Labor History in NEPA: A Course Main Menu Introduction Anthracite Coal Miners This module will examine the lives and legacies of anthracite coal miners in northeastern Pennsylvania. Textile Workers This module will examine the lives and legacies of workers, mostly women, who worked in silk mills, textile and garment manufacturing. Teachers This module will explore the lives and legacies of teachers in northeastern Pennsylvania.

Strike Breaking

1 Textile Workers This module will examine the lives and legacies of workers, mostly women, who worked in silk mills, textile and garment manufacturing.
Given the intolerable working conditions and the opposition of mine owners, labor disputes in the late 19th through early 20th century were often violent. But while many textbooks attribute the violence to workers, in fact, much of the violence was done by mine owners who would do anything to prevent workers from forming unions, as you have seen in the Lattimer/Ludow Massacre examples.

â–ºRead this court testimony that details tactics employed by industry owners through their privately-funded "coal and iron police."

What other tactics did mine owners use against workers who tried to form unions? Where might we look for more evidence?

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  1. Anthracite Coal Miners Lori Shemanski