still don’t get it!!! In the end I think it’s worth it 😊👍 ⚠️Also DID I MENTION ITS FREEE YOU DON’T HAVE TO PAY FOR ANYTHING AND STILL GET YOUR GRADES IN PERFECTLY❗️❗️⚠️

Thomas R

iOS user

Knowunity is the BEST app I’ve used in a minute. This is not an ai review or anything this is genuinely coming from a 7th grade student (I know 2011 im young) but dude this app is a 10/10 i have maintained a 3.8 gpa and have plenty of time for gaming. I love it and my mom is just happy I got good grades

Brad T

Android user

Not only did it help me find the answer but it also showed me alternative ways to solve it. I was horrible in math and science but now I have an a in both subjects. Thanks for the help🤍🤍

David K

iOS user

The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!

Sudenaz Ocak

Android user

In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.

Greenlight Bonnie

Android user

I found this app a couple years ago and it has only gotten better since then. I really love it because it can help with written questions and photo questions. Also, it can find study guides that other people have made as well as flashcard sets and practice tests. The free version is also amazing for students who might not be able to afford it. Would 100% recommend

Aubrey

iOS user

Best app if you're in Highschool or Junior high. I have been using this app for 2 school years and it's the best, it's good if you don't have anyone to help you with school work.😋🩷🎀

Marco B

iOS user

THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮

Elisha

iOS user

This app is phenomenal down to the correct info and the various topics you can study! I greatly recommend it for people who struggle with procrastination and those who need homework help. It has been perfectly accurate for world 1 history as far as I’ve seen! Geometry too!

Paul T

iOS user

The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.

Stefan S

iOS user

This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.

Samantha Klich

Android user

Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.

Anna

iOS user

I think it’s very much worth it and you’ll end up using it a lot once you get the hang of it and even after looking at others notes you can still ask your Artificial intelligence buddy the question and ask to simplify it if you still don’t get it!!! In the end I think it’s worth it 😊👍 ⚠️Also DID I MENTION ITS FREEE YOU DON’T HAVE TO PAY FOR ANYTHING AND STILL GET YOUR GRADES IN PERFECTLY❗️❗️⚠️

Thomas R

iOS user

Knowunity is the BEST app I’ve used in a minute. This is not an ai review or anything this is genuinely coming from a 7th grade student (I know 2011 im young) but dude this app is a 10/10 i have maintained a 3.8 gpa and have plenty of time for gaming. I love it and my mom is just happy I got good grades

Brad T

Android user

Not only did it help me find the answer but it also showed me alternative ways to solve it. I was horrible in math and science but now I have an a in both subjects. Thanks for the help🤍🤍

David K

iOS user

The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!

Sudenaz Ocak

Android user

In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.

Greenlight Bonnie

Android user

I found this app a couple years ago and it has only gotten better since then. I really love it because it can help with written questions and photo questions. Also, it can find study guides that other people have made as well as flashcard sets and practice tests. The free version is also amazing for students who might not be able to afford it. Would 100% recommend

Aubrey

iOS user

Best app if you're in Highschool or Junior high. I have been using this app for 2 school years and it's the best, it's good if you don't have anyone to help you with school work.😋🩷🎀

Marco B

iOS user

THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮

Elisha

iOS user

This app is phenomenal down to the correct info and the various topics you can study! I greatly recommend it for people who struggle with procrastination and those who need homework help. It has been perfectly accurate for world 1 history as far as I’ve seen! Geometry too!

Paul T

iOS user