The Gilded Age saw a period in the US when much of the wealth was in the hands of a few people. Beneath this thin "layer of gold" there was a layer of suffering. The factories of rich industrialists were filled with overworked, underpaid workers. Across the nation workers joined Unions and began to go on strike! Collective bargaining failed and violence broke out between strikers and scabs hired by bosses to break the strike. During the Homestead Strike of 1892 steel workers were attacked by "detectives" hired by Henry Clay Frick who co-owned the factory with Andrew Carnegie. During the strike young Alex, inspired by the Anarchist Movement, decided the best way to win the strike would be to kill Frick. Alex walked into his office and shot Frick four times but Frick survived! This is a picture of Alex at 22 the same year he attempted the murder of the robber baron. He was caught, sent to prison for 14 years, and released in 1906 (the same year Upton Sinclair published The Jungle). Soon after he was deported to Europe where he lived the rest of his life trying to fight for workers rights.QUESTION:
Alex's mentor thought that he had gone too far in trying to kill Frick. He thought it would make the public feel sorry for robber barons. Why did Alex believe the solution had to be so extreme as to commit murder? Is that the best solution?
23 comments:
i believe that alex felt that all the peaceful things him and the unoin were doing to cnange things at the workplace like collective bargaining wasnt working so he felt for things to cahnge he had to eilmintae the person or persons that is causing all the conflict.
(bad things)
Alexs mentor thought what he did was extreme because Alex was just another replaceable low payed worker, no one would care if he was alive or dead because there would always be someone ready to replace him. On the other hand Frick was a Robber Baron he ran the city, the rules made were in his side, everything revolved around him and his well being. In conclusion i think that what Alex Berkman did was good because regardless of making a big difference or not the Robber Barons realized if one worker was capable to do that imagine what would happen if all he workers joined and went against them.
In my opinion, i feel that Alexander Berkman did not act so extreme as to commit murder, because many other individuals before him have aslo commited murders for what they believed. However, this was not the best solution, because knowing the government by this time, they would be in favor of the robber barons. Robber barons had power none like the workers, for instance we may say Alexander, who went to jail for acting this way.
the answer to the question would be in my opinion that Alex probably thought that the strikes weren't going to help anything and that if he stood up for the right reasons and killed Frick the robber barons would probably be scared of the workers and the would have paid them more,and no i dont think that would be the best solution because now he had to serve 14 years in jail and the robber barons are going to take more precautions of the workers and their strikes!
I think that alex was just frustrated with this unfairness of the robber barons and how they had everything in the world while other people needed money to survive also how they had no pitty over anyone no matter the dituation he thought it was wrong and tried to fix it but it didnt end up too well for him and even so he never gave up..♫
In my opinion i believe that Alexander Berkman did not do anything out of the ordinary or new because many other people had committed suicide before his unsuccessful action. For His actions of wanting to have his voice heard he was sent to jail for 14 years.
To be honest I believe that what Alexander Berkman did was not the right choice, but the best choice, the reason I'm saying this is because If he wouldn't of stud up to the boss in such drastic way nobody would have know how serious they where in getting what they needed. This was a good message and warning to not only Andrew Carnegie but also to Robber Barons.I find him to be very courageous for doing such thing and for him to come up with the idea and also get his hands wrap up in the mess was very unlike Americans in this time period. In my opinion in the end he brought a very good message across"Little people can do great things,one must just be bold and brave"
Alex believed the solution was to kill Frick because, he was the only conflict against the collective bargain. I think this was the wrong decision because even thought the situation was very bad there was no need to kill.
Mandy----->Period 5!! DA BEST
In my personal opinion I believe that Alex was only thinking about gettin him out of the way, he didn't realized that his actions would put him away for a long period of time in his life, he just acted on first impulse, he should have thought it throught, maybe his mind and his thoughts would have been set on a different way of solving this problem.
Well I feel that Alex felt that the only way for workers to get their way was to prove that people such as him would go so far as to kill for their rights as worker and be treated with respect by their bosses
Blade, 5th period
I feel that Alex felt that the only way for workers to get their way was to prove that people such as him would go so far as to kill for thier right.
KARINA 8TH PERIOD
IN MY OPINION ALEXANDER BERKMAN'S THOUGHT TRYING TO KILLING FRICK,
A ROBBER BARON (WHICH WAS PROBABLY IN ALOT OF OTHER PEOPLES
MIND BUT THEY JUST DIDN'T GET THE CHANCE TO DO WHAT HE TRIED TO DO)
WAS THE SOLUTION TO HIS PROBLEM. ALOT OF PEOPLE WERE MISTREATED AND GOT PAID VERY LITTLE FOR THE JOB THAT THEY WERE DOING. IN HIS MIND AND IN ALOT OF OTHER PEOPLE'S MIND THAT WAS THE BEST SOLUTION.
(BUT IN MY MIND I WOULD SAY IT WASN'T REALLY WORTH IT BECAUSE FRICK STAYED ALIVE AND HE STOOD 14 YEARS IN JAIL FOR ATEMPTING TO KILL FRICK)
well i think that alexander that trying to kill is frick and that alex was just frustared with this unfairness ruber barons.
I am Agreeing with Chantel because I believe that all Alex wanted was fair equality and he waz not receiving that so in order 4 him 2 be heard waz only through a violent method......Honestly that waz not the best solution but i bet that it left all the other bosses wondering wether thet shud give the people wat they want or not....i believe it made the bosses think
well, I think that, what Alexander did (Try to kill the robber baron,Frick)was good because he and other people knew that the strikes were just getting people killed, and "scabs" were the one getting jobs. we are not suppose to kill others but something had 2 be done and Alexander was just brave and tired of this robber barons and scabs. His mentor was just scared of the robber barons that's why he said Alexander went 2 the extreme.
I think that Alex shouldn't have went this far. At least if he was going to carry out this assassination he should of done it correctly. It's crazy how people would kill for their natural rights. Even so alex proved just how serious union workers were about their rights. Rock on Alex. RIP.
i agree with rosalind..the only way alexander could really prove their rights was to try to kill Frick, although it was not a smart choice it had the bosses thinkin about what they were doing to unions.
it wasnt really smart of Alexander to try and kil Frick because he was still alive and alexander went to jail for attempting murder..but at the same time he had people thinkin, and he did something that everyone else probally thought about doing but didnt have the guts to do it..lol
last 2 anonymous comments was from paula period 5
I think alex took it far but he just wanted to be heard and try to do something for workers rights the bosses were taking advantage of them and alex hates that.alex fought for the workers rights that`s all he was thinking about .Hethought that by killig the big boss the problem will end but it didn`t he got deported to europe with the same mentality but he knew he did what he did for their rights
the last comment was from leny
I think Alex did a good thing trying to kill that bastard Frick.Its not that he wanted people to feel sorry for him.He looked at the problems in society and used his shooting skills as a solution to the problem.
i agree with what jenifer said about the government being on the side of the robber barons because they bribe them to make the laws for the country and because of that i think they are fully in power but i dont think Alexander went too far.he just acted on what he believes in.
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