Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Ap Us History: 1865 1898: The Gilded Age: The Knights of Labor
Discusses the rise of labor unions and the history of the Knights of Labor. After the Haymarket Square riots, members deserted it and many joined the American Federation of Labor instead. Includes questions for students at end.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Social Studies Help Center
Social Studies Help Center: The Labor Union Movement in America
Discusses the Labor Union Movement in America from its origins in the 1700's.
Ohio History Central
Ohio History Central: Industrial Workers of the World
A very brief description of the Industrial Workers of the World and what they represented.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: American Federation of Labor
Samuel Gompers, master organizer, had a vision of a national union that would have economic clout, but would steer clear of politics. Read about his organization of skilled workers in craft unions under the banner of the American...
Ohio History Central
Ohio History Central: Samuel Gompers
A brief biography of Samuel Gompers focusing primarily on his activities in labor union history.
Ohio History Central
Ohio History Central: Great Steel Strike of 1919
Ohio History Central gives a brief summary of the Great Steel Strike of 1919, an attempt by steel workers to get higher pay and a shorter work day. Find out the results of the strike.
Ohio History Central
Ohio History Central: Terence Powderly
A brief biography of Terence Powderly, formative leader of the Knights of Labor, as well as an official in the Bureau of Immigration.
University of Houston
University of Houston: An American Industrial Revolution Unit: Rise of Labor
Students learn about the history of the labor movement in Industrial America, including some of the major unions that emerged and the most well-known strikes. Next, they make connections to the role of unions today. They then work in...
Seymour Brody
Jewish Heroes in America: Samuel Gompers
Use this site to learn about this former president of The American Federation of Labor, who was a leader in the labor movement in the early 1900s.