History Classroom: The Men Who Built America

Episode Synopsis

Carnegie hires Henry frick to help him achieve his goal of dominating the steel industry and besting Rockefeller. The partnership seems promising, but frick is pushing workers to a breaking point. Meanwhile, the Johnstown flood of 1889 leaves 2,000 people dead, and Carnegie’s South fork fishing & Hunting Club faces blame. Worker unrest culminates in a massive strike at the Homestead Steel plant in 1892. Violence ensues when frick calls in the Pinkerton security agency. The strike is a major turning point in American labor history, showing how workers would fight for fair wages and conditions when faced with injustice. Carnegie is determined to make up for these scars on his reputation.