The origins of the Socialist Party of America
5/5/202617 min
Rapid industrialization reshaped American life in the mid-19th century. But as corporations grew larger and more powerful, working conditions for many everyday Americans worsened while wages stalled. Enter Eugene Debs, the labor organizer and founder of the American Socialist Party, who rallied workers nationwide to fight for their rights.
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First 90 secondsSpeaker 00:00
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Rund Abdelfatah· Host0:16
[instrumental music plays] This is America in Pursuit, a limited-run series from Throughline and NPR. I'm Rund Abdelfatah. Each week, we bring you stories about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in the US that began 250 years ago. In the US in the mid-1800s, rapid industrialization was transforming cities across the US, and as businesses were getting bigger and bigger- Your relationship with your employer is getting a lot smaller.
Ernest Freeberg· Guest0:47
People were being, uh, tied to their jobs. They were denied a democratic voice in the way they made a living.
Allison Duerk· Guest0:54
Working, like, 14, 16-hour days six, seven days a week.
Rund Abdelfatah· Host0:58
People were struggling all across the United States. In Indiana, a teenager watched his father get caught up in the system, unable to keep up with a demanding job.
Allison Duerk· Guest1:08
The work broke his health, as it would for so many workers.
Rund Abdelfatah· Host1:12
So he jumped into action to help his father. At 14, he started working, first in the grocery business and then in the growing world of railroads, where abuses were rampant.
Allison Duerk· Guest1:24
This is a time when there are no safety standards to speak of. Employers are skimping