Kinlee Carlson - Essay - Putnam County
Item
Title
Kinlee Carlson - Essay - Putnam County
Description
New York History: What Was the Newsies Strike of 1899?
Abstract
So many people in the world do not know about the newsies strike that happened before the turn of the twentieth century in 1899. Newsies fought against the two most powerful people in New York City: Willian Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer. Both newsboys and newsgirls teamed up together to demand what they wanted. Even though newsies were just kids, they still took down Pulitzer and Hearst. The newsies' strike escalated up to the very point of when they won.
Newsies were children, as young as seven, all around New York who sold newspapers once they bought them from publishing companies. A way they made a living was by selling the newspapers they bought from newspaper businesses. Since newspapers were changing every day, newsies could not sell papers they bought from one or two days ago. Most newsies that people saw out on the streets were orphans. To sell their papers, newsies would lie and make up stories that were not actually in the newspaper. The working conditions for newsies were horrible, and they never went to school. Newsies were making a good living profit by just selling each newspaper for a penny. The two major newspaper businesses were The New York Evening Journal and The Evening World. William Randolph Hearst owned The New York Evening Journal while Joseph Pulitzer owned The Evening World. Pulitzer and Hearst were constantly in a battle; they wanted to see who could make more money. Newsies and the newspaper businesses worked in peace, until war broke out. In 1898, the Spanish-American war broke out. The war caused the price of buying newspapers from businesses to go up. Instead of fifty cents for one hundred papers, it was now sixty cents for one hundred papers. Newsies didn't mind the change in price at first because the newspapers had good headlines. On July 18, 1899, the newspaper publishers lowered the price back down to what it was once the war was over, but Hearst and Pulitzer did not. Also, on July 18 newsies from Long Island City tipped over a wagon cart full of papers, and officially declared strike against Pulitzer and Hearst. The newsies were getting frustrated that they were paying extra for one hundred papers. Newsies started to organize groups around New York City to start going on strike; they thought it would pressure the businesspeople to lower the price, but it didn't. The newsies that worked in New York City also officially declared a strike against Hearst and Pulitzer. On July 19, 1899, newsies from all over New York gathered in Manhattan's City Hall to form a union against Pulitzer and Hearst. The newsies strike soon overtook New York City. Dave Simmons and Louis Baletti (also known as Kid Blink because he wore an eyepatch over one eye) were the two main newsies strike leaders. They both organized rallies and defended the newsies from men hired as scabs (people against the strike). Newsies marched around New York City and punished newsies who were selling papers (also known as scabs}. July 21, Don Seitz, the owner of The New York World's (newspaper company) decided to help the newsies by pairing up with them and sending a message to Hearst and Pulitzer telling them what the newsies want. On July 25, almost all the newspapers were talking about the strike. Later, Dave Simmons gathered newsies throughout the city, and told them demands that the whole union wanted Pulitzer and Hearst to hear. Newsies fought for days, even weeks. Dozens of newsies even got arrested because people thought they were being disruptive to them when walking out on the streets. Finally, after weeks of striking against Pulitzer and Hearst, the newsies won. On August 2, 1899, the newsies decided to make a bargain with Hearst and Pulitzer. The price still stayed the same for buying newspapers, but they would buy back any unsold papers the newsies didn't sell.
Years later, the newsies strike empowered other strikes around the United States. It encouraged the Hartford Connecticut strike of 1909. The Butte Montana strike of 1914, and the Louisville Kentucky strike in the 1920s. In 1922, Disney made a movie based on the newsies strike. They named the movie Newsies, starring Christian Bale as a strike leader named Jack Kelly. The strike didn't just prove that newsies could defeat the most powerful people in New York City. The newsies strike of 1899 proved that anyone can do anything if they put their mind to it, even kids.
Newsies were children, as young as seven, all around New York who sold newspapers once they bought them from publishing companies. A way they made a living was by selling the newspapers they bought from newspaper businesses. Since newspapers were changing every day, newsies could not sell papers they bought from one or two days ago. Most newsies that people saw out on the streets were orphans. To sell their papers, newsies would lie and make up stories that were not actually in the newspaper. The working conditions for newsies were horrible, and they never went to school. Newsies were making a good living profit by just selling each newspaper for a penny. The two major newspaper businesses were The New York Evening Journal and The Evening World. William Randolph Hearst owned The New York Evening Journal while Joseph Pulitzer owned The Evening World. Pulitzer and Hearst were constantly in a battle; they wanted to see who could make more money. Newsies and the newspaper businesses worked in peace, until war broke out. In 1898, the Spanish-American war broke out. The war caused the price of buying newspapers from businesses to go up. Instead of fifty cents for one hundred papers, it was now sixty cents for one hundred papers. Newsies didn't mind the change in price at first because the newspapers had good headlines. On July 18, 1899, the newspaper publishers lowered the price back down to what it was once the war was over, but Hearst and Pulitzer did not. Also, on July 18 newsies from Long Island City tipped over a wagon cart full of papers, and officially declared strike against Pulitzer and Hearst. The newsies were getting frustrated that they were paying extra for one hundred papers. Newsies started to organize groups around New York City to start going on strike; they thought it would pressure the businesspeople to lower the price, but it didn't. The newsies that worked in New York City also officially declared a strike against Hearst and Pulitzer. On July 19, 1899, newsies from all over New York gathered in Manhattan's City Hall to form a union against Pulitzer and Hearst. The newsies strike soon overtook New York City. Dave Simmons and Louis Baletti (also known as Kid Blink because he wore an eyepatch over one eye) were the two main newsies strike leaders. They both organized rallies and defended the newsies from men hired as scabs (people against the strike). Newsies marched around New York City and punished newsies who were selling papers (also known as scabs}. July 21, Don Seitz, the owner of The New York World's (newspaper company) decided to help the newsies by pairing up with them and sending a message to Hearst and Pulitzer telling them what the newsies want. On July 25, almost all the newspapers were talking about the strike. Later, Dave Simmons gathered newsies throughout the city, and told them demands that the whole union wanted Pulitzer and Hearst to hear. Newsies fought for days, even weeks. Dozens of newsies even got arrested because people thought they were being disruptive to them when walking out on the streets. Finally, after weeks of striking against Pulitzer and Hearst, the newsies won. On August 2, 1899, the newsies decided to make a bargain with Hearst and Pulitzer. The price still stayed the same for buying newspapers, but they would buy back any unsold papers the newsies didn't sell.
Years later, the newsies strike empowered other strikes around the United States. It encouraged the Hartford Connecticut strike of 1909. The Butte Montana strike of 1914, and the Louisville Kentucky strike in the 1920s. In 1922, Disney made a movie based on the newsies strike. They named the movie Newsies, starring Christian Bale as a strike leader named Jack Kelly. The strike didn't just prove that newsies could defeat the most powerful people in New York City. The newsies strike of 1899 proved that anyone can do anything if they put their mind to it, even kids.
Youth(s) First Name and Initial of Last Name
Kinlee Carlson
Age Division
12
Category
Essay
County
Putnam
