Thesis
During the Newsboys' Strike of 1899, young boys took a stand against two of the most powerful papers in New York, The Evening Journal and The New York World. The newsboys' goal was to get the prices newsies paid for papers lowered. The eventual compromise showed that, no matter what your age, you can take a stand against people with power and get results.
Who Were the "Newsies"?
The newsboys, also called "newsies", were the main distributors of newspapers to the general public in the United States from the mid-19th through early 20th century. Many of these newsboys were orphans or homeless. There were as many as 10,000 homeless children wandering New York in the 1890s. |
There is a common misconception that only boys sold papers. This is untrue. There were female newsies selling papers around New York trying to earn enough money to support themselves and their families.
The newsies took a stand against The Evening Journal and The New York World in 1899 to obtain a lower price for the papers they sold to the general public.
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Leaders of the strike
Unlike how it was portrayed in the Disney movie/musical, the strike the newsies took was headed by a Newsboy Strike Committee. "Kid Blink" (Louis Ballatt) was the main organizer, Dave Simons was president, and many others were elected into the Strike Committee, including Crutch Morris and Abe Newman.
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