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.