Histories of work and working peoples

The National Park Service tells the stories of working people and their families. 

From the free and enslaved laborers who built the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal and laid the tracks of the first transcontinental railroad, to the “mill girls” who made cloth in Lowell’s textile factories, to the striking employees of Chicago’s Pullman Company, to the founder of the country's first permanent agricultural union, you’ll find their histories here. 

Statue of Dred and Harriet Scott
Monumental Labor

Explore the history of work and working peoples through virtual public events and podcasts this fall.

Ludlow Massacre Memorial
Labor and National Historic Landmarks

Learn more about the preservation and interpretation of labor history at National Historic Landmarks.

Farm workers and their supporters marching with signs
Marching for Justice in the Fields

In 1966, striking farmworkers in California made history when they set out on a 300-mile march to the state capital in Sacramento.

A group of miners in front of Laura Mine in Red Star, West Virginia in 1908.
West Virginia Mine Wars

In the early decades of the 20th century, miners and their families struggled to unionize the southern West Virginia coal fields.

Female laundry workers march with banners calling for labor and voting rights
Women in the Labor Movement

Discover the stories of people and places that have been part of the struggle to make life better for women at work.

Ballot Blocked Podcast
Ballot Blocked Podcast

Explore the history of women's voting rights before and after the 19th amendment in this six-part podcast series.

View of Quincy No.2 Shaft-Rockhouse; Ryan Holt
Labor and Literature

Explore how literature can help us understand American labor history.

Two kids looking at re-creation of a 1910s mill weaving room.
Visit Labor History Sites

Looking to visit a park? Find and explore places that tell the stories of working people in the United States.

Last updated: November 29, 2023

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