Final answer:
Terrance Powderly's main argument for an eight-hour workday was that it would improve the physical lives of laborers by allowing them more rest and leisure time (option A).
Step-by-step explanation:
The main argument of Terrance Powderly for converting to an eight-hour work day best aligns with option A: Reducing hours will overall improve the physical lives of the laborers, allowing them more rest and leisure. This is because laborers during the 1870s and 1880s experienced workdays extending from ten to fourteen hours and it was believed that a reduction to eight-hour days would improve their quality of life and could lead to the necessity for employers to hire more workers. It was a commonly held belief among the members of the National Labor Union (NLU) and supported by the fact that longer working hours effectively prevented workers from engaging in leisure activities or improving their own or their children’s education. While labor reforms and the movement for reduced work hours were multifaceted, option A highlights the direct benefit to laborers' physical lives that was central to Powderly's view on shorter workdays.
Question:
PART A: Which of the following best describes Terrance Powderly's main argument for converting to an eight-hour work day?
A. Reducing hours will overall improve the physical lives of the laborers, allowing them more rest and leisure.
B. Reducing hours will allow people to educate themselves on economy and business so that they may improve labor inequities and depressions.
C. Reducing hours will guarantee jobs for the unemployed, especially increasing waves of immigrants.
D. Reducing hours will make the laborer more productive because he or she will be forced to get just as much done but in less time.