Karl Marx believed that a man could not be defined apart from his labor. He believed that the alienation caused by capitalism would eventually end in a revolt of workers who no longer would accept the working conditions and meager wages of the capitalists. Unfortunately, for CF&I, Marx was onto something and it all came to a head with the Ludlow massacre. The face of CF&I was now Rockefeller Jr., and his reputation was in shambles. Instead of changing the relationship between the laborer and their production, he sought to reshape the entire society surrounding them. To encapsulate their cooperation through social programs and the corporate capture of the workers' personal lives.

After the Ludlow Massacre and the public fallout, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. came to Colorado and toured mines and mills. From his vantage point as one of the richest men in the country, he concluded what these workers were really needing. He started Chapter 1 of The Colorado Industrial Plan by writing, 

"It follows, therefore, that the relations of men engaged in industry are human relations. Men do not live merely to toil; they also live to play, to mingle with their fellows, to love, to worship. The test of the success of our social organization is the extent to which every man is free to realize his highest and best self; and in considering any economic or political problem, that fundamental fact should be recognized. If in the conduct of industry, therefore, the manager ever keeps in mind that in dealing with employe he is dealing with human beings, with flesh and blood, with hearts and souls; and if, likewise, the workmen realize that managers and investors are themselves also human beings, how much bitterness will be avoided!”  (Rockefeller, 1874-1960, p. 7). 

Rockefeller Jr. thought that he could stop strikes for workers' rights by giving workers extracurricular activities to occupy them and by creating a workforce in which all men saw themselves as being the same. Robin C. Henry writes in chapter 4 of “Making an American Workforce: The Rockefellers and the Legacy of Ludlow” that, "as an adherent to the Progressive Era principles of welfare capitalism, the gospel of efficiency, and muscular Christianity, Junior used organizations, such as the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA), longitudinal statistical studies on vice, the new pseudoscience of eugenics, and eventually the law to reshape his workers, providing the necessary tools to turn the workers into docile company men." (Montoya, 2014, p.82).

Rockefeller, John D., Jr. (John Davison), 1874-1960, The Colorado industrial plan : including a copy of the plan of representation and agreement adopted at the coal and iron mines of the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company / by John D. Rockefeller, Jr.. Retrieved from the Digital Public Library of America, https://archive.org/details/coloradoindustri00rock 

Exterior view of the YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association) building, in Pueblo, Colorado 1915-1920? from the Denver Public Library Special Collections, [X-10810] by Theodore Anderson 

Outside of the YMCA hangs an ad written in Spanish. About a decade after Rockefellers' efforts to Americanize the workforce of Pueblo, we see that Hispanic and Latin@ languages and cultures remain. Spanish is still is even used in marketing by the YMCA. The Pueblo website today states that "All Are Welcome" saying, "The Y is a membership organization open to all people. We welcome women and men, girls and boys of all ages, races, ethnicities, religions, abilities and financial circumstances. Programs and facilities embrace diversity, reflecting the needs and composition of the community we serve" (About Us). 

Father and Son Banquet at the YMCA at the Berwind Mine. Image from the collection of Steelworks Center of the West, Pueblo, CO 

John found a passion for language through the inspiration of a college professor. He studied French and Portuguese and was already fluent in Spanish and English. He later taught languages as a High School teacher. 

Steel production continues in Pueblo with new ownerships and name changes throughout the years. Pueblo Mayor Nick Gradisar said recently that “The steel industry has been intertwined with Pueblo's prospects for 150 years, Gradisar said, but "it's not the driver of the community it once was." As the city's economy has diversified, the "fortunes of the community" are no longer directly tied to the ups and downs of the steel mill” (Harmon & Winfrey, 2022).  

Photo Credit: Kala Heck

It is interesting how each person has a different impression of America and what it means to be American. Rockefeller may have succeeded in some areas of socializing the community. So many people have assimilated values into their own lives in their own individual ways. 

United Steel Workers of America 

United Steelworkers and the Evraz Rocky Mountain Steel mill in Pueblo announced they have reached an unprecedented four-year collective bargaining contract agreement that calls for a 7% increase in wages this year and a total 18% wage increase during the life of the four-year contract. The contracts were inked between Evraz North America and two United Steelworkers unions that represent about 900 of the mill’s 1,100 employees (Harmon, 2022).