Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Ap Us History: 1890 1945: The Age of Empire: Muckrakers
Discusses the muckraking journalists and novelists who were at the forefront of movements pushing for stronger protections for workers and consumers. Their work led to the passage of several important pieces of legislation. Includes...
Other
Nlrb: 1947 Taft Hartley Substantive Provisions
The Taft-Hartley Act was a contentious law aimed at limiting the influence of labor unions immediately after World War II. Read about the act and the changes it made to the Wagner Act.
Georgia Humanities Council and the University of Georgia Press.
New Georgia Encyclopedia: Knights of Labor
Reference source for information on the history of the labor organization, the Knights of Labor, nationally and in Georgia, in particular, in the late 1800s and the role it played in organizing southern laborers. Hyperlinks to additional...
Library of Congress
Loc: Labor Unions and Working Conditions: United We Stand
Think about your work environment. Are you allowed to rest periodically? Do you earn a decent wage? Can you voice your concerns without losing your job? There was a time when workers in the United States did not have basic rights such as...
Library of Congress
Loc: Learning Page: Labor Unions During the Great Depression and the New Deal
A timeline of events related to the Great Depression, labor unions and the New Deal along with primary sources.
Library of Congress
Loc: Learning Page: Labor in America
A rich collection of resources, including primary sources, student activities, and lesson plans, to support study of Americans at work in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Other
Encyclopedia of Arkansas: Knights of Labor
Read about the impact of the Knights of Labor on labor issues in Arkansas. Find out about the strikes they participated in for various work groups, and read about their political activity in a time of third-party elections.
Ohio History Central
Ohio History Central: American Federation of Labor
A history of the American Federation of Labor and its organization in 1881 by Samuel Gompers. Read about its growth and eventual combining with the Congress of Industrial Organization to become the AFL-CIO.
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Gilder Lehrman Institute: History Now: Postwar Labor Tensions
[Free Registration/Login Required] A brief look at the growth of unions in the early 20th century. Read about the strikes in 1919 and their consequences.
Library of Economics and Liberty
Concise Encyclopedia of Economics: Labor Unions
A brief history, structure, and description of the impact of labor unions in America.
Other
The Progressive Magazine
Homepage of the national magazine for peace and social justice, THE PROGRESSIVE. Read recent news regarding social justice here.
CommonLit
Common Lit: Text Sets: The Gilded Age
This is a collection of 8 Grade-Leveled texts (5-12) on the topic "The Gilded Age." Mark Twain named 1870-1900 "The Gilded Age" in hopes of capturing how the era of serious social problems was veiled by a thin layer of gold. While robber...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Book Pairings: "Bud, Not Buddy" by Christopher Paul Curtis
After losing his mother four years ago, 10-year-old Bud Caldwell runs away from the foster care system in search of the father he has never met. Selected (11) reading passages (grades 5-8) to pair with "Bud, Not Buddy" by Christopher...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Text Sets: Workers' Rights
As America grew, so did its production of agriculture and manufacturing, leading to a rise in workers and their demands. Study the history of worker's rights in America from the Industrial Revolution to today. This collection includes 13...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Book Pairings: "Esperanza Rising" by Pam Munoz Ryan
Esperanza is a young girl forced to leave behind a life of luxury in Mexico for a farm workers camp in California. The new experience brings Esperanza timeless lessons on life and love. Selected (7) reading passages (grades 5-8) to pair...
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Comission
Explore Pa History: Founding Convention of the Cio Historical Marker
Read about the formation of the Congress of Industrial Organizations, a union that represented steel workers, among many other factoy workers. Find out about their tactics used in strikes during the Great Depression.
Library of Congress
Loc: America's Story: Cesar Chavez
Learn about Cesar Chavez (1927-1993), the Mexican American labor activist and leader of the United Farm Workers. During the 20th century, he was a leading voice for migrant farm workers.
Other
Afscme: "I've Been to the Mountaintop" by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Learn about the the events of the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike which drew Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to Memphis, which is where he was soon to be assassinated. Excellent source of primary sources and first hand accounts of the...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Forming Unions
This activity uses technology to generate interest in the study of labor unions. Middle schoolers will use the Internet for research and conclude with a presentation about union leaders or labor organizations.
Digital Public Library of America
Dpla: The Homestead Strike
This primary source set uses illustrations, documents, and photographs to tell the story of the Homestead Strike.
Tennessee Historical Society
Tennessee Encyclopedia: Knights of Labor
The Tennessee Encyclopedia offers an interesting account of the Knights of Labor organization, particularly its actions in Tennessee. Read about how immigrants, African Americans, and women were all included in the membership of the...
University of Washington
University of Washington: Knights of Labor History and Geography 1869 1899
Overview of the Knights of Labor with maps showing the expansion of the Knights by color-coded time period, the number of local assemblies in each LA county, and more.
Library of Congress
Loc: American Memory: Drawing of the National Women's Trade Union League Seal
American Memory's resources on American Women include a drawing of the seal of the National Women's Trade Union League's seal and a short description of the purpose of the league.
University of Groningen
American History: Essays: The Iron Horse: The Railroad Unions
From a lengthy essay on the history of the railroad in the United States. This section lists a number of the railroad unions that formed in the latter half of the 19th century, and what they stood for.