Progressive Era Issues
European Immigration to America "new immigrants"
As time went along, coming into America became harder and harder. Ellis Island and Angel Island were set up to regulate the amount of immigrants coming into the country. Also set up were acts that banned certain ethnic groups to come into America.
Employees or Slaves?
Problems with Labor and working conditions
Working conditions were very poor during the progressive era. Big companies that controlled textile industries, railroad building, and coal mining were focused on mass production for cheap costs. These large companies demanded the workers to work extremely long hours for little pay. Coal miners had to carry lots of heavy tools and did hard work digging. Workers often couldn't keep there job because the working conditions were so dangerous they lost limbs, got sick, and many other injuries and even death.
There were a couple organizations that helped fix the problem of bad work conditions. The American Federation of Labor (AFL) was created to help workers get more pay for there hours, health benefits, better work hours. The Consumers League helped make the workplace more sanitary, safe, and produce better quality products. Even though these working conditions were horrible, America wouldn't be where we are industrially today without those hard workers. Steel ,railroads, mass productions, and coal helped shape industrialization in America. It also helped establish a better workplace for America today and Work unions.