The 1860 Shoemakers’ Strike

In 1860, an uprising by shoemakers across New England became the largest labor strike in the United States before the Civil War. The walkout spread to more than two dozen towns, including Natick, and involved about 20,000 workers. Although the strike lasted only six weeks, it captured national attention and signaled the growing power of organized labor.

In Natick, shoemaking began as a “putting out” or “cottage industry” in the early 19th century. Cordwainers (shoe artisans) made shoes by hand in their homes and in “ten-footer” workshops all over town. They sent the finished shoes to Boston on wagons. However, after the Boston & Worcester Railroad arrived in Natick in 1834, the shoe industry boomed. By the mid-19th century, 1,050 Natick men and women—almost 20% of the population and about 75% of the workforce—were employed in the shoe industry.

Most of the shoes produced in Natick were heavy work shoes, including the “brogan,” which was first designed by Asa Felch in 1827. Southern planters purchased brogans in large quantities for enslaved people. In 1858, a shoe sewing machine was patented, and the shoemaking business model changed drastically. Machine stitching greatly enhanced production capability, but it minimized the function and cut the pay of the shoe workers in their homes. In some cases, every family member was employed in making shoes, and pay cuts made their situation bleak.

The 1857 nationwide financial panic hurt commerce everywhere and Natick shoe factories were hit hard. Many workers lost their jobs and borrowed money to pay their bills. When the economy grew stronger again, they were rehired, but with longer workdays and reduced pay. For 16-hour days, men earned $3 a week, and women were paid only $1. It wasn’t enough to support a family.

In February 1860, crowds of more than 500 Natick workers met several times in the Universalist Church. They formally resolved “that in our opinion the late reduction in the prices for bottoming shoes was uncalled for, oppressive, and unjust, therefore believing that no first quality shoe can be made for less than [20 cents] without injuring the laborer, and the best interests of the community.”

Across Massachusetts and New Hampshire, strike committees formed rapidly. By March 10, with long-distance support from Republican presidential candidate Abraham Lincoln, 517 Natick shoemakers joined workers in other towns to go strike. Although some manufacturers were ready to boost wages, most of them stonewalled the strikers. By mid-April, workers returned to factories. Though they succeeded in getting national attention, the strikers did not win concessions to their demands. A letter published in the Natick Observer on May 9, 1860, claimed, “The shoe business of our village is once more in full blast. Some firms are doing more business than ever before and will soon bridge the gap caused by the recent strike.” By the following spring, everyone’s attention turned to the new Civil War.

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Selected sources and additional reading:

Natick Historical Society Collections.

Mass Moments blog on the Shoemakers Strike of 1860 in Lynn, Massachusetts

Read about a Massachusetts Historical Society acquisition related to the 1860 strike