For many of us, the word “rebellion” conjures up the plot of a popular movie – did you know that – starring a group of loyal rebels heroically battling the evil Galactic Empire?
This is something you don’t really associate with America because it’s a country that hasn’t been conquered since its freedom from England. However, from 1886 until the late 1930s, the United States experienced various uprisings. Yes, that was a US thing at the time, who or what were they fighting against and why?
The answer is that, for half a century, American workers have rebelled against the companies that employ them in protest of their inability to escape labor inequality.
Immediately after the Civil War, the United States experienced a massive boom in industrialization, made possible by new “technologies” such as the telegraph and railroads, which improved communications and increased productivity. For the first time, farmers will be able to move natural resources like cotton, coal and grain across the country faster. Industrialization was so rapid and widespread that from 1865 to 1913, the United States was the world’s leading industrial nation!
Famous American businessmen such as Rockefeller and Carnegie formed monopolies, especially in steel, railroads and manufacturing. Of course, driving industry required labor, and with the country’s growing population and influx of European immigrants, the supply of labor seemed inexhaustible.
But nearly all workers live and work in dire conditions, working 12- to 16-hour shifts with no pensions, sick pay, job security, or even holidays. Corporate profits soared, but not to employees.
Over time, these workers began to resist big companies. Workers across the United States organized regardless of gender, religion, or race. Unions emerged to demand or bargain collectively to improve working conditions and immediately end unfair labor practices.
This exciting first part provides in-depth guidance on the development of the American labor movement, its connection to the American industrial economy, and how equality is also an aspect of freedom.
Director Scott Noble
