The Second Industrial Revolution was lucrative for the business owners of the Gilded Age. As titans of business like Cornelius V
anderbilt and JP Morgan amassed a fortune, residents of cities worked long hours in terrible working conditions for low wages. With the institution of mass production and assembly line business practices, factories grew rapidly. These factories were staffed not only by men and women, but also relied on child labor. Though opportunities for African Americans existed, factory work was still segregated. Labor unions were formed to fight back on behalf of workers, but many businesses were monopolies. With little competition, business owners had the power to set wages and working hours with no input from workers or unions. This left most workers poor and overloaded, living in crowded and unsanitary tenements around America’s largest cities. The divide between rich and poor grew in both wealth and distance. As elevated railroads and subway systems were built, the rich moved farther away to wealthy neighborhoods or suburbs and only came to the city center during working hours. With which of the following statements would a labor union leader in the Gilded Age most likely agree?
A
Business owners built their business from the ground up, so they should have final say over worker pay.
B
Inequality is not an important issue. What really matters is building more subway systems.
C
It is the responsibility of a business owner to ensure the safety and fair treatment of their workers.
D
Tenements are dirty and crowded because workers do not take enough responsibility for their actions.
