All through the later decades of the 19th century, the explosive industrialism that was the engine of American wealth pounded fiercely at the workers who kept it running. Factories were foul and dangerous. Twelve-hour workdays were common. Wages were driven mercilessly downward. Depressions periodically rattled the economy, erasing millions of jobs that paid little even in the best of times. In an increasingly desperate atmosphere, labor and capital faced off along a line drawn in blood.
The era brought forth a generation of fierce reformers and a new brigade of muckraking reporters, like Lincoln Steffens and Ida Tarbell. It was Jacob...
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