What was the effect of the new industrial revolution on American laborers, and how did labor organizations attempt to respond to these new conditions?

The Industrial Revolution had a profoundly negative effect on workers during the early Twentieth Century. In the past, workers that crafted consumer goods were highly valued and respected. With the introduction of machinery for the mass production of goods, the American worker became expendable. Work became more dangerous and employees were exploited for profit. No laws or government oversight existed to guarantee worker safety. The skill level required to work in industry was very low,...

The Industrial Revolution had a profoundly negative effect on workers during the early Twentieth Century. In the past, workers that crafted consumer goods were highly valued and respected. With the introduction of machinery for the mass production of goods, the American worker became expendable. Work became more dangerous and employees were exploited for profit. No laws or government oversight existed to guarantee worker safety. The skill level required to work in industry was very low, and, therefore, wages were not even paid at a subsistence level. Laborers were required to work very long hours for limited pay. Children were used to perform some of the most difficult tasks. If a worker were injured on the job and could not perform his duties, he was simply fired and replaced by another unskilled laborer.

To counteract the difficulties faced by laborers in manufacturing, labor unions formed. They fought for the right to bargain for wages collectively and pressured Congress to act. Unions would organize strikes and many of them became violent. One labor union, the Industrial Workers of the World even advocated the use of violence to achieve their goals. The violence of the labor movement caught the attention of the federal government which enacted sweeping legislation in the early part of the Twentieth Century.