Other
Colorado Coal Field War History
Presented is a fascinating detailed account of the 1913-1914 Colorado Coal Strike that went on for 14 months and resulted in 66 deaths. Although the coal miners lost, they ultimately came to see the strike as a victory in many ways....
Other
Economic History Services: The Us Coal Industry in the Nineteenth Century
A look at the coal industry in the United States across the entire nineteenth century. Halfway through the page there is information about the advent of unions to represent the coal miners doing such a dangerous job.
Curated OER
History Matters: "The Republic Is Imperiled": John L. Lewis Warns of Ignoring Laboring People
Excerpts from Senate testimony given by John L. Lewis in 1933, when he was President of the United Mine Workers of America.
Digital History
Digital History: Samuel Gompers and the American Federation of Labor
A good look at not only Samuel Gompers and the formation of the American Federation of Labor, but also of the course of unionism in general, its successes and failures, its goals, and membership in the late 19th century.
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Comission
Explore Pa History: William B. Wilson Historical Marker
Read about the political life of William B. Wilson and find out why he was a good fit as the first Secretary of Labor in the cabinet of Woodrow Wilson.
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Comission
Expore Pa History: Stories From Pa History: Labor Strikes and Mine Disasters
Read about the dangers of coal mining in Pennsylvania, the emergence of unions in an attempt to protect the miners, and some of the mining disasters that took place in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Other
Irc History: The Ludlow Massacre
A good explanation of the Ludlow Massacre in the coalfields of Colorado and what led up to it. In addition, there is an interesting description of how this violent reaction to a strike by miners affected John D. Rockefeller, Jr., one of...
Other
American Federation of Labor: John Lewis (1880 1969)
Biographical information on John L. Lewis, who was president of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA), and also the founding president of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO).