Labor- initial thoughts

Although labor unions first appeared in the 17th century, it became more nationally recognized in the 18th century and was referred to as unionism. Unionism is the banding together of individual workers in search for better working conditions and wages. Child labor was also a big reason for labor unions because children would not be able to get the education they needed due to long and grueling work hours.The first labor unions were formed by miners, artisians, railroad workers, etc, but eventually disappeared due to legal issues. This changed in 1842 when Lemuel Shaw helped legalize unions. After the legalization of unions the the father of all unions was formed by Samuel Gompers called the American Federation Labor. The Department of Labor was also formed in 1903 in order to protect the health and safety of the working class. The work of the labor unions in America had much success, however, they still faced obstacles such as the Great Depression which resulted in increased unemployment. Violence occured within in the unions and many people suffered by not being able to work. The working class still faces issues today, but has come a long way from the beginning of its journey.