The Great Upheaval

From 1870 to 1890, the laborers of America came to realize the dangerous conditions and unfair pay they were working for. These conditions developed out of the expansion of industry which required more laborers to work for less pay in order for the employer to achieve the same profit. Employers were in a sense, cheating their workers with long work days and very few benefits. In response, workers began to form large unions, both nonviolent and violent, such as the Knights of Labor and the American Federation of Labor (AFL). Smaller unions were also formed but they were short lived and held no substantial power to improve the working environment of the laborer. Strikes were frequent and when laborers became aware of them, the strikes spread to different cities. The Haymarket Riot and the Great Railroad Strikes are prime examples of violent strikes that ultimately led to the improvement of labor conditions. Of all the efforts on part of the laborers, it was the violent strikes in the 1870’s - 1890’s, such as the Haymarket Riot, that caught the attention of employers and motivated them to listen to the laborers and improve working conditions and wages.

The factory conditions people worked in were unhealthy and sometimes unsafe. Also as the industries expanded, it was easy for employers to find fresh supplies of labor among women and children. Highly skilled workers were not necessary for the booming industry to function which is why women and children could be used (Pelling 49). Because of these conditions, there was a surge of both men and women of every trade and skill who joined labor organizations in the thousands and began to strike frequently. This period of frequent strikes is commonly referred to as the “Great Upheaval” (...

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...t. There are many examples throughout history that confirm that aggression is often the only way to achieve change. The eight-hour workday and two day weekend took over a hundred years to achieve. If the only steps taken to reach these conditions were peaceful and non-violent, workers of America might still be fighting for them today. It is because of the success of the early unions that employees today have influence over how fairly they are treated in the workplace. The violent strikes which took place from 1870 to 1890 were absolutely necessary. Labor conditions improved tenfold and the strikes proved that laborers would not give up no matter how employers struck back. Peaceful unions fell because they were easy to silence whereas unions that embraced aggression were able to get the attention of the employers and force them to improve the conditions and wages.