NEW
Font size
WorksheetsPractice-Workers Organize; Child Labor
Total questions: 58
Worksheet time: 29mins
Where did the Industrial Revolution begin before spreading to the United States?
United States in the 1800s
Germany in the 1700s
France in the 1600s
Great Britain in the 1700s
Why did mill owners prefer hiring children in textile mills?
They could pay children much less
Children refused shorter hours
Laws required hiring children
Children worked slower than adults
Which task did a spinner perform in a textile mill?
Carried coal in heavy carts
Tied broken thread ends quickly
Stamped labels on finished cloth
Repaired factory steam engines
How long were typical workdays for children in textile mills?
About 6 to 7 hours daily
About 3 to 4 hours daily
About 10 to 12 hours daily
About 14 to 16 hours daily
Which statement best explains a health risk from mill working conditions?
Open windows caused fevers
Heavy boots bruised ankles
Bright lights strained eyes
Lint in the air damaged lungs
Compare spinners and doffers in textile mills. Which pairing is correct?
Spinners loaded wagons; doffers stitched buttons
Spinners tied threads; doffers replaced full spools
Spinners carried coal; doffers cleaned chimneys
Spinners ran looms; doffers checked pay slips
Which job did many children perform in textile mills that involved tying thread ends together quickly?
Spinner tying broken thread ends rapidly
Carder brushing raw cotton into sheets
Sorter organizing bales in storage
Weaver arranging finished cloth on looms
What made breathing in textile mills especially harmful for child workers?
Metal dust from machines caused cuts
Steam from boilers caused constant burns
Lint filled the air and settled in lungs
Coal smoke from furnaces blocked exits
Why did mill owners prefer hiring children instead of adults?
Adults refused to work near the looms
Law required a child in every work team
Children learned complex repairs faster
They could pay children lower weekly wages
Breaker boys in coal mines mainly did which task during long shifts?
Guided mine carts through underground tunnels
Crouched to break coal from rock by hand
Drilled blast holes into the mine walls
Poured oil to keep machinery running smoothly
Which health risk was common for children working in coal mines?
Frostbite from year-round freezing air
Dehydration from banned drinking breaks
Radiation sickness from uranium deposits
Poisonous gas exposure and dust inhalation
Which job was common for children working in oyster canneries?
Delivering milk to city apartments
Carrying coal carts into deep tunnels
Prying open shells with sharp knives
Sewing buttons on factory uniforms
What best explains why many farm and cannery child workers did not attend school?
Schools refused to enroll immigrant children
They moved frequently with their families for work
Factories required night classes for child workers
Cities had laws banning farm kids from school
Which event led to new safety laws after killing 146 workers in New York City?
Collapse of a coal mining elevator
Triangle Shirtwaist fire in a sweatshop
Streetcar accident involving newsboys
Explosion at a rural cannery warehouse
Newsies earned money only under which condition?
They delivered papers to factory owners
They returned unsold papers by sunset
They subscribed to company training
They sold the newspapers they purchased
Which change did reforms in the 1930s bring for American children?
Mandatory work in local canneries and farms
Permission to work nights in sweatshops
Higher pay for street vending positions
Limits on hours and types of jobs allowed
Which group was created in 1904 to campaign for laws protecting children from dangerous work?
National Child Labor Committee (NCLC)
American Industrial Owners League
United States Farmhands Union
Child Street Vendors Association
What was one major effect of the new child labor laws passed in the 1930s?
Families moved back to small farms
Newsies earned higher commissions
Children could focus more on school
Factories hired only adult immigrants
What was one way business owners in the late 1800s tried to keep their profits high?
By increasing workers' wages
By running their factories as cheaply as possible
By providing free meals to workers
By shortening work hours
What is a sweatshop?
A place where workers are paid high wages
A place where workers labor long hours under poor conditions for low wages
A factory with advanced safety equipment
A business owned by workers
How many railroad workers were injured each year due to lack of safety equipment?
2,000
10,000
30,000
50,000
In the 1880s, what was the average weekly wage for workers?
Less than $10
$20
$50
More than $100
Who often worked in sweatshops?
Only adults
Only children
Both children and adults
Only business owners
What did workers form to try to improve their lives?
Factories
Labor unions
Sweatshops
Businesses
Why did some factory owners refuse to buy safety equipment?
To keep their profits high
To protect workers
To make work easier
To follow government rules
What was a consequence for families when a worker missed work due to illness?
They became wealthy
The family went into debt
They received government help
The factory paid their bills
How did sending work to sweatshops benefit factory owners?
It increased workers' wages
It allowed owners to avoid building larger factories
It improved working conditions
It reduced the number of workers
Why did workers feel that only other working people could understand their troubles?
Because business owners were very generous
Because they shared similar hardships and experiences
Because they all owned factories
Because they had high wages
What type of work did factory and sweatshop workers typically do all day?
Creating entire products
Doing the same repetitive tasks, like sewing collars or making buttonholes
Managing businesses
Designing new machines
Explain why labor unions were formed by workers in the late 1800s.
To negotiate with business owners for better wages and working conditions
To help owners increase profits
To create more sweatshops
To reduce the number of workers
Based on the text, what might be a long-term effect of consistently low wages on families?
Families would save more money
Families would struggle to pay expenses and risk going into debt
Families would buy more tools for work
Families would open their own factories
Using evidence from the text, explain how the lack of safety equipment affected railroad workers.
It made their jobs easier
It led to thousands of injuries and deaths each year
It increased their wages
It reduced the number of workers needed
If you were a worker in the late 1800s, what steps might you take to improve your working conditions based on the information in the text?
Work longer hours
Join a labor union to negotiate for better wages and conditions
Buy your own safety equipment
Open a sweatshop
Which group was one of the first national labor unions in the United States?
United Traders Union
American Farmers League
Knights of Labor
Industrial Merchants Club
How were the Knights of Labor different from many other unions at that time?
They required members to be soldiers
They opposed all national strikes
They worked only for railroad owners
They allowed women and African Americans
Which economic event in 1873 hurt workers and led to unrest?
A severe economic depression
A gold rush migration
A nationwide tax increase
A long drought season
What action by the B&O Railroad triggered workers to stop running trains in Martinsburg, West Virginia?
Hiring only new immigrant labor
Announcing a ten percent wage cut
Raising ticket prices by half
Closing stations for repairs
Who started the initial strike that led to the Railroad Strike of 1877?
Local business owners
Federal government officials
A national union committee
Railroad workers themselves
What was the nationwide event called when strikes spread across cities and industries in 1877?
The Railroad Strike of 1877
The Workers’ Freedom Rally
The Great Factory Walkout
The National Labor March
What was one effect of the Railroad Strike of 1877 on the country?
Most factories doubled workers’ pay
State militias refused to get involved
Rail travel improved nationwide
Some cities saw chaos and deadly clashes
Even though the strike did not end the pay cut, what did it clearly show?
American workers were very upset
Railroads were losing all profits
Unions were banned by all states
Trains could run without workers
Which statement best connects cause and effect during this period?
Wage cuts led to strikes that spread widely
Gold discoveries brought wealth to railroads
Factory machines reduced farm work needs
New train routes made travel faster
Which belief is most closely linked with socialists during the union struggles of the 1880s?
Everyone should share ownership and profits
Only unions should control all factories
Government should be completely eliminated
Businesses should always stay privately owned
Which event began when union leaders held a protest at Haymarket Square in Chicago?
The Haymarket Affair unfolded
The Great Railroad Strike started
The Pullman Strike erupted
The Homestead Battle occurred
During the Haymarket gathering, what happened after police moved in to end the meeting?
A bomb exploded and chaos followed
Workers quietly returned to jobs
The mayor ordered a citywide curfew
Leaders signed a peace agreement
Which action by the McCormick Harvester Company escalated tensions in 1886?
Locking out union workers and hiring replacements
Agreeing to negotiate with strike leaders
Granting wage increases and shorter hours
Merging with a rival farm equipment maker
Which outcome followed the Haymarket Affair for labor unions?
Public support for unions dropped sharply
The Knights of Labor grew stronger
Union membership rose dramatically
Police stopped arresting union leaders
At Homestead in 1892, what first step did Andrew Carnegie’s steel mill take that led to conflict?
Cut workers’ wages at the mill
Closed the plant for safety
Gave bonuses to new hires
Announced longer paid vacations
How did the company prepare to break the Homestead Strike?
Locked out workers and hired armed guards
Gave every worker back pay increases
Invited union leaders to a banquet
Shut down all national rail lines
What was the final result of the Homestead Strike after four months?
The strike failed and the union was defeated
Workers won and gained higher wages
Both sides agreed to profit sharing
The company permanently closed the mill
In 1894, how did the Pullman Palace Car Company change workers’ pay and expenses?
Cut pay by a quarter but kept rent the same
Cut both pay and company housing rent
Raised pay by a quarter and lowered rent
Kept pay the same and canceled rent
Why did many Pullman workers have almost no money left after the pay cut?
Union dues quadrupled overnight
High rent for company housing stayed the same
Train tickets became more expensive
Food prices doubled in company stores
What action did Eugene V. Debs ask railroad workers to take during the Pullman Strike?
Destroy company passenger cars
Block bridges across the Midwest
Refuse to handle Pullman train cars
Occupy the main rail yards
What was the national effect when workers followed Debs’s call in the Pullman Strike?
Rail traffic nearly stopped across the country
City streetcars carried more passengers
Factories increased steel production
Mail delivery sped up dramatically
Which government response ended the Pullman Strike and led to Debs’s arrest?
The Supreme Court ruled for the union
The governor ordered a statewide curfew
Congress passed a new wage law for railroads
President sent federal troops to stop the strike
Who helped start the American Federation of Labor (AFL) in 1886 and led it for decades?
Andrew Carnegie led the AFL
Grover Cleveland led the AFL
Samuel Gompers led the AFL
Eugene V. Debs led the AFL
Which best describes the AFL’s main strategies to improve working conditions?
Using strikes, boycotts, and negotiations
Selling company housing to workers
Relying on court rulings and curfews
Organizing only unskilled farm laborers
By 1904, about how many members did the AFL have nationwide?
Nearly 70 thousand members
Around 1.7 million members
About 170 thousand members
Roughly 7 million members
