Even though I am in the deep South I sit drinking a cup of Hazelnut coffee not Sweet Tea. Would rather be drinking a mint julep but it seems to late in the evening for one. With the temp out side at 71 degrees it almost seems cold compared to what we have had and maybe a hot toddy would be better. It was very early on in our nations history that we know that we needed a source of cheap labor. At the time slavery seems to be the only answer and most of the other super powers of the day were using slave labor so the U.S. was just following in line.
Up until the middle of the industrial revolution did labor have to organize as machinery was making inroads in to the labor force. As it has today with robot technology labor is becoming a thing of the past. In October of 1887 Waltham Watch Factory employed 2,471 people. In 1932 the same plant employed just half that many people as the employees voted to take a big pay cut to keep from being layed off do to the depression. Putting out as many watches as they did in 1890.
With the advent of steam and gasoline engines the need for farm labor was cut. Many of the poor sons of slaves went to the Northern cities to work in the assemble lines of the Auto Makers and the Packing plants of the Midwest. Kansas City, Omaha, Sioux City, Austin,Minnesota, Chicago, Illinois, and Minneapolis and Detroit ( Dearborn). They got there very first taste of cold weather and snow. Some made their homes there some returned back to the places that were more temperate.
Now with robots constructing cars there is no need for cheap labor the labor unions have priced themselves out of the marketplace. Machine operators have a B.S. degree in Computer science or industrial technology. Even in Meat Packing New methods and machines make labor less a expense and jobs there have decreased. That with the cheap overseas labor for the rest of the cheap goods make for a poor jobs market today.
A far cry from the time of the early 1820's when you would need a 75 people to work a 300 acre plantation. In 1930 my grandfather worked 180 acre farm 150 acres were tillable with himself and two young sons and two teams of horses.
Senior Deacon
