Cherelle Phelps, Mallard Creek High School
Yvonne Wolf, James M. Martin Middle School
Compelling Question
During the Loray Strike, who truly had the best interests of the Loray Mill community in mind?
Background Information
After the Civil War ended in 1865, the North Carolina Piedmont continued to be a large cotton-growing region. Wealthy business owners saw an opportunity to build factories there. They could process cotton into textiles near the source where it was grown. The Piedmont region began an explosive growth in cotton manufacturing in the 1880s with the city of Charlotte at the center of the industry. The nearby town of Gastonia profited from this cotton mill boom that employed many local workers as well. Many families left farms to find work in the cotton mills, or factories. Often all able-bodied members of a family went to work in a mill as they had on the farm, including children. The average worker still struggled against low wages, long hours, and dangerous conditions. However many people preferred the steadier income a factory job could provide over farming.
The next great wave of mill building was during World War I due to the demand for war materials. After the wartime demand lessened, mill owners depended on cutting costs and increasing production to make a profit. One way they could achieve this was through the “stretch-out” system, where they increased work and decreased wages. Not only did workers struggle financially, but they also had less time to care for their own families at home. Women bore a large part of this burden. They made up a large part of the mill workforce while shouldering the majority of responsibilities at home.
Fred Erwin Beal was an organizer in a national communist labor union. When he heard about a stretch-out happening at Loray Mill in Gastonia in 1929, he decided to take his efforts there. Beal led willing workers in declaring a strike, while other workers chose not to. During the strike, confrontations became violent, and even fatal, for workers and police. Casualties included worker Ella May Wiggins and Police Chief Orville Aderholt. The strike did not immediately succeed in improving Loray Mill’s conditions. Still, it influenced future strikes in other locations. It also inspired the formation of the United Textile Workers labor organization. This organization had some success standing up for laborers’ rights in the anti-union South.
vocabulary
Piedmont: hilly middle region of North Carolina between the mountains and coastal plain
Manufacturing: making products on a large scale using machines
Boom: rapid increase
Communist: advocating for a society where all people are on equal terms financially and the production of goods is operated and owned by the public; there is no private property
Labor union: organized association of workers formed to protect rights and interests
Sources
Student Activities
Who is to blame for the results of the Loray Mill Strike? Within the course of the strike, violence occurred, the chief of police was murdered, a striker was murdered and several people were injured through violent clashes between strikers and strike breakers. While the strikers accused of murdering Chief Alderholt were found guilty and Ella May Wiggins’ accused killers were found not guilty, the mill owners were never tried or held responsible for any actions that took place. As a class, you will put the Loray Mill owners on trial. Should they be held responsible or were the strikers and union members at fault for the violence that took place? Your teacher will give you an overview of how trials work and assign roles and materials to you.
Some of the most effective depictions of the Loray Mill Strike were captured in photos and even song lyrics. These artistic mediums conveyed feelings, messages, and perspectives connected to both sides of the strike. Research and find another photo, song, poster, cartoon, etc. about the Loray Strike that has not already been included in the previous sources.
Use this Primary Source Analysis Tool to explore your source. Using your chosen primary source, complete the Tool page online or print it out to complete by hand.
Many key individuals were involved in the Loray Mill Strike, including some who lost their lives. Reflecting on the individuals you have encountered through the sources, select one who played a significant role in the strike. You will create a social media profile on this person. You may mimic any social media platform that allows users to create profiles, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, etc. Think about the type of information or content included on one’s social media profile such as name, brief biography, catchy tagline or motto, and even photos and videos. Create a social media profile for your person of choice that showcases who they were and how they contributed to the Loray Mill Strike. You may complete this activity on a poster or digitally.
