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	CALIFORNIA CONTENT STANDARD 10.3.4	The Evolution of Work and Labor	

Specific Objective: Trace the evolution of work and labor, including the demise of the slave trade and the effects of immigration, mining and manufacturing, division of labor, and the union movement.

Read the summary to answer the questions on the next page.

The Industrial Revolution quickened the pace of workers’ lives and shaped how they worked and where they lived. No longer did the vast majority work in agriculture. Millions were employed in mining and manufacturing—many working in a cash economy for the first time and in fast-growing urban centers.

The Demise of the Slave Trade

The Industrial Revolution was financed in part by profits from the trans-Atlantic slave trade. But industry soon became more profitable than the slave trade. During the early 1800s, the slave trade was abolished in England, the United States, and much of Europe.
Debates about the economic benefits of slavery developed alongside the obvious moral questions. Especially in the industrial northern United States, many people felt that free labor—not slave labor—was the only way to grow a strong industrial economy.

Immigration

Immigration fueled the labor force, especially in North America. In the 19th century, expanding industry in North America drew millions of immigrants from Europe and Asia who sought new economic opportunities. By the 1870s, they arrived at a rate of more than 2,000 a day.
Advances in transportation made this mass migration possible. Overseas transportation was safer and more available than ever before, and immigrants traveled within North America by the new railway systems.

Division of Labor

Increasingly divided social classes emerged during the Industrial Revolution. Very wealthy industrial owners and businessmen formed the upper class. The middle classes included a variety of professionals, such as teachers, lawyers, shopkeepers, and small businessmen. Factory workers and other dependent laborers made up the working class.

The Union Movement

The union movement arose to address the many problems faced by laborers. A union is an organization that speaks for the workers it represents. Its first effort to solve a problem is often collective bargaining—negotiations, led by the union, to resolve disputes between workers and employers. If this effort is unsuccessful, it may be followed by a strike, in which union members refuse to work until their demands are met.

	CALIFORNIA CONTENT STANDARD 10.3.4	The Evolution of Work and Labor	

Directions: Choose the letter of the best answer.

1	Which would have been a common life change in England during the Industrial Revolution?
A	A farmer moves to an industrial area to work in a coal mine.
B	A coal miner works his way up through the ranks to own the mine.
C	A coal miner moves to the country to run his own farm.
D	A lawyer loses his business and is forced to work in a coal mine.

2	In Great Britain, the Factory Act of 1819 declared it illegal for children to work more than 12 hours a day. What does the act suggest about labor conditions at that time?
A	Working conditions were worse in Great Britain than in other nations.
B	The government frequently intervened on behalf of workers.
C	Some children spent more than half of each day working.
D	Factories were unable to attract adult employees.

3	In the 19th century, millions of people seeking work migrated
A	from Asia to Europe.
B	from North America to Europe.
C	from North America to Europe and Asia.
D	from Asia and Europe to North America.

4	Which statement is true of social class during the Industrial Revolution?
A	People could move freely from one social class to another.
B	Social classes became increasingly divided.
C	The very idea of social classes became outdated.
D	Europe was generally divided between an upper class and a working class.

5	Collective bargaining was a process of negotiation between
A	employers and workers.
B	employers and the government.
C	unions and the government.
D	workers and unions.

6	In 1902, Pennsylvania coal miners refused to work, returning to their jobs only when guaranteed a 10 percent pay increase and reduction of hours. The miners’ action is an example of
A	forming a union.
B	free labor.
C	a strike.
D	a picket.