1835 Shipbuilders for Ten Hour Day

I am a Ten Hour workingman!
 No threats shall awe my soul,
No perils cause me to desist,
 No bribes my acts control;
A freeman will I live and die,
 In sunshine and in shade,
And raise my voice for liberty,
 Of naught on earth afraid.

Though the Industrial Revolution brought on new “Labor Saving Technologies,” these technologies did not reduce the work by common workers in factories. While production increased exponentially, wages and working hours remained the same as factory owners were pocketing all the profits from the increased production. The “Labor Saving Technology” was turning into more of a curse for workers who were working harder now to keep up with the production demands of the owners. Many workers saw the only solution to this problem was the decrease of working hours with the increase of production from newer technologies.

In 1835, Boston shipbuilders struck for a ten hour day. They claimed that “Capital… is endeavoring to crush labor, the only source of wealth.”  A few months later they were joined by other workers who marched with them through the streets of Boston to challenge “the traditional sunup-to-sundown working day.”  This movement inspired workers in Lowell and throughout the nation. It set in motion movements that eventually landed the ten hour working day, which set the groundwork for the eight-hour day we currently enjoy.