Most students of American history are familiar enough with the names of the early kings of the industrial world—John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, J.P. Morgan—the men who owned most of America by the beginning of this century. They likewise recognize the names of the political contemporaries of these giants—William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. A few students may have even heard about the organizers of labor who fought against these magnates—Samuel Gompers, Terence Powderly and Eugene Debs. But considering the amount of time that men and women spend at work, the numbers of people who work, the conditions they work under, the wages they receive, and the great deal of dissatisfaction they feel, surprisingly little is known about the average working person—the little person who makes this country what it is.
Unfortunately, what is known about work is depressing: unemployment is over 7 percent, thousands of auto workers have been laid off since the beginning of the year 1980 and, locally Armstrong Rubber Company has announced plans to close their plant soon, leaving 600 people jobless. For the urban teenager today, the possibility of finding a job is almost hopeless as local employers stiffen job qualifications and federal funds are cut for summer job programs.
As an average high school history teacher, I cannot possibly begin to offer solutions to our current economic challenges, but neither can I ignore them. Not only do I face difficulty in meeting my own expenses, but increasingly, I have trouble in directing my students as they make important college and career choices. Students today are justifiably cynical about the American dream that promises advancement through education. Going to college does not automatically guarantee a job, much less a good-paying, self-satisfying job. Those students for whom high school is their final formal education are inadequately prepared for work, some even unable to fill out simple applications.
