Legend, myth, and propaganda come together in a recent meme that is circulating on social media. This meme is topped with the heading “Kamala Lied To You.” This is followed by another knee jerk reaction grabbing line, “Unions Did Not Create” and then bullet points about the weekend, eight hour work day, a five day and forty hour work week, and a living wage. Next, Henry Ford is given credit for these accomplishments. The meme closes with the line, “capitalism and competion creates higher wages and better working conditions.”

Legend, Myth, and Propaganda

Yes, Henry Ford did play a role in the establishment of the five day work week and eight hour day. But there is more to the story. And that illustrates the problem with condensing history into a meme for use as propaganda.

Ford did not invent the assembly line but in 1913 he perfected it with the result being a dramatic increase in production and a lowering of costs. That in turn allowed him to sell cars for a lower price and still turn a profit. And as it turned out, this is what led to development of his revolutionary labor policy.

Assembly line work was mind numbing and repetitive. And it was backbreaking. As a result, worker retention quickly become a crisis. Some Ford Motor Company historians note that there was a 380 % turnover at Highland Park within 12 months.

To curb the hemorrhaging of a labor force, an economic philosophy later called “Fordism” was developed. This included implementation of a $5 wage for an eight hour workday. It also included establishment of the Sociological Department that penalized or fired workers for infractions such as the reading of pro union materials.

The Rest of The Story

Cherry picking history distorts the picture. And that is the intersection of legend, myth and propoganda.

The eight-hour work day movement predates the American Civil War. With post war industrialization, an influx of immigrants, and agricultural workers moving to cities for work, the labor movement grew in strength. It was fueled by a need to balance profit with workers needs and safety.

In 1898, a labor bulletin published in Massachusetts detailed the wages and hours of domestic workers in the commonwealth. Domestic cooks worked between 78 and 83 hours in a six day work week. The average pay was 9 cents an hour.

Women and children working in factories had some protections resultant of a state law that was rooted in the labor movement. In textile mills they could only work a maximum of 58 hours in a six day week.

Child labor laws are also rooted in the movements that gave rise to unions. Did you know that according to some estimates, in 1900, nearly twenty percent of all American workers were under the age of 16? And a study in 1900 determined that out of 100,000 workers in textile mills in southern states, 20,000 were under the age of 12.

Henry Ford did introduce the five-day work week at his Ford Motor Company plants in 1926. But when workers attempted to unionize in 1937, and push for improved working conditions and better wages, the result was the Battle of the Overpass. Labor organizers, including women, distributing union leaflets and members of the press were brutally attacked by Ford’s private security service.

Finding Balance

Finding balance in the study of history is never easy. Nor is it comfortable. But if we are to benefit from the lessons taught by history, we must first view in context. And then we need to develop the entire picture, not just the parts that affirm our beliefs or that enable us to sell a politician.

Scattered all Route 66 are monuments that tell the complicated story of striking a balance between profit and social responsibility. Spend a few minutes in Mt. Olive, Illinois and visit the cemetery with its towering Mother Jones Monument dedicated to the legendary labor activist Mary Harris “Mother” Jones. Or take time for a stop in Virden, Illinois and reflect on the the somber monument in the town square that commemorates the coal strike of 1898.

But most importantly, don’t form opinions based on memes. And definitely don’t make important decisions based on the blending of legend, myth, and propoganda masquerading as history.

Telling America’s story is what we do at Jim Hinckley’s America. And we share that story even when a chapter isn’t popular.

This link is for a fascinating summary by the History Channel about the history of the five day work week.