At the end of the civil war a boom in industrial job opportunities became abundant for all Americans. This
industrilaization pushed women into work outside of thier normal house wife duties. Women could do such jobs as food
processing, textiles, clothing , and cigar making. By the 1900's, over one million childern were working to help their famlies
needs and people were being paid more and more every year. In 1875, the average industrial worker would be on the job for
9.9 hours and was paid a basic amount of 169.20 per month, but in 1891 for less hours, 9.4, they were being paid 172.50.
(doc a) The raise in pay for fewer hours was an act by the National Labor Union, which was helping workers all over the
country get paid a more decent wage for the hours they worked. It also helped protect workers by creating insurance for the
men and women killed or hurt on the job, those being mostly railroad workers and factory workers.
In the beginning of the industrial boom, men came together to figure out how to obtain a better work environment for
themselves and for future workers. Before the Civil war, Unions were already beginning to form. Skilled craft workers joined
together to protect themselves from greedy bosses and/or employers. Railroad workers created the above mentioned
insurance fund for those killed or hurt on the railroad lines so they could be compensated. The National Labor Union was
formed as a nationwide organization with the purpose of addressing unfair wages and they tried to make companies schedule
their labor for mainly eight hour shifts for the well being of their workers.
The Great Road strike of 1877, which was the strike against the Baltimore and Ohio Road, turned out to be a violent
event. Workers destroyed trains and parts of tracks, which lead to the president sending in troops to break the strike up. (
DOC B) This was the country's first strike because
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