Growth in heavy industry in Pittsburgh following the Civil War created unprecedented wealth for a select group of industrialists, and long hours and dangerous working conditions for immigrant workers. Captains of Industry took a hard line against any union organizing, leading to labor unrest and two violent strikes. While industrialists and their families escaped heat and congestion in the smoky city to the nearby mountains, a tragic flood took the lives of thousands of workers. This richly illustrated course will explore the underside of Pittsburgh’s Gilded Age.
((Paul Tellers - Thursday - In Person: CMU Campus))
