Difference between revisions of "325--2011--Week 3 Questions/Comments"
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The notes on Harper's Ferry Strike seems to point to gross mismanagement of government funds, which still seems to be a problem. A liaison between workers and management could benefit both parties by organizing the current chaotic work schedules and inserting some type of quality control. As in all business supply and demand will dictate production. That being said it seems like the workers are cutting their own throat by striking. Implementing new processes and manufacturing techniques is progress and the workforce must adapt. Competitions for the few jobs in the armory should provide a very skilled workforce and purge the system of it's excess baggage. - Matt Slagle | The notes on Harper's Ferry Strike seems to point to gross mismanagement of government funds, which still seems to be a problem. A liaison between workers and management could benefit both parties by organizing the current chaotic work schedules and inserting some type of quality control. As in all business supply and demand will dictate production. That being said it seems like the workers are cutting their own throat by striking. Implementing new processes and manufacturing techniques is progress and the workforce must adapt. Competitions for the few jobs in the armory should provide a very skilled workforce and purge the system of it's excess baggage. - Matt Slagle | ||
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| + | As was mentioned during the class lecture on Tuesday, the shift of the process of manufacturing goods from being produced one by one via a master craftsman to being mass produced by implementing the American Manufacturing System was not looked upon agreeable by all Americans. Of course those who were most likely to be against the adoption of this manufacturing system were the skilled craftsmen. The correspondence between H.K. Craig and Lt. Col. Talcott, in regards to the Strike at Harper’s Ferry, is a great example of this. In his letter Lt. Col. Talcott outlines the ways of working that the employees at the armory are used to. They worked as it suited them, choosing to be absent or come in at their own convenience. They were also used to working only a few hours and still being paid a good wage. Before the American Manufacturing System caught on this way of working was possible. The craftsmen who had the necessary skills spent many years learning, training in, and perfecting their abilities. To be a master craftsman meant to be in demand, and so a craftsman could work at his own pace and still earn a good wage. However, as seen in Lt. Col. Talcott’s letter under the new system this way of working was no longer possible. An employee only needed to work with one machine and one part of the whole, thus it was entirely possible to get by with unskilled laborers alone. -Kathleen Mead | ||
== Frederick Douglass, Beaten in Baltimore == | == Frederick Douglass, Beaten in Baltimore == | ||
