The Steel Business: The Lot of a Steel Worker The life of a 19th-century steel worker was grueling. 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. "Hardl 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." For many the work went without a break; others managed to find a few minutes here and there. "We stop only the time it takes to oil the engine," a stop of three to five minutes, said William McQuade, a plate-mill worker in 1893. "While they are oiling they eat, at least some of the boys, some of them; a great many of them in the mill do not carry anything to eat at all, because they haven't got tíme to eat. The demanding conditions sapped the life from workers. "You don't notice any old men here," said a Homestead laborer in 1894. "The long hours, the strain, and the sudden changes of temperature use a man up." Sociologist John A. Fitch called it "old age at forty." For his trouble, the average worker in 1890 received about 10 dollars a week, just above the poverty line of 500 dollars a year. It took the wages of nearly 4,000 steelworkers to match the earnings of Andrew Carnegie. Homestead steel mill questions 1. According to the excerpt, describe what it was like working at a steel mill during the Gilded Age.
The Steel Business: The Lot of a Steel Worker The life of a 19th-century steel worker was grueling. 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. "Hardl 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." For many the work went without a break; others managed to find a few minutes here and there. "We stop only the time it takes to oil the engine," a stop of three to five minutes, said William McQuade, a plate-mill worker in 1893. "While they are oiling they eat, at least some of the boys, some of them; a great many of them in the mill do not carry anything to eat at all, because they haven't got tíme to eat. The demanding conditions sapped the life from workers. "You don't notice any old men here," said a Homestead laborer in 1894. "The long hours, the strain, and the sudden changes of temperature use a man up." Sociologist John A. Fitch called it "old age at forty." For his trouble, the average worker in 1890 received about 10 dollars a week, just above the poverty line of 500 dollars a year. It took the wages of nearly 4,000 steelworkers to match the earnings of Andrew Carnegie. Homestead steel mill questions 1. According to the excerpt, describe what it was like working at a steel mill during the Gilded Age.
Related questions
Question
help its due in 20 minutes
Transcribed Image Text:HI-POLYMER
ERASER
Pentel
ZEMIO O
High quality plastic eraser
Gomme plastique de haute qualite
Borrador plistico de calidad superior
oponela tejeda
The Steel Business: The Lot of a Steel Worker
The life of a 19th-century steel worker was grueling. 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."
For many the work went without a break; others managed to find a few minutes here and there. "We
stop only the time it takes to oil the engine," a stop of three to five minutes, said William McQuade, a
plate-mill worker in 1893. "While they are oiling they eat, at least some of the boys, some of them; a
great many of them in the mill do not carry anything to eat at all, because they haven't got time to eat.
The demanding conditions sapped the life from workers. "You don't notice any old men here," said a
Homestead laborer in 1894. "The long hours, the strain, and the sudden changes of temperature use a
man up." Sociologist John A. Fitch calle
it "old age at forty."
For his trouble, the average worker in 1890 received about 10 dollars a week, just above the poverty line
of 500 dollars a year. It took the wages of nearly 4,0000 steelworkers to match the earnings of Andrew
Carnegie.
Homestead steel mill questions
1. According to the excerpt, describe what it was like working at a steel mill during the Gilded Age.
2. How would it make you feel to work so hard and get so little money when the owner of the mill was
the richest man in America?
3. In 1892, Carnegie cut the wages of workers and refused to negotiate with the local labor union. In
response the 3,000 workers at the factory went on strike. The workers barricaded themselves in the
factory so that new workers (scabs) could not be brought in. Carnegie refused to negotiate and hired the
Pinkerton detective service to take back his mill from the workers. After 14 hours of rifle shooting and
dynamite tossing the detectives were forced to surrender. The workers had won. Did Carnegie finally
agree to negotiate with the worker's union? What happened to end the standoff? Find out at
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/carnegie/peopleevents/pande04.html.
Expert Solution
This question has been solved!
Explore an expertly crafted, step-by-step solution for a thorough understanding of key concepts.
This is a popular solution!
Trending now
This is a popular solution!
Step by step
Solved in 2 steps
