Capital and Labor

American Industrialization began following the Civil War. Industrialization meant improved technology and means of production. With this improved technology, the United States began moving from mostly rural to factories in cities. These factories presented many issues for workers, including being underpaid and being put in danger every day (3).

The industrialization period in the United States opened up room to improve the U.S. economy. Before this, the U.S. economy had been dominated by many of the superpowers in Europe (5). Much of this came at the expense of American employees, who were not treated fairly but allowed for very profitable business. This allowed the United States to become an economic superpower and outperform some of those countries that previously dominated them.

A monopoly is a company that is so large that it doesn't allow for competitors to have a fair chance at competing with their business, essentially leaving that company as the sole leader in that industry.  A result of monopolies was poor treatment of workers, which was possible due to jobs for these monopolistic companies being the only options in certain regions. J.P. Morgan, an incredibly wealthy businessman in the late 1800's and early 1900's, is said to have created the first U.S. monopoly by dominating his competition in the industries that he participated in (7).

Samuel Gompers was an activist that preached for the better treatment of employees during this time period. He was the leader of the American Federation of Labor and used his position to encourage union development and advocate for better working conditions (9). With his leadership, industrial employees in the United States gained more respect and were being heard by more business leaders than before.