Chicago History Museum
Encyclopedia of Chicago: Railroad Strike of 1877
This article from the Encyclopedia of Chicago explains how a strike by railroad workers in West Virginia eventually made its way to Chicago and was taken up by workers from many industries. See how city officials resolved this general...
Other
Usa: Chapter 9: Labor in America: The Worker's Role
Chapter 9 provides an overview of the profound changes labor has undergone from agrarian times to a modern industrial state in the 20th Century and outlines the significance and history of organized labor.
PBS
Pbs: American Experience: The Rockefellers: The Ludlow Massacre
This American Experience film about the Rockefellers includes this accounting of the Ludlow Massacre in Colorado and John D. Rockefeller, Jr.'s role in the business decisions that had a role in fomenting it.
Other
Battle of Homestead Foundation: The 1892 Battle of Homestead
An interesting account of the Homestead Strike of 1892. Learn about the demands of the steelworkers and the violent response of the factory owners. Find drawings and pictures of what happened.
Library of Congress
Loc: America at the Turn of the Century
A short report on America by 1900: "..the American nation had established itself as a world power. The West was Won. The frontier -- the great fact of 300 years of American history -- was no more."
Ohio History Central
Ohio History Central: United Mine Workers of America
A look at the history of the United Mine Workers from its inception to present day. Find out what causes the UMW supported.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Eugene v. Debs and American Socialism
Read about the growth of the Socialist Party in America under the leadership of Eugene V. Debs. Find out about the strikes he led, his political activities, and his arrest for sedition in 1918. Read also about the radical union,...
Other
Illinois Labor History Society: The Haymarket and Its Memorial
This site contains a description of the Haymarket Tragedy, and also includes many related topics.
Other
Illinois Labor History Society: Gene Debs and the American Railway Union
Description of the rise and fall of the American Railway Union in the context of the Pullman Strike.
Other
Nysed: Comparing the Homestead Strike of 1892 With the Great Strike of 1877
As part of a larger lesson plan about the Railroad Strike of 1877, this lesson asks students to compare that strike with the Homestead Strike against Carnegie's steel plant. Activity directions and questions are provided.
Ohio State University
E History: Labor Management Conflict
History of the labor/management conflicts that occurred around the country at the beginning of the 20th century. Click on each of the links to get information about each of the conflicts.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: The Great Upheaval
What started as a localized railway strike by workers upset by a pay cut spread across the country in the summer of 1877. Read about the striking workers and the force used against them, how the strike affected rail service, and what the...
Other
Encyclopedia of Cleveland History:1919 Steel Strike
This brief article describes the actions of the local steel unions in Cleveland in support of the national steel strike of 1919. Find out about the effect of the strike on the unions.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Ap Us History: 1865 1898: Labor Battles in the Gilded Age
Discusses the Homestead Strike of 1892 and the Pullman Strike of 1894 and how these ended, as well as responses of the federal government to the labor movement. Includes questions for students at end.
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...
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.
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.
History Link
History Link: Seattle General Strike, 1919
Read the history of the Seattle General Strike in 1919. Find out what its objectives were and why it ended up as a failure.
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.
PBS
Pbs: American Experience: Eight Anarchists: August Spies
Read about the fate of August Spies, union activist and anarchist, who was involved with the demonstration at Haymarket in Chicago.
Other
Ussc the Pullman Strike: Its Causes and Events
An excerpt from U.S. Strike Commission Report on the Pullman Strike. Site presents questions at the end for study.
Chicago History Museum
Encyclopedia of Chicago: Haymarket and May Day
Read this historical account of the events that led to the infamous labor dispute known as the Haymarket Square Riots on May 4th of 1886.
Other
Amdocs:ludlow Massacre, 1913: Song by Woody Guthrie
Read the words of a Woody Guthrie song giving an account of the Ludlow Massacre during the Colorado coal strikes in 1913.
Chicago History Museum
Encyclopedia of Chicago: Soldiers in Gary During Steel Strike, 1919
See a picture of soldiers parading down the street in Gary, Indiana, during the Great Steel Strike of 1919. A quote from union leadership explains the reasons behind the strike.