Homestead+Strike+of+1892

Homestead Strike of 1892

__The Company__ The Homestead Steel Plant was owned by **Andrew Carnegie**, one of the wealthiest "captains of industry" at the time. He was also known as a "robber baron" because he drove competitors to ruin through vertical consolidation and did not recognize worker unions. The Company’s President was **Henry C. Frick**. Frick was also a self-made millionaire from the empire that he built from a coke supply for iron and steel production. Carnegie took a vacation when the strike occured and Frick took sole responsibility of the plant. In 1892 the status of the plant was changing. Frick and Carnegie found cutting the wages and eliminating the labor union necessary because the price of steel dropped in 1890 contributing to reduced profits and stiff competition from other producers. These changes to the company led to worker unrest. [A][B][C] //The **Carnegie Steel Corporation**, (above) capitalized at $25,000,000 and was the world's largest manufacturing firm at the time.//  __The Workers __

 The average steel mill worker at Carnegie’s steel plant in **Homestead Pennsylvania** worked twelve-hour shifts, seven days a week. Carnegie gave his workers a single holiday ,the Fourth of July. For the rest of the year they worked like draft animals. //"Hard! I guess it's hard,"// said a laborer at the Homestead mill. //"I lost forty pounds the first three months I came into this business. It sweats the life out of a man. I often drink two buckets of water during twelve hours; the sweat drips through my sleeves, and runs down my legs and fills my shoes." // The demanding conditions took the life from workers. //"You don't notice any old men here," // said another Homestead laborer in 1894. //"The long hours, the strain, and the sudden changes of temperature use a man up." //  At the Homestead plant as well as other iron and steel plants, the status or workers were changing and the owners of the plants were using this opportunity for greater profits. With the advanced technology of the 2nd Industrial Revolution, skilled workers were no longer necessary for the production of steel and could easily be replaced with nonunion workers. When the **Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers Union** was about to expire, the workers felt that their wages, union, and jobs were at risk. [D] //Above shows the famous 1892 lithograph of the Homestead Battle scenes by Edwin Rowe. The images show how the workers became strikers. It shows how they participated in what was known as the Homestead Battle to save their jobs and keep their rights. //

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">__The Union__ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">The union that represented Carnegie’s Homestead steel plant in Pennsylvania was the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers Union, also known as the AAISW. The AAISW was an American labor union formed in 1876 which represented iron and steel workers. As a Union, it protected the rights of the steel workers in matters such as hours, working conditions, and wages. <span style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: medium; line-height: normal;"> The union was made up of over 24,000 members and was one of the largest iron and steel unions in the United States. <span style="color: #121917; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> Although the union represented only 750 of Homestead's 3,800 laborers, 3,000 voted to launch a strike, wanting the rights that the union provided for the workers. The results of the Homestead Strike ended the union for decades, but showed the struggle of power between the owners and the workers. [E] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">//Above shows the seal of the AAISW. It shows the United States National bird holding a balance in his beak to symbolize the equality for all iron and steel workers. Below the eagle it shows to hands shaking with eachother to show the partnership and union between all workers of the union.// __<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Strike! __

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">June 29, 1892 the entire workforce of the Carnegie steel manufacturing plant went on strike in Homestead Pennsylvania. In early 1892, Henry C. Frick, Carnegie's President of the plant, began to stockpile rolled steel plate in anticipation of the AAISW union's contract expiring. As the contract was about to expire, Frick notified the union that he planned to cut wages and that the union would no longer be representative of the workers. The union knew that they were being ousted out and the workers knew it too, but workers were determined to keep their union and their rights. Frick anticipated this resistance and built a twelve foot barbed wire fence around the plant and contracted 300 **Pinkerton** detectives for protection. The Pinkerton National Detective Agency, usually shortened to the Pinkertons, is a private U.S. security guard and detective agency. During the labor unrest of the late 19th century and early 20th century, businessmen such as Frick hired the Pinkerton Agency to provide agents that would infiltrate unions, to supply guards to keep strikers and suspected unionists out of factories, and sometimes to recruit squads to intimidate workers. In return, three thousand workers voted to stage a strike. They seized the plant to prevent job replacement by nonunion workers and established a committee for guards and for issuing rules. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">On July 5, 1892 Frick assembled three hundred armed Pinkertons and brought them by river to the Homestead plant where five thousand strikers were waiting on the ready to defend themselves and the plant. When the Pinkertons tried to seize the mill firing came from both sides, resulting in a fourteen hour battle. <span style="color: #121917; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">When the Pinkertons surrendered, the dead numbered seven workers and three Pinkerton operatives, with many more wounded. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px;">Shortly after, the state militia marched into Homestead and captured the steel mill. Within four months the workers returned to their jobs and the union was vanquished.

media type="youtube" key="zw9DGwmVZ7o" height="349" width="560" <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 80%; line-height: 32px;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">"YouTube - Homestead Strike of 1892." // YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. // Web. 12 May 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw9DGwmVZ7o >.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Singing on the strike: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">George Swetnam's song, "Song of a Strike" was written in 1892 during the time of the Homestead Strike. Workers sang songs like this one during the strike not only to state their beliefs and goals, but also because singing help bind the workers together. Swetnam's song commemorates the Homestead strikers' courage in defending their jobs against the overwhelming might of the Carnegie steel company and their hired "bum detectives", as he so put it. Below are the lyrics of the song. //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: 16px;">**“Song of a Strike”** // //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: 16px;">We are asking one another as we pass the time of day, // //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: 16px;">Why workingmen resort to arms to get their proper pay. // //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: 16px;">And why our labor unions they must not be recognized, // //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: 16px;">Whilst the actions of a syndicate must not be criticized. // //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: 16px;">Now the troubles down at Homestead were brought about this way, // //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: 16px;">When a grasping corporation had the audacity to say: // //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: 16px;">"You must all renounce your union and forswear your liberty // //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: 16px;">And we will give you a chance to live and die in slavery." // //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: 16px;">Now this sturdy band of workingmen started out at the break of day, // //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: 16px;">Determination in their faces which plainly meant to say: // //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: 16px;">"No one can come and take our homes for which we have toiled so long, // //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: 16px;">No one can come and take our places—no, here’s where we belong!" // //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: 16px;">When a lot of bum detectives come without authority, // //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: 16px;">Like thieves at night when decent men were sleeping peacefully— // //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: 16px;">Can you wonder why all honest hearts with indignation burn, // //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: 16px;">And why the slimy worm that treads the earth when trod upon will turn? // //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: 16px;">When they locked out men at Homestead so they were face to face // //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: 16px;">With a lot of bum detectives and they knew it was their place // //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: 16px;">To protect their homes and families, and this was neatly done, // //<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: 16px;">And the public will reward them for the victories they won. //      <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;"> __<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Public Reaction __

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> The Public's reaction was very important to this strike. Most of the workers in Homestead worked in the steel mill and when the strike occurred; the public took the side of the strikers. When the Pinkertons tried to gain access and control of the steel mill, many members of the community fought alongside the strikers. After this conflict, the local community, angered by the attack that threatened their homes and livelihood in addition to the loss of loved ones, lashed out at the strikebreakers and beat many of the Pinkertons. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">[F] //<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">The media such as Harper's Weekly (shown above) helped to patronize the efforts of the strikers and further influenced the publics support of the strikers. // <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 25px;"> __<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 13pt;">Impact after the Strike __

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> The strike at Homestead caused shock and opened people's eyes to the strength of labor and management in the 1890's. The strike also impacted unions and bargaining in steel and other large companies. There were no unions in the state of Pennsylvania for four centuries after the strike at Homestead and collective bargaining in large firms didn't occur again until the 1930's. Without unions, families of steelworkers fashioned new survival strategies and even struggled to get a union reinstated in 1919. The strike at Homestead severely impacted the existence of unions in that state of Pennsylvania. [G] <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">//This photograph taken depicts the state militia entering Homestead, Pennsylvania to crush violence between steel workers and Pinkerton agents following failed negotiations between the union and industrialists Andrew Carnegie and Henry C. Frick in what was known as the Homestead Strike of 1892. In one hour, the militia created a protective zone around the steel plant, allowing the factory to bring in nonunion labor and restart production. The state militia eventually ended the strike.// [H] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">//(Above) The wounded and injured were transported from the plant by train to get medical aid.//

__<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 25px;"> Changes & Back to Work __

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"> After the Pennsylvania state militia came in to crush the strike, they surrounded the plant and made it safe to operate the steel factory again. Production was restarted and new workers were brought in. Frick transported nonunion workers to the factory to start work. The state militia surrounded the steel plant for four months while new employees were brought in and production restarted. The strikers had no choice but to return to work after four long months of unemployment. The union was dissolved and the workers continued to create steel for the nation. After this strike a large change was made in Pennsylvania. For four decades after the strike there were no unions, however this changed when the New Deal Policy was put in place by FDR in 1933. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; line-height: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;"> ﻿ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">[I]      //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">(Above) Frick set up protection all around the plant to protect from the union strikers. The state militia was eventually brought in to crush the union and protect the new workers being transported in, known as "scabs" (shown below). //

<span style="background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-origin: initial; color: #121917; display: block; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,'sans serif'; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; margin: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">[J] <span style="color: #2d3835; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,'Liberation Sans',FreeSans,sans-serif;">//<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">(Above) This photograph was taken of strikebreakers gathering in the village of shacks known as "Pottersville" built within the Homestead Steel Plant in Pennsylvania. During the Homestead Strike in July 1892, union strikers drove Pinkerton agents off the plant site, however, the state militia restored order, which allowed nonunion labor, or "scabs" to enter the factory and resume production. //

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">REFERENCES

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">Primary Sources:
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Swetnam, George. "The Musical Saga of Homestead." //History Matters: The U.S. Survey Course on the Web//. History Matters, 1892. Web. 12 May 2011. <http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5322/>
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px;">Strikebreakers://American History//, s.v. "Homestead strike," Image, Library of Congress, accessed May 11, 2011. http://americanhistory.abc-clio.com/.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px;">State Militia enters Homestead: //American History//, s.v. "Homestead strike," Image, Library of Congress, accessed May 11, 2011. http://americanhistory.abc-clio.com/.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Secondary Sources:
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">"American Experience . The Richest Man in the World: Andrew Carnegie . The Steel Business: The Lot of a Steel Worker, PBS." //PBS: Public Broadcasting Service//. PBS. Web. 12 May 2011. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/carnegie/sfeature/mf_steelworker.html>
 * //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">American History //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">, s.v. "Homestead strike," accessed May 12, 2011. http://americanhistory.abc-clio.com/.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px;">Burgoyne, Arthur Gordon. //The Homestead Strike of 1892//. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh, 1979. Print.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 14.25pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Pictography:

· <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">[A]"Andrew Carnegie" //American History//, s.v. "Andrew Carnegie," Image, Library of Congress, accessed May 15, 2011. http://americanhistory.abc-clio.com/. · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">[B]"Henry C. Frick" //American History//, s.v. "Henry C. Frick," Image, Library of Congress, accessed May 15, 2011.http://americanhistory.abc-clio.com/. · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">[C]"Carnegie Steel Corporation" http://www.battleofhomesteadfoundation.org/battle.php · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">[D] "Homestead Lithograph"http://www.battleofhomesteadfoundation.org/battle.php · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">[E] "Seal of the AAISW" http://www.battleofhomesteadfoundation.org/battle.php · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">[F] "Harper's Weekly" http://www.battleofhomesteadfoundation.org/battle.php · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">[G] "State Militia enters Homestead" //American History//, s.v. "Homestead strike," Image, Library of Congress, accessed May 11, 2011. http://americanhistory.abc-clio.com/. · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">[H] "Evacuated" http://www.battleofhomesteadfoundation.org/battle.php · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">[I] "Protection Around Plant" http://www.battleofhomesteadfoundation.org/battle.php · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">[J] "Homestead Steel Strikebreakers" //American History// <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px;"> "Homestead strike," Image, Library of Congress, accessed May 11, 2011. http://americanhistory.abc-clio.com/.

By: Amelia Panek Kylee Thomas