Labor History Commons^™

Working Hard Or Hardly Working?: An Examination Of Work Relief In Upstate New York 1931-1943, Maxwell Prime

Honors Theses

Becoming the first U.S. state to provide direct funding and administrative support for work relief to its cities, counties and townships; with the creation of the Temporary Emergency Relief Administration in November of 1931, New York took its first steps in what would become a long tradition of work relief in the state. However, existing academic examinations of work relief in upstate New York in large part ignore activities in the state’s upstate region in favor of higher profile operations in New York City. This thesis attempts to chart the rise and developmental trajectory of work relief in upstate New …

Finding Margaret Haughery: The Forgotten And Remembered Lives Of New Orleans’S “Bread Woman” In The Nineteenth And Twentieth Centuries, Katherine Adrienne Luck

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Margaret Haughery (1813-1882), a widowed, illiterate Irish immigrant who became known as “the Bread Woman” of New Orleans and the “Angel of the Delta” had grossed over $40,000 by the time of her death. She owned and ran a dairy farm and nationally-known bakery, donated to orphanages, leased property, owned slaves, joined with business partners and brought lawsuits. Although Haughery accomplished much in her life, she is commonly remembered only for her benevolent work with orphans and the poor. In 1884, a statue of her, posed with orphans, was erected by the city’s elite, one of the earliest statues of …

What's The New Deal With Marshall? Depression Relief And Higher Education, Hubert Wesley Rolling

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Employing archival research, this study examines the history of the New Deal’s influence on higher education, focusing on Marshall University, at the time Marshall College, from approximately 1932-1940. First, it analyzes the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) and National Youth Administration (NYA) student part-time employment program’s impact on the college. Second, it discusses the PWA’s (Public Works Administration) and WPA’s (Works Progress Administration) building programs’ and flood relief efforts’ effect on Marshall. Finally, this study explores the political implications of the New Deal with emphasis on state politics and financial problems and their relationship to Marshall. A study of Marshall …

From Subject To Citizen And From Slave To Freedman: Labor Contracts At Two Moments Of American Transition, Rose Julia Phipps

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

The Ideal Woman: The Changing Female Labor Force And The Image Of Femininity In American Society In The 1940s And 1950s, Carlie Seigal

Honors Theses

In 1943 the image of Rosie the Riveter personified what the ideal American woman was supposed to be. Rosie supported the war effort and did her patriotic duty for her country, earned a high wage, enjoyed her newfound independence, and showed America that she could do a man’s job, and do it well. However, Rosie and the many American women that she represented never dreamt that when the American servicemen came home two short years later, they would be forced out of their jobs and back into their homes to devote themselves to household chores and their families. In 1957 …

Woman's Work: Female Lighthouse Keepers In The Early Republic, 1820–1859, Virginia Neal Thomas

History Theses & Dissertations

During the Early Republic between 1820 and 1859, women, on average, comprised about five percent of the principal lighthouse keepers in the United States. These women represent a unique exception to the experience of the majority of working women during the Early Republic. They received equal pay to men, and some supervised lower-paid male assistants. They filled these predominately male positions because lighthouse work had much in common with stereotypical woman's work, they were most often related to the previous keeper, and they fit within cultural ideals of gender roles. Inquiry beyond the romantic image crafted for these light keepers …

The Role And Effect Of Advertising On Women During World War Ii, Laura Elizabeth Francis

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

Advertising had an overwhelming effect on women during World War II; many women were influenced by advertising in the media to behave a certain way, buy certain products, and also support the war effort in a variety of ways. In the 1940s while many American women’s husbands, fiances, boyfriends, brothers, and sons were going off to fight in the War abroad, many women were fighting a war of their own on the home front. While men could prove they were active patriotic citizens by fighting in the military and taking government positions, female’s roles were re-written to show what they …

The Life Cycle Of A Coal Town: Widen, West Virginia, 1911-1963, Amanda J. Griffith

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The Elk River Coal and Lumber Company and its president, Joseph Gardner Bradley, built the town of Widen located in Clay County, West Virginia. As coal production proved successful, the coal town rapidly grew and by 1950, Widen offered amenities such as a Y.M.C.A., theater, soda fountain, schools, and churches for the diverse composition of miners to enjoy. In 1952, a fifteen-month strike marked the climax of the history of Widen. The struggle between the local union, known as the League of Widen Miners, and the United Mine Workers of America, resulted in the destruction of company and private property, …

A Union Man: The Life Of C. Frank Keeney, Charles Belmont Keeney Iii

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The problem with West Virginia is that it is not controlled by West Virginians. For over a century coal operators, who do not make this state their home but rather the source of their income, have controlled the destiny of West Virginia and its people. The native mountaineers, unaware of the wealth beneath their feet, were either scattered throughout the state or became coal miners themselves. Since that time all West Virginians, not merely coal miners or former land owners, have been subjected to the will of out of state companies because they not only control the mines and the …

Voices Of Our Past: The Rank And File Movement In Social Work, 1931-1950, Richard William Hunter

Dissertations and Theses

During the period of the late 1920s through the late 1940s, a most remarkable event in the history of American social work emerged: the development of a vital radical trade union organizing effort known as the ''rank and file movement." Born within the growing economic crisis of the 1920s and maturing in the national economic collapse and social upheaval heralded by the Great Depression, the rank and file movement would attract the support and membership of thousands of professional social workers and uncredentialed relief workers in efforts to organize social service workers along the lines of industrial unionism. Within its …

Class Culture And Generational Change: Immigrant Families In Two Connecticut Industrial Cities During The 1930s, Ivan Greenberg

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Recent social history stresses the autonomy of workers, especially the ways that immigrant families made "lives of their own." However, little attention is focused on the particular experiences of the second generation and the ways they forged their own group identity. This study, by locating the emergence of this generation, highlights an important demographic change within the working class.

Familiar developments of the 1930s take on new meaning. For example, the pivotal role of the second generation in the rise of the CIO helps to recast the early history of industrial unionism. The resurgence of the labor movement parallels the …

Utterly Visionary And Chimerical : A Federal Response To The Depression : An Examination Of Civilian Conservation Corps Construction On National Forest System Lands In The Pacific Northwest, Elizabeth Gail Throop

Dissertations and Theses

The principal purpose of this study was to discover what tangible evidence remains of the Civilian Conservation Corps construction projects undertaken on the National Forest System lands in the Pacific Northwest Region: to identify, locate, describe and evaluate these historic cultural resources and to ascribe some significance to them. It should be noted that all references to National Forests and to Ranger Districts are to current administrative jurisdictions, unless otherwise specified, for reasons of convenience.

The Evolution Of Child Labor Legislation In Illinois: 1818-1917, Frank Edward Storment

Masters Theses

"The Evolution of Child Labor Legislation in Illinois, 1818-1917" traces the development of social, economic, and political attitudes towards child labor in the State of Illinois. These attitudes evolved from a general acceptance of working children as part of the socio-economic structure to the realization that the industrial employment was causing a moral, social, and economic degeneration of American life. These changing attitudes were reflected in the legislation passed by the Illinois General Assembly between 1818 and 1917.

Between 1818 and 1874 most legislation offered token protection to the child, but emphasized the moral well-being rather than the physical and …

The Union Bimetallic Party Of Oregon, 1896-1898, Ludger Mogge

Dissertations and Theses

On March 23 - 26, 1898, Populists, Democrats, and Silver Republicans of Oregon held their state conventions in Portland and agreed upon a common platform and a common state ticket for the elections of June 6, 1898. None of the available works on Oregon history explains that this fusion was the culmination of a two-year effort to unite the reform forces the state. This thesis tries to fill the gap. Because of the lack of secondary works on the subject, the thesis is based mainly on two sources: newspapers on microfilm, especially The Oregonian; and the unpublished correspondence of party …

American Career Of James Connolly, Kara P. Brewer

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

So badly wounded that he had to be propped up in a chair to face the firing squad, James Connolly was executed by the British on May 10, 1916 in Dublin's infamous Kilmainham Jail. He had been one of the leaders of the abortive Easter 'Rising against English control of Ireland. This event in itself was sufficient to guarantee him a significant place in Irish history but Connolly had achieved prominence in other activities as well. Besides being a revolutionary nationalist he had been a Marxist and a labor leader, had founded the Irish Socialist Republican Party and had played …

The Life Of The Negro Slave In Alabama, Daniel B. Austin

Theses

This paper is an attempt to give an unbiased account of the conditions either good or bad under which slaves lived and worked. Special attention will be given to their housing conditions, the type and quantity of clothing, food and its preparation as well as the labor they performed. Space will also be given to the crimes and punishment of Negro slaves -- additionally the education and religious opportunities will be surveyed.

The Illinois State Federation Of Labor During World War I, Nancy Wilson Owen

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

A Historical Analysis Of The Socio-Economic Forces Which Shaped A Small Industrial Town In Arkansas, Gordon Scott Bachus

OBU Graduate Theses

In 1887, bauxite, the ore of aluminum was discovered in Arkansas . State Geologist, John C. Branner, announced l the discovery in 1891. Reports soon reached the Pittsburgh Reduction Company in Pennsylvania. This young company investigated the report, purchased land in Saline County, and started mining operations.

In 1903 the Pittsburgh Reduction Company built an ore - drying plant in Saline County, Arkansas. The establishment of this plant marked the beginning of the town of Bauxite. Laid out on company- owned land shortly after mining operations began, the town soon became a self- sufficient community with schools, churches, stores, roads, …

John H. Walker, Labor Leader Of Illinois, 1905-1933, Anthony Barger Barrette

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

A Historical Study Of The Role Of The Industrialist In The Tobacco, Flour And Textile Industries Of Virginia 1860-1890, Leslie Winston Smith

Master's Theses

The primary objective of this study is to ascertain what part, if any, the prominent industrialists of Virginia, in the postwar-pretwentieth century period, played in the economic rejuvenation of a state that was ravaged for four years by invaders and defenders alike. Cognizant of the fact that Virginia industry after 1865 was attending a degree of diversification, nonetheless, this study will be limited to three primary industries, namely tobacco, flour and textiles. Even though these three industries, with the possible exception of textiles, were found in most towns and cities throughout the state, only four cities have been selected for …

The Richmond Transit Strike Of 1903, Thomas Jefferson Headlee Jr.

Master's Theses

A general history of the American Labor movement introduces the reader to the mainstream of trade unionism in the United States. It is the purpose of this paper however, to record the events of only one of the less important incidents in the twentieth century. That this experiment of labor in Richmond, Virginia in the year 1903 should have failed, does not detract from its value to the historian, for the study of even an unsuccessful strike may add to our knowledge of the various unions and anti-unionism. In addition, it certainly behooves us, as Richmond's, to learn something further …

A Historical Study Of The Development Of The Bracero Program,With Special Emphasis On The Coachella And Imperial Valleys, Margaret Breed Mackaye

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Why at the present time do we need added sources of labor beyond that available within the country? One faction would cry, "We don't!" Another would say, "We decry the importation of labor, but there simply aren't United States citizens in sufficient numbers to get these jobs done." A third group would probably answer, "Why worry about it? These laborers will come across the border, legally or illegally; we may as well avail ourselves of their services." Perhaps we should let a fourth group speak: "We must see that you do not misuse these people."

The Negro In California Before 1890, A. Odell Thurman

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Because so little has been written concerning the Negro in California and because the dynamic and romantic sequences in the development of this country have always interested me, I have become interested in knowing what part the Negro, free and slave, played in this panorama of events. Were there Negroes with early expeditions? To what extent did they migrate to the West when "gold fever" had become a nation-wide epidemic? Did they find gold? Where did they settle? What did they do? What difficulty did they encounter politically, socially, and economically? These are questions that have filled my mind, and …

Economic Aspects Of The Boulder Canyon Project, Leonard Mckaig

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The recent passage of the Swing-Johnson bill by Congress and its approval by the President has been the signal for a general rejoicing throughout the West, and especially in Southern California, the section to be meet directly benefited by this legislation. There has been a widespread feeling that the long fight for Federal development of this great western river is over, and that we may begin shortly to realize some concrete returns upon our investment. Press reports indicate that many are already seeking work on the construction of the dam at Black Canyon, in anticipation of the immediate launching of …