Bartleby, the Scrivener

The short short story that I read about labor was entitled Bartleby, the Scrivener. The story took place in the mid to late 1800's and is told through the perspective of a retired lawyer from a Manhattan law firm. This lawyer was looking back at his life to tell the story of the "strangest man he[I] has[have] ever known", Bartleby. Bartleby was hired at the law firm that the narrator worked at as a scrivener, someone who is to recodrd what happenes durining the trials. The firm already have two scriveners, but neither of them were capable so a third was needed. Bartleby started as a very good employee, and gave the firm great work, but over time, he started to lose interest. Bartleby, over time, started to "prefer not" to do things that were asked of him. This led to him not doing anything at all, reguarding work or otherwise. When the law firm moved locations, Bartleby prefered not to move with it, so he stayed in an empty building. When he was kicked out of the building he needed to be arrested because he prefered not to move. Bartleby then ended up dying in jail due him prefering not to eat any food. At the very end of the storey, the narrator begins to see life the way Bartleby must have. The narrator closes the story with the line "Ah, Bartleby! Ah, humanity!". I believe that in this story, Bartleby was depressed. He had no motivation in the work place that eventually led into his entire life. Depression in the workplace can be very harmful to the rest of one's life. Had the narrator not displayed so much generosity, Bartleby most likely would have lost his job, which if possible would have made him more depressed.

The fireside chat on the "New Deal"

Durring his presidency, FDR had many national radio broadcasts in order to boost the moral of the country. These broadcasts were called fireside chats. I was able to find a transcript of one of his most famous fireside chats, where he introduced his New Deal plan. This plan gave America the economic boost it needed to get out of the great depression. I had never actualy seen how this plan was given to the American people though at the time of the depression, I had only learned about varrious parts of it before. FDR seemed very direct with his speech, or chat. He knew that America was not in a good place, so he was very direct with his tone. He knew that these changes needed to be made, so he was honest with the citizens of America.

"Franklin D. Roosevelt: Fireside Chat on the New Deal (1933)." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 3 Feb. 2010. http://www.americanhistory.abc-clio.com.

American Federation of Labor

The American Federation of Labor, or AFL for short, was the organization of various labor unions that represented skilled workers. The worker's trades differed by their union, but the AFL grouped all of these workers together. The AFL was formed in 1886, but it was the dominant organization representing skilled laborers by the end of the 19th century. Almost all major strikes and negotiations by laborers were controled and organized by the AFL. Even though the AFL was not directly set of by the government, I believe that the U.S.'s labor system would not be the same without it. The AFL is what gave works rights, which many of us take for granted today. I have a job, and because of this, I am in a union. Although neither my co-workers nor I plan on going on strike, it is comforting to know that I have some organization behind me. If something does come up, where my rights at work are taken away, I know that the AFL will represent me untill I get back thoes rights. The AFL's pressence may not be seen as much today, but that is because of the effort the orrganization gave in the past. Many laws were created because of the AFL, all of which help skilled labor. The AFL's presence in America has help our labor system advance to what it is today.

"American Federation of Labor." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 1 Feb. 2010. .

Pullman strike

The events that took place on May 11, 1894 led to the first and most famous strike in our nations history. The Pullman Palace Car Company owned all of the housing and stores in the town of Pullman. The company also supplied the entire town with jobs. Because of this, all of the money that company spent on its employees, they would make right back when the employees bought food for their families. The company profited off the employees as well. Water was bought from Chicago for four cents per 1,000 gallons and sold it to the residents of Pullman for 10 cents per 1,000 gallons. The entire town of Pullman, Illinois was a business to the Pullman Palace Car Company. In 1893, the company cut the wages of all of the employees by one fourth, however the prices of everything else in the town remained the same. This was the cause of the famous strike. This strike was very important and needed to happen. One company should not be able to force so many Americans into horrible living conditions. Not only did this strike help the citizens of Pullman, but it also sent a message to many other capitals in the U.S. This proved that an organized strike against a company can improve the conditions of the employees, or in this case, send the employer to jail. Workers stopped allowing their employers to control them though fear of their pay. Strikes are an important option and resource in our labor system. They should not be overused, but when necessary, they can be successful. While being a worker in America, it is important to remember that with the organization of a union, there is no need to fear the company that employs you.


"Pullman strike." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 1 Feb. 2010. .

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Out of all of the presidents that the U.S. has had, Franklin D. Roosevelt may be the most important in regard to labor. FDR's term took place during the worst economic situation of our country's history. Nobody had money to spend, so companies were not profiting as much. Because of this, companies needed to cut costs by firing employees. This led the employees to not have a source of income, so they started spending less and companies suffered even more. Our country was in the middle of a vicious circle where almost every American did not have a steady source of income. FDR was able to get our country out of this with his "New Deal" plan. This plan set of jobs for almost everyone in American who needed one. The jobs were easy to get, and provided enough pay to get citizens to start spending again. This plan put our country in massive debt, but it was worth it because it saved the lives of many individuals. FDR saved America with his New Deal, and he did this by saving labor in America.

"Franklin D. Roosevelt." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 1 Feb. 2010. .

The Labor Movements of America

To begin my research on the history of labor in American, I came across an article that gives a general overview of all of the major labor movements in the U.S. This article defines a labor movement as the organization of a mass of workers who wish to forward their interests. The first labor movements specifically mentioned in the article happened in the early 1800's, yet the articles extends all the way to 21st century. This shows that labor has been progressing along side with our country. With each new movement, the overall conditions of labor become better. Whether pay was increased or work was just made safer for all the employs, labor movements helped create the work conditions we have today. The labor movements specifically began in 1886, when Samuel Gompers formed the American Federation of Labor, or AFL for short. This led into the Haymarket Square riot of 1886 and the Pullman strike of 1894. These were two of the first major incidents of workers lashing out at their employers. This led into the early 20th century. This was a time that major improvements to working conditions were made. Thousands of workers joined unions, and participated in strikes in order to give themselves a fair pay for their hard work. All of these major improvements in the American labor system would not continue though. When the Great Depression hit in the 1930s, many Americans lost their jobs or suffered a wage cut of some sort. It was Franklin D. Roosevelt's election that led American into a new labor era. By creating enough new jobs for everyone, our economy recovered enough so labor in the U.S. would remain stable. Labor unions continue to be present today, keeping everything fair for both the employer and the employee. It will be interesting to see how the most recent economic crisis will evvect labor in the long run.

"labor movement." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 29 Jan. 2010. .

Labor - Initial thoughts

Life in America is focused around labor. We are all educated from a very early age. This education allows us to secure a profession later in life. A majority of Americans go to college. In the end, going to college has no other real purpose than allowing people have a successful job. Having a job with a steady pay is a goal that everyone in this country has. Jobs will always be a major topic because they are directly related to our country's economy. When people have jobs, they have money to spend. When they spend that money, it helps the economy. This connection between labor and the economy can be seen in Obama's State of the Union last night. His solutions to our economic crisis in some way always was tied back to labor. This shows that labor will play a role in the near future of America. Labor also has a history though, and it will be interesting to see how labor in th U. S. has chnagesd oer the years.