American Economic development

Dr. Ebert

Spring 2018

American Economic Development

Questions Colorado’s Coal Miner’s Strike by Howard Zinn

Name:__________________ Class Time:________________

Read Chapter one in Zinn’s book Three Strikes, on the Colorado’ Coal Miner’s Strike. The book is posted under course documents in the folder labor in the gilded age.

The chapter on the Colorado Coal Miner's strike brings forth the many conflicts of interests between individuals and groups of individuals in a capitalist society. Answer the questions below. Plan on writing about 1.5 pages total. Please type your response.

a. Outline the interests of mine workers and their families. What do the mine workers and families want? Were their requests reasonable or not? Explain.

Mine workers were treating as slaves,they were working in hard conditions like they could only spend money in company villages they could stay at company houses and provide from company supplies.They only got paid for how much coal they loaded and they asked for better conditions because their wage that they earned was useless for them.

b. Outline the interests of the Rockefeller family (the owner), and the mine officials, and the government of Colorado. What motivated these people to resist the miner’s demands for an entire year? Explain

The company on the other hand,brought foreigner workers from abroad to U.S to give them opportunity to make money and live the American dream but they did not let workers to live a normal life.Company wanted workers to live in conditions that they offer and harrast them.

c. In your opinion was the strike beneficial or not beneficial for American capitalism? Why or why not?

After a huge massacre president of U.S had to involve and stop this war in Colorado.Many people died for a reason and new worker regulations helped workers to work in better conditions and work with better technology with more safety.But the rules were still supporting the capitalist companies in the big picture of this business.So It can be said that it worked and helped workers but not in a dramatical way.

d. Do you think class division and tensions generated by such division are relevant today? Can you give examples to support your position? Do some research and reference a current event or events, discussed in the media, (be sure to state your source) or give examples from your own personal experience.

In my opinion capitalism still exploiting worker division.They are offering them to get rich and join the wealthy ones if they keep working but small percent of them would achieve this goal.But even if they exploited by the system,country offers a certain welfare to their residents in U.S so its hard to see such strikes that America experienced in the past because people are capable of getting their basic requierements by the help of government(mortagages,debts).