Topic 5 Quiz

In the Pullman Strike...

• managers cut wages and locked out the workers to destroy their union

• the Knights of Labor led railroad workers in a demand for the eight-hour day and finally got it from the railroad

• the state of Illinois supported the American Railway Union by forcing the railroad companies to negotiate with the union.

• the federal government used an injunction, troops against workers, and jailed the union leaders demonstrating their pro-business position

Which is NOT true of Mary Harris "Mother" Jones?

• She organized the Children’s Crusade which brought the issue of child labor to the forefront of public discussion

• She was one of the founding members of the I. W. W. in 1905

• She dedicated her life to break JP Morgan's US Steel

• She was an organizer and agitator for the Knights of Labor and United Mine Workers.

"Yellow dog" contracts were contracts

• that guaranteed that only union members would be hired.

• limiting hours and increasing workers' wages

• negotiated by unions and employers that limited the amount of immigrants hired by the company

• in which workers promised not to strike or join a union

Which of the following is NOT true of the American Federation of Labor?

• Its goal was to unite all industrial and agricultural workers in "one big union"

• It pushed for closed shops, meaning that companies could only hire union workers.

• I t organized skilled workers in craft unions under the leadership of Samuel Gompers in order to achieve economic gains.

All of the following are true about American labor movement in the late 19th century EXCEPT

• Unions focused on higher wages, better conditions, and making the "eight-hour day" the standard throughout all industries

• Unions were successful in establishing themselves but failed to win many concessions by striking

• Strikes were often violent and put down by local police, state militia, and federal troops.

• No attempt was made to organize unskilled workers

Which was NOT a problem faced by most American factory workers in the late 19th century?

• boring repetitive tasks

• dangerous conditions

• good working conditions

• periodic unemployment

Which is NOT true of how the U.S. government initially reacted towards movements to establish trade unions in businesses and factories in the latter half of the nineteenth century?

• The Supreme Court applied the Sherman Antitrust Act to union activities, ruling that strikes were an illegal interference with interstate commerce.

• Government leaders generally sympathized with business owners against labor because they received money from business and also believed in laissez-faire.

• Courts frequently ruled against unions because judges viewed unions as conspiracies to interfere with trade.

• It stayed out of business affairs, supporting neither businesses nor unions, unless one side or the other broke the law.

“Where trade unions are most firmly organized, there are the rights of the people most respected.” Based on your knowledge of the labor movement in the late 19th and early 20th century, to whom would this quote be attributed?

• JP Morgan

• Andrew Carnegie

• Samuel Gompers

• John D. Rockerfeller

"Monied power is fast eating the substance of the people. We have made war upon it, and we mean to win it. If we can, we will through the ballot box; If not, we will resort to sterner means. A little blood-letting is sometimes necessary in desperate cases." William Sylvis, National Labor Union, 1869

From the quote above, what conclusion can be reached about the labor movement in the United States in the last half of the 19th century?

• Labor unions were increasingly becoming led by communist who aspired to overthrow the government.

• Labor was organizing and willing to resort to violence to achieve its goals.

• Labor was not in agreement in the means to achieve its goals

• Labor sought the help of politicians to achieve its goals.

How were the Homestead and Pullman strikes similar?

• Both ended in important defeats for organized labor

• Both were led by union organizer Eugene V. Debs.

• Both involved peaceful resolutions.

• Both were ended by the federal injunctions and federal troops.