A People’s History of the United States

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Table of Contents

Main Differences between IWW and the AFL
Why Government Targeted IWW
How WWI Justified IWW Crackdown
WWI Contribution to Government Growth and Close Relationship with Big Businesses
How Scottsboro Jumpstarted Modern Civil Rights Movement
After WWII, how Racism was Institutionalized through Homeownership
Works Cited

Main Differences between IWW and the AFL

Both IWW (also called Wobblies) and AFL (American Federation of Labor) were labor organizations. In spite of their common goal of providing workers with greater benefits, they had significant differences. First, AFL advocated for craft unions, while, IWW believed in a single strong union. In 1903, 56 different unions providing such amenities as the parking house were affiliated to AFL (Zinn 330).

According to the IWW pamphlet, AFL craft unions were similar to a divided army in front of a strong enemy: organized employers. IWW championed for One Big Union inviting the members from all industries irrespective of their race, skill, sex, or religion (Zinn 330). Specifically, IWW’s idea was to make sure that the union transacts contracts with employers on behalf of workers so that workers can get better deals that will allow them to participate in strikes where possible (Zinn 330). The Wobblies believed that a negotiation done by the union on behalf of workers could minimize the latter’s struggles.

Why Government Targeted IWW

Among the key reasons for the U.S. authorities to aim at the IWW, its growing popularity and defiance to the law deserve to be mentioned. IWW members preached their message of courage in most US states, writing articles, singing solidarity songs, and delivering inspirational speeches. In its turn, the US government attacked them through mob violence, military and police action, court injunctions, demeaning messages in newspapers, and passing of laws that illegalized their activities. For instance, in Missoula Montana, hundreds of IWW members were arrested after they defied anti-speech laws (Zinn 332). Further, in 1909 in Spokane, Washington, IWW organizers were arrested after they broke an ordinance against street meetings (Zinn 332).

How WWI Justified IWW Crackdown

When the First World War started, IWW was widely spread in the US. This made the government question the state’s stability due to class tensions. For instance, during the summer of 1906, a bomb that exploded at a Preparedness Day parade in San Francisco killed nine individuals (Zinn 359). As a result, the government jailed Warren Billings and Tom Mooney for two decades each because they might have been members of IWW. Simultaneously, the Senator of New York proposed the government make military training compulsory in order to avert the danger of IWW.

WWI Contribution to Government Growth and Close Relationship with Big Businesses

During WWI, the government of the US grew significantly and established a close relationship with big businesses. At the start of the war, the US government declared a neutral stand, yet never kept this promise. Zinn points out that “it was unrealistic to expect that the Germans should treat the United States as neutral in the war when the U.S. had been shipping great amounts of war materials to Germany’s enemies” (362). Thus, Germany reacted by sinking the British liner Lusitania using a submarine and killing 1,198 people, with 124 Americans.

In 1914, the US faced a serious recession. The capacity of a range of heavy industries was reduced due to the economic crisis and the resulting drops in the employment rates, as well as the farm prices deflation and numerous issues with the banking system. However, due to WWI, the US economy emerged stronger in 1915 due to war orders by its allies (particularly England). Notably, by April 1917, the US had sold goods worth more than $2 billion to its allies (Zinn 362). Thus, the war brought affluence to the US.

In particular, foreign markets played a key role in the US prosperity. Specifically, a rapid increase in the number and volume of foreign investments deserves to be mentioned. Notably, Woodrow Wilson opened doors to foreign investors to invest in American enterprise and American capital. Further, Wilson lifted the ban on private banks to advance loans to allies. As a result, JP Morgan made huge profits from overseas loans.

According to Zinn, political leaders and industrialists talked about the US economy and government prosperity as if it trickled down to every individual and class, or as if every American gained from JP Morgan’s loans (Zinn 363). While the war facilitated higher production and more employment, it triggered major losses for the workers in the US Steel Company (Zinn 363). At the same time, the US government enhanced its relationships with big businesses by giving them the mandate to control labor terms and wages through War Industries Board.

How Scottsboro Jumpstarted Modern Civil Rights Movement

The trial concerning the case of a 10-year-old black man named Hosea Hudson from rural Georgia took place in 1931 (Zinn 398). Nine black boys were accused of raping two white girls. A jury comprising of whites convicted the nine boys. Based on what he believed was wrong, Hosea joined the Communist party. Between 1932 and 1933, Hosea organized unemployed blacks’ meetings in Birmingham (Zinn 398). In one meeting, Hosea recalls that there were about 7000 people. The unemployed block committee aimed at helping individuals with needs need.

The unemployed block committees met once each week. The main objective of meetings was to discuss the current affairs and the welfare of the members. The members read newspapers such as the Southern Worker and the Daily Worker to find out how workers in Chicago were struggling and what was going on in Cleveland (Zinn 399). Again, the members also discussed the trends of the Scottsboro trial. The people always wanted to attend unemployed block committees to hear current affairs. In retrospect, the Scottsboro trial that compelled Hosea to form unemployed block committees, which advanced the welfare of blacks, may be considered as the renaissance of the modern civil rights movement.

After WWII, how Racism was Institutionalized through Homeownership

It is evident that the US institutionalized racism through homeownership. The New Deal was initiated to provide employment options for American citizens irrespective of their race. In fact, it succeeded in reducing the unemployment rate by 4 million (Zinn 402). However, as soon as the New Deal came to an end, the wealthy denizens of the state still retained most control of the existing business, technological and educational institutions. Thus, the New Deal advanced inequality and institutionalized racism through business enhancement. Although the New Deal had a lot to offer to a range of denizens of the American population, most ethnic minorities were overlooked in spite of the promises that the proponents of the New Deal promised.

In Harlem, the New Deal failed to influence the lives of African Americans. Notably, more than 230 people occupied one acre of land, while in the rest of Manhattan, 133 people occupied one acre. Zinn points out that, ten thousand Black families lived in squalid structures such as basements and rat-infested cellars (Zinn 402).

Diseases such as tuberculosis were widespread in Black Harlem. As domestic workers, more than one-half of women did not qualify for social security and the minimum wage in Black Harlem. Women went to the Bronx to seek employment and participate in prostitution. Zinn notes that the African Americans, who died in Harlem Hospital in 1932, were two times than whites, who died in the Bellevue Hospital. Thus, Black Harlem remained an example of poverty that was institutionalized through the New Deal as a product of racism in service delivery.

Works Cited

Zinn, Howard. A People’s History of the United States, 1492-Present. New York: Perennial Classics, 1999. Print.

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