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The bill averted a major railroad strike that
would have crippled the country and interfere with war
production.
Wilson's New Freedom Reforms:
Adamson Act for kids
President Woodrow
Wilson, like his predecessors Theodore Roosevelt and William Taft,
was a firm supporter of the
Progressive Movement and
Progressive reforms. His New Freedom polices included the
passing of the federal law known as the Adamson Act which
established an eight hour working day for railroad workers
and prevented a pending railway strike.
Adamson Act for kids: Background History
The Adamson Act and the
ruling of the Supreme Court to establish and eight hour working day
for railroad workers was the culmination of over 100 years of
strikes, disputes and protests such as the
Great Railroad Strike of 1877.
For additional facts refer to
Railroads in
the 1800s and the
History of US Labor Unions.
Adamson Act for kids: Why was the amendment to the law passed?
The Adamson Act was
passed in response to a pending strike by the major brotherhoods of
railroad workers. In 1915 Railroad brotherhoods adopted a resolution
to demand an eight hour work day and time and a half for overtime
but this was rejected by the Railroad companies. President Wilson
attempted to intervene in the dispute but failed to reach an
amicable resolution and to avoid the threatened strike requested Congress to pass legislation
granting an 8 hour work day for railroad workers.
Who sponsored the
Adamson Act?
The Adamson Act was
sponsored and named for the progressive
U.S. Representative William Charles Adamson (1854 – 1929) from
Georgia and a judge for the United States Customs Court.
What did the
Adamson Act do
The Adamson Act:
Adamson Act for kids
The Adamson Act
substantially increased the labor costs of the railroads and the law
was challenged as unconstitutional by the railroads before the
Supreme Court in Wilson v. New (January 8-10, 1917), claiming that
it raised wages rather than regulated hours. The workers threatened
strike action and President Wilson intervened once again and secured
a promise from the railroad companies to grant the eight-hour day
regardless of the Court's decision. On March 19, 1917 the Supreme
Court ruled on Wilson v. New declaring the Adamson Act
constitutional.
Significance of the
Adamson Act
The significance of the Adamson Act
was that the bill was the first U.S. federal legislation that
regulated the hours of workers in private companies. |
