Section 7(a) of the National Industrial Recovery Act declared that workers had a right to “organize and bargain collectively … free from the interference, restraint, or coercion of employers.” Activists in the labor movement used the legislation as a springboard for recruiting support.
Describe how unions gained momentum and evolved during the New Deal Era.
References:
Boris, Eileen and Nelson Lichtenstein, Major Problems in the History of American Workers. New York: Houghton Mifflin 2003 (MP)
Murolo, Priscilla and A.B. Chitty, From the Folks Who Brought You the weekend: Revised and Updated. New York: The New Press, 2018.
- Read Murolo and Chitty – Ch. 7 and 8
- Read Boris and Lichtenstein – Ch. 9 – Documents 1, 2, 4 through 8
- Read Boris and Lichtenstein – Ch. 10 – Documents 1, 3 through 5
- Watch PBS video on The Crash of 1929 and The Great Depression
