Discussion – The American Yawp, Chapters 16 and 17

1. The year is 1886, and I am working as equipment cleaner in a brewery in Chicago.  My coworkers and I are considering joining Brewers’ Union no. 18, the organization that represents other brewers in town. We’re also considering whether we want to ally with the Knights of Labor, a national organization through which we could participate in larger labor actions. Pretend that you are one of the owners of the brewery and explain why I should not join the unions.

2. How did Social Darwinism shape many Americans’ attitudes toward inequality? Minorities? Immigration? Native Americans?