17 Industrial America: Corporations and Conflicts

1877–1911

The deafening roar of America’s industrial era ushered in epic changes that affected the lives of workers, immigrants, and the entrepreneurs who employed them. In this period, the scope, scale, and meaning of work underwent radical transformations, brought about by innovations in manufacturing, corporate structure, and labor management. These changes resulted in conflict between capital and labor, a theme that drives historical interpretations of the period. The rise of big business was heralded by some as evidence of ingenuity and pluck, leading to efficiencies never before imagined. Those who labored in the shops and factories of this industrializing economy saw the trend of consolidation differently, as a threat to their autonomy and skill and a menace to America’s democratic institutions. Immigrants, whose increasing numbers in these years enabled industrial gains, found themselves in the crosshairs, victims of native-born resentments and capitalist manipulations as they tried to catch for themselves a slender piece of America’s promise.