Homesteads Strike, Pennsylvania (1892)

Andrew Carnegie, one of the multi-billionaire monopolist of the Gilded Age, came to the country at the age of 13, without a cent in his pocket, from Scotland; however grew to be the president, CEO, and owner of US Steel Company. Where he donated grants of money to "worthy" foundations, such as Carnegie Hall, extensions to the New York Public library and other institutions nationwide; to fulfill his goal of leaving the world with the same way he came. However was not as generous with his workers. Carnegie was a Social Darwinist, supported by his own life, who firmly believed that some people belonged in the bottom and if they tired hard enough they too would become a rag to riches inspiration story.





The Steel Mill in Homestead were separated into types of workers: skilled workers and unskilled workers. Skilled workers included carpenters, blacksmiths and welders, that were traditionally third or fourth generation "Americans" and were apart of a trade union called the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers They gained the right to determine who in there union does what job and when that job needed to get done. Skilled Workers earned a weekly rate of 35 to 75 dollars a week, on a steady 8 hour days. While unskilled workers earned a maximum of 10 dollars a week and worked 12 hour daily. These workers were made up by recent European immigrants, who knew virtually no English and dreamed of the "worker's commonwealth and freedom" that skilled workers obtained. Unskilled workers not only suffered the internal vortex of low wages and economic stance, but they also suffered tremendous death and injury rates due to accidents within the mill; through expositions, electric shocks, falls, crashes and ect. Even though Skilled workers could help with this situation, they didn't.

However in 1982 Carnegie decided to renegotiate the union contract or in other words destroy it and introduce the assembly line to replace skilled workers. Carnegie also wanted to bring in machines into the Homestead Mill that would make production more efficient and economical. With the combination of machines and the assembly line the need for skilled workers was obsolete and wasteful. Now finished good could be completed faster and the same quality for less; due to the now unskilled age workers would be reviving. To help with his plans Carnegie brought Henry Clay Frick. Frick's first order of business was building a 12 foot high fence, three miles long, topped with barbed wire and bored holes for gun emplacements surrounding the entire mill and told workers to take a pay cut or the union would be broken. To which workers responded in the form of a strike, 3,000 workers were on strike on June 30, 1892. To which Frick responded with private army; however the army was retaliated by the worker. After the failed attempt Frick and Carnegie seeked out state militia from the governor of Pennsylvania, strikebreakers outside of Pennsylvania who were unaware with the labor situation and leaned in local officials to have union leaders arrested. Leaving 200 union members behind bars and lead to the strikes downfall. Withing 5 months workers were forced to return to work; where Frick claimed his victory. Wages were cut, hours were increased and the number of employees drastically decreased were the trophy Frick and Carnegie had to show. Yet still not satisfied Frick and Carnegie attempted to control greater portions of worker's life's: houses rented or bought and marriage; in order to create the increased pressure of family than the individual worker would ever have.

Ida Tarbel (1854-1944)

Ida Tarbel was born and raised in, wildcat country, rural Pennsylvania by teacher/farmer parents; that came to shape her studious and resilient character. To maintain finical ends Tarbel's father opened a wildcat oil well, oil wells operated by individual people and families; however the Standard Oil Company owned by Rockefeller gained rights for all wildcat operations in western Pennsylvania. This shocked and applaud Turbel; however she focused on her studies. After getting a degree in Allegheny College, earning a degree in chemistry and teaching at Ohio High School Ida soon discovered that her true calling: writing. She became an investigative journalist writing magazines and newspaper and gained a strong reputation.

Tarbel first gained her momentum writing a bibliography on Madame Roland, hornie of the French Revolution. Tarbel moved to Paris and learned french, where she wrote on life in France, the history of the revolution and tidbits of the life of Madame Roland. The articles caught the eye of the editor far a upcoming magnetize, called the McClure's. Where she became head writer and editor of the McClure's and headed back to American soil. Where Tarbel's first piece on Abraham Lincoln was a big success and was turned into a best selling book. After discussing her families experience with Rockefeller and the standard Oil Company with the owner of McClure ,he encouraged Tarbel to right a story on the issue; however was discouraged by her father, who warned her of the negative repercussions. Yet Ida Tarbell continued her research regardless of the power Rockefeller had to end her career and magazine.

After working two years of digging reports, business deals and contracts associated with the Oil Company and the life of Rockefeller. Ida set the standard of investigative journalism and earned the title of muckraker; writers who looked for the dirt and "negative" side as quoted by Theodore Roosevelt. "The History of the Standard Oil Company" was the product of the two year period (1902-1904), a 19 part series and was later published in 1904. That discussed the evil Standard Oil Company; however spoke respectfully on JD Rockefeller; it inevitably became a bestseller. The publishing caused hatred on part of Rockefeller on comments made by Ida of him being "mad for money" and referred to her as a "poisonous women" and told his associates to not speak a word to the "misguided woman"; however Turbell's book positive impact far outweighed the negative. Forcing Congress to launch an investigation on Rockefeller and his company; that lead to the ordered to break up into 6 separate companies after being deemed a monopoly to which Turbel considered her great success. Later confirmed in 1999 when Standard Oil was named the top 5 works of journalism in the century; however Ida Tarbell did not life to received such prestigious honor dying in 1944.

Reconstruction Historians

Guion Griffis Johnson:
concentrated on the radical ideologies in the United States, in especially the different views that southerns took when slaves were emancipated, in the after math of the Civil War(92 years later). Griffis claims that there were five different kinds of Southern paternalism and that each had a different range of hostility towards people of color (a.k.a racism): 

1. modified equalitarianism: African-Americans are dumber and less advanced, but they only need education and good treatment to rise to the level of the white race

1. benevolent paternalism: African-Americans are dumber and less advanced, and they perform the labor work for the South, so they deserve something for that.

1. separate but equal: African-Americans are less than whites, and can get better with education; however, they should be kept separate from the white race for the comfort of both.

1. separate and permanently unequal: African-Americans are less than whites, and they can get a little better with education; however, they should only be allowed to rise within their own race and to those limits.

1. permanently unequal under paternal supervision: African-Americans are less than whites, and it would be a waste of money to try to teach them; additionally, they should be used to for unskilled labor work.

C. Vann Woodward:

These mix ideals of the placement of people of color in society brought the question of equality dealing with: political, economic and social position and stance. That soon brought to light the extreme differences between people of color and the white moderate and what position in society took. With some believing that African Americans were not worthy of education, political position or voice and blaming it on anatomy and Darwinism. The white and black races suffrage to be equivalent in all aspects was a hard battle and according to Griffis: at any time of crisis, the black person would be mistreated. However both World Wars had the long range effect of improving the black person’s position.

argued that the South did not originally subjected to segregation and the Jim Crow laws. Instead, that culture was imposed on the South by the North who set the example for those laws. With the formation of supremacy ideals and the enforcement of segregation between people of color and whites.

• the first institutions to be segregated were churches and schools
• that the conservative, upper-class whites supported civil rights initiatives while poor whites did not probably because they were in place to protect their social status.
• expansion of terror tactics as well as the rise of white supremacy groups.
• “racism was conceived of by some as the very foundation of Southern progressivism”  essentially stating that progress created the racial issues that came to a head in the 1960’s.

Kenneth M. Stamp:

believed that the only way for African Americans to integrated into society, was from the assistance of homesteads. In order to be equal they would also have to work there own land. However people of color at the time lived in poverty, due to there lack of resources given during their time of enslavement. To assist with this issue, the Freeman's Bureau that aided freed slaves. By providing food, shelter, medical care as well as helping African Americans to be working citizens of the community. Even though the program brought a positive impact, the life changing organization was vetoed by President Andrew Jackson. However the monumental cause for people of color was saved by Congress as well as improved. Adding Congress the right to verify contracts and illustrate a judicial system amoungst African American.

Margaret Fuller: American Transcendentalist and Feminist

Margaret Fuller to many America's first true feminist or at least holds a distinctive place in the cultural life of the American Renaissance: a time of reform. Her long career lines as literary critic, editor, journalist, teacher, and political activist resulted ultimately into a turned revolutionary. She was charismatic and a spellbinding conversationalist who attracted not only the wives of prominent citizens, but also other sympathetic social reformers. Fuller was a outside their "sphere" thinker with intoxicating proposition on the issues and views Transcendentalist and equality. After The Dial  ceased publication in 1844, Fuller was to relocate to that New York City and to serve as literary and cultural critic for the paper: the New York Tribune. Where she underwent a time of personal growth with  increased awareness of urban poverty and strengthened her commitment to social justice and to the causes that concerned her: prison reform, Abolitionism, Women's Suffrage, and educational and political equality for minorities. Margaret Fuller was a woman of many causes and as said by Higginson, “many women in one.”

Margaret Fuller was born on May 23, 1810 in Cambridgeport, Massachusetts and received an intense education from her father Timothy Fuller. He taught her Greek and Latin at a very early age. With his prominent role a Lawyer and later role as Congressman he provided Margaret Fuller with a fine education. However her father's death brought financial problems for the family, and she became responsible for the education of her younger siblings. She taught school at Bronson Alcott's Temple School and the Green Street School in Providence for two years; in this of this also had time to write. In 1839 she she established formal conversations on various topics, primarily for women, which were very successful for five years. From 1840 to 1842, she served with Emerson, an intellectual, as editor of The Dial a literary and philosophical journal. She wrote many articles and reviews on art and literature and in 1843 The Dial published her essay The Great Lawsuit. Man versus Men, Woman versus Women where she called for women's equality. She later wrote expansion of her essay titled  Woman in the Nineteenth Century, which became a classic of feminist thought under the newspaper Tribune. In 1846, as foreign correspondent for the Tribune Fuller traveled to Europe. Where sent back articles about letters and art in Europe and  meet many well-known European writers and intellectuals. She was also involved in Italian revolution of 1847; where she met her husband and had a child a year later. When the revolution failed, they decided to sail to America: in May 1850. This trip back to the Americas ended in tragedy after the captain died of smallpox and was hastily replaced by a less accomplished replacement who crashed in a storm off of Fire Island, New York, on July 19, 1850. Where Fuller, her husband, Angelo, and her baby, Ossoli, sadly drowned.

Fuller advocated overall the movement of women suffrage and the importance for equality in the time of reform of the nineteenth century. This equality was directed to everyone those of color, those who were minorities and of course to women. She expressed her strong views through conventions and her writings. Fuller soon became the voice of feminism through her writings: The Great Lawsuit. Man versus Men, Woman versus Women and Woman in the Nineteenth Century. Fuller believed that the only  way to bring about social reform was through understanding human nature. She articulated the unique Transcendental approach of interpreting the world and with that bettering the condition of humankind through the use of Enlightenment and Humanist ideas. And rejected Calvinism and the concept of original sin and instead took a more optimistic view of human nature. Where human nature was  fundamentally good and how legislation tended to blur the morals and ideals of those with power. Fuller wanted to see any type of improvement in society when it came to equality be it through equal educational opportunities to women or the right to vote. However Fuller did long for  immediate changes to society and express dissatisfaction with what she saw as a lack of progress. Reynolds asserts that she “advanced the powerful idea, adopted by her fellow Transcendentalists, that oppression, when resistant to words and moral suasion, must be met with righteous violence.” and advocated for “Radical Reform”. She was molded by the larger reform movement in the American republic as well as by being an active contributor towards reform. This shaped her view of a good society in one that offered equality rights, opportunities and stance to all, not just the Protestant man.

Arthur Tappan American Abolitionist

Arthur Tappan was an American abolitionist with strong and strict moral views . He was the brother of Senator Benjamin Tappan, and abolitionist Lewis Tappan. With help of his successful businesses he contributed a large amount of his wealth to campaign against alcohol and tobacco and more importantly helped fund several anti-slavery journals and in 1831 helped establish America's first Anti-Slavery Society in New York in 1831. Two years later it became a national organization and Tappan was elected its first president. Its main supporters were from religious groups such as the Quakers and the free black community. However some members of the Anti-Slavery Society considered the organization to be too radical. Leading Tappan to leave and form a rival organization: the American and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society. Who was more flexible in critiquing the US Constitution and giving a prominent role to women in the society. He also backed the new anti-slavery Liberty Party. After the Fugitive Slave Law in 1850, Tappan realized that the time for change was now and helped fund the Underground Railroad; regardless of the legal and social cons
equences. The Underground Railroad freed thousands of slaves during the time leading up to the civil war and depicted the struggle and need for freedom in the United States.

Arthur Tappan was born in Northampton, Massachusetts, on 22nd May, 1786 and moved to Boston at the age of 15. Tappan was a generous philanthropist and abolition was one of his chief causes. By 1807 established his own dry goods business in Portland, Maine. He expanded his business investments and had a silk-importing firm based in New York was particularly successful. With his brother, Lewis Tappan, he established America's first commercial credit-rating service in New York City. These business help fund Tappan's radicalist and humanitarian ideals. That often made him the target of hostile northern anti-abolitionist mobs; however this hate did not cause Tappan's fire for equality to dwindle. On the contrary he funded many more Anti-Slavery campaigns like, William Lloyd Garrison's: Thoughts on African Colonization which attacked the American Colonization Society In 1832. With Tappan's support, the pamphlet gained a wide circulation, reaching as far west as Ohio. This pamphlet later had put Tappan head wanted in the South in 1835, southern governments: in East Feliciana, Louisiana, and Mount Meigs, Alabama, he was worth $50,000; New Orleans offered $100,000 for his delivery. Apart from the dangers that arose Tappan helped found the American Anti-Slavery Society; the first national abolitionist organization.. Which he also served as president of. Arthur Tappan died on 23rd July, 1865 in New Haven, Connecticut along with leaving a legacy any abolitionist would be proud of.

Arthur Tappan believed in the importance of temperance in American Society; however believed that Slavery was the biggest issue that America was facing at the time. Due to the major standstill between half the nation and the polarizing effect it was having on the nation’s unity. But overall stood up for the immoral dehumanizing attitude the United States was taking on African Americans. After the Fugitive Slave Act was passed in 1850, Tappan realized that something future then conventions needed to take place in order for social justice to be achieved in the present system. The system would lead no where if not parallel to action. This action was in the form of the Underground Railroad, a maneuver around the Fugitive Act. Being part of the Society of Friends, Tappan was a radical Protestant who challenged traditional assumptions of mankind’s evil nature. These were known as Quakers, they emphasized the inherent dignity of the individual, human equality, and each person’s capacity for goodness. Tappan believed that slavery would be the end of the United States if it continued due to immorality of legislation and not being true to the Constitution and the moral values the country was founded on. Only then would the United States be a good society. Legislation has taken the issue of equality in the back burner to economic stability and according to Tappan this moral dilemma needed to stop. This reform could only be achieved through extensive assembly of radicals willing to take action for the cause of abolishment of slavery;even if it meant breaking the law. Active involvement of its citizens was another essential part of good society in the eyes of Tappan.

Jacksonian Democracy: Arthur M.schiesinger, Jr Point of View

Jeffersonian Democracy was a scapegoat for the times problems of industrialism and aristocracy. It was a mere set of social choices for the rich aristocracy class to insure a “common vision” and offered possibilities of success and prosperity to the millions who suffered the tyranny of Britain and now were apart of state not of evil, but of one of sacredness that can be compared to nothing else. This hopla was a theological way of dealing with the government/democracy and had it’s limitations through maximums of the freedom of enterprise without government interference; making it very one dimensional. The issue of competition, in the eyes of Jefferson, was simple those most power will complete amongst themselves. However a the system of enterprise is far more complex than that, one central power arises it monopolizes the business around it. When these monopolies arise there will no longer me room or the possibility of composition for all the power is in one central group; this was the Jacksonian point of view.Jacksonian democracy, putting aside the centralized power issue, placed government in a more practical view in one that need government interference in order to exercise true freedom of enterprise and back to the root of true American democracy.

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