American History Chapter 6: The Expansion of American IndustryIII. Industrialization and Workers

Objectives of Lesson: Key Concepts

• What factors led to a growing American work force between 1860 – 1900?

• What was factory work like at the turn of the century?

• Why was it necessary for entire families to work?

Attention Getter• Students, write down the words and phrases that you

associate with the idea of work. Then circle all the positive words and phrases on their list.

• How many are there verses negative words?

Recall Prior Knowledge• Why did people come to work in industry?

Setting the Scene• What do you know about child labor in the US

in the late 1800s?

• Are children permitted to work in this country today?

• Do other countries in the world permit child labor?

• Read the quote by Sadie Frowne found on page 243 of your textbook.

• What is your opinion on child labor?

A) The Growing Work Force• Most of the new work force is immigrants and

farmers

• Immigrant are people who move to this country from another country

• Farmers moved to the cities because of poor economic conditions in the rural areas.

B) Factory Work• 10 -12 hour work day – 6 days a week15) piecework: those who worked the fastest and

produced the most pieces earned the most money

16) Sweatshops – place where employees worked long hours at low wages with poor working conditions

• Frederick Winslow Taylor studied workers movements to improve efficiency. He choreographed movement so there would be no wasted time or energy. In other words more work less pay. It worked so people were actually laid off because workers were more efficient.

a) The Division of Labor17)Division of labor – workers performed only

one small task, over and over – efficient but boring

b) The Work Environment• Discipline was strict – fined for being late –

talking – or refusing to do a task

• Not safe – fatigue, bad equipment, careless training – no shortage of labor though

• Jacob Riis – wrote Children of the Poor, gave a very accurate and critical look of children workers – helped stop the practice of children in the workplace.

• Pictures: children in the workplace

C) Working Families• Children helped feed the family• Left school at 12• Mothers left children with family• Illness or accident of mother, father or older siblings

meant 6 year olds had to work.• Unemployment insurance did not exist. Workman’s

compensation did not exist.• Social Darwinist believed that poverty resulted from

personal weakness – unemployment money would encourage idleness.

• Picture: after the workday and family dinner – this family sits down to work on a second job before bedtime.

Summarize and Review• What factors led to a growing American work

force between 1860 and 1900?

• What was factory work like at the turn of the century?

• Why was it necessary for entire families to work?

Process Information• On a scratch piece of paper, write down a

schedule for a 17 year old worker’s daily life during the turn of the century. Then write down your schedule for today.

Finished Section 6.3• Once you finish, go back to the web-page and

download and print quiz 6.3. After completing the quiz, send an e-mail to me with your answers. In the subject line put (your first and last name – quiz 6.3)

• When you finish with that – check with the syllabus to find out when section 6.4 needs to be completed

• Good Luck!