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Growth after the Civil War
The population growth provided a large number of workers for expanding businesses. However, low wages, long hours and poor working conditions caused worker unrest in the manufacturing, mining and railroad industries. The coal mining industry in northern Illinois was one of the industries affected by these problems. Recently arrived immigrants, particularly German immigrants in the Chicago area, became involved in organizing labor unions to force employers to improve conditions. A nationwide labor strike was called in support of an eight hour workday on May 1, 1886. Over 60,000 workers participated in a peaceful march down Michigan Avenue in Chicago as part of this movement. Two days later, police shot and killed some strikers at the McCormick Reaper plant. The next day, labor organizers held a rally at Haymarket Square to protest the police tactics. As police attempted to disperse the crowd, a bomb went off, killing one policeman. This triggered a gun battle between police and the protestors. Seven policemen were killed and many other policemen and civilians were injured. This incident became known as the Haymarket Riot. As a result of the riot, eight labor organizers were tried and convicted of murder, despite no direct evidence linking them to the bombing. Four of the men were executed, one is said to have committed suicide. Governor John Altgeld pardoned the other three a few years later. Farmers were also upset by the economic conditions of the time. The National Grange was formed in 1867 to promote cooperative buying and advanced farming methods. This organization was later used to fight what the farmers believed to be unfair practices by the railroad and grain elevator owners. High shipping and storage costs, together with low market prices for their products, caused hardships for many farmers. The National Grange led the push for state laws to limit the fees charged by railroads and grain elevator operators. The railroads and grain elevators challenged the laws in court, but they were upheld by the United States Supreme Court in Munn vs. Illinois. Women made significant contributions to Illinois during this time. They became social activists, such as Ida Bell Wells-Barnett, as well as businesspersons and philanthropists, such as Lydia Moss Bradley. The women's suffrage movement also campaigned in Illinois for the right to vote. Frances Willard, a leader in the movement, founded the Woman's Christian Temperance Union in Evanston in 1873. Jane Addams was one of America's most renowned social workers. She worked with the immigrant population in Chicago and founded the Hull House in 1889 to provide child care and education. She was awarded a Nobel Prize in 1931 for her work.
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Vocabulary
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