2005.03.13
Once Upon a Time in America Part Two
Once upon a time in America there were some who were so rich it could make your head swim. These wealthy families owned some of the essential services in America like the trains, the newspapers, and the steel industries. They had little concern for the people who worked for them. From their point of view their workers were lucky they had a job at all.
Unfortunately many of the workers agreed with this idea, so they shut up when they were not paid enough to feed their families well or when they were required to do very dangerous work. Many workers hoped that they could someday be as rich as them little realizing how little the wealthy cared to share. The rich men who owned the companies cared nothing about the workers as long as they made money for themselves and their investors. If they could find a way to bring back slavery, they probably would have.
American workers formed unions. They knew that the rich wouldn’t change their ways and the workers did not have the power and influence to change the way things were on their own. Only together could they stand up and be heard. They struggled to stop some of the more abusive tactics of the employers and get a little more money out of the greedy hands of their employers.
Of course not all of the unions were on the up and up. Like any organization there were individuals who were really more interested in themselves than in others. They stole money from the workers they were representing, and sometimes worse.
Still, the unions fought hard to get the workers in America a fair shake at earning enough money that they could raise their families and live comfortably. The Unions knew that standing together life could get better for everyone, just like America is a better place because we all stand up as Americans. Together we can almost always get more done, better and more efficiently than if we do things alone.
3 Comments Categorized: political rights thoughts work
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3 Responses to “Once Upon a Time in America Part Two”
- douglas.nerad » Once Upon a Time in America Introduction says (March 3rd, 2007 at 23:05:21 )
[...] the world, but I will try to give voice to your voice. List of articles in this series: Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five Part [...]
- TR says (March 4th, 2007 at 14:32:53 )
You’ve forgotten to mention the main reason the unions were able to form was through the works of TR.
I’m fully aware you knew this, just wanted to state it.
- douglas says (March 4th, 2007 at 14:46:01 )
I did forget to mention that and it’s an important fact. I’m sure modern “conservatives” aren’t necessarily happy about this fact, either, just as they’re not terribly happy with the acts of Lincoln despite viewing him as one of the founders of the Republican party.
