The Homestead Steel Strike of 1892: American Workers

The conflict between owners and workers in the early years of American industry often became violent. The bloody events of July 1892, which pitted two of the nation's most skillful businessmenAndrew Carnegie and Henry C. Frickagainst the workers in their Homestead steel mill, have become emblematic of the labor unrest of the period. Carnegie and Frick were both visionary entrepreneurs. When they acquired the steel works at Homestead, they inherited a powerful labor union. The Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers, a part of the fledgling American Federation of Labor, had recently negotiated a strong contract. Carnegie and Frick were determined to force the union out, despite Carnegie's public statements of appreciation for the rights of the working man. As talks opened between labor and management, Carnegie fled to Great Britain and left Frick in charge. A few months of stalled negotiations and provocative moves on both sides led to a strike in the summer of 1892. Frick immediately called in Pinkerton guards, and on July 6, a battle erupted between Pinkertons and striking workers that left several dead on each side and forever changed the face of American labor. The Homestead Steel Strike of 1892 details the main players and issues that led to that fateful day and examines the effect the strike had on the American labor movement.