In what ways did workers not share fully in America's growing prosperity during industrialization?
Workers had little control over large corporate employers. To protect themselves, workers began in the late nineteenth century to form labor unions. Through these organizations, they sought to negotiate with employers to raise wages, reduce working hours, and improve conditions. The nation's first large union, the National Labor Union, was founded in 1866, but it fell apart during the depression of the 1870s. Labor Day, a holiday first celebrated in New York in 1882, became a national holiday in 1894 to honor the important contributions of working people to American life.