Wage Slavery In The Nineteenth Century

In the nineteenth century Americans had visions of how life was going to be good, by having a small farm with workers that was self-directed which would make them small producers. During this time there were specific strains that were emerging the movement of the working class. This would help transform the artisan republican ideology in to the “wage slavery.” In between the years 1870 to 1920 “focuses on the reform unionist, populist, socialist, and syndicalist movements in the US labor history that aimed to enhancing workers’ control and eliminating “wage slavery”. (Elteren, p.188) As Mel Van Elteren describes, “These movements differed from “bread and butter” trade unionism and progressivism that pinned all hope on progress, the rise of
“The next period, up until 1914, saw rising prices, corporate consolidation, and the emergence of the industrial, craft-base unionism of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and its affiliates challenged by socialist and syndicalist opponents on the left.” (Stromquist544; Dubofsky, State 2) (Elteren p.188) In this time period of 1878-1893 the Knights of Labor made an organization known as the industrial union. This was ran at the national level, was also headed by the General Assembly. Many workers were able to join. It didn’t matter their race nor gender or ethnicity. “This union was part of a broader reform movement that pressed for a “producerist” republican society, and it supported the eight-hour day, boycotts and arbitration (rather than strikes), various political reforms (including a graduated income tax), as well as consumers’ and producers’ cooperatives.” (Elteren p.189) In 1886 the AFL was the self-appointed adversary for the Knights. They accepted locals and other people from the rival
Even though productive labor gets full rewards” (Elteren p.189) “Labor historian David Montgomery refers to a speech by Henry Demarest Lloyd given at a trade union picnic on July 4, 1889, which neatly summarizes the message of post-civil war reforms.” (Elteren p.189) The nineteenth century had what they call a working class radicalism but they also used other sources. There was never any talk of supporting the progressivism like we will see later on. There are many things that tie us together with the historical aspect of things, for instants: Enlightenment liberalism, was tied to both American Revolution and the Civil War. Which both of them fought for the free labor and equal rights from the aristocratic and slave holding power. There were two general ideas for the radical republicanism, first, off was the morale and welfare of both men and women. Second, the American won citizenship from