Final answer:
Minority workers without higher education primarily occupied unskilled, low-wage jobs with little to no benefits. These included roles in agriculture, domestic work, and manual labor, often under challenging and exploitative conditions. Historical labor discrimination also meant limited opportunities for advancement and job security for these workers.
Step-by-step explanation:
Minority workers, who lacked a higher level education, mainly worked in unskilled, low-paying jobs that rarely offered benefits such as healthcare or retirement planning. Their positions were often seasonal or temporary and included roles such as migrant farm workers, housecleaners, day laborers, and manual laborers. In the post-Civil War urbanization of America, with the rise of factories and offices in cities, factory work became a significant source of employment for the working poor, despite being poorly paid, featuring long hours, and often dehumanizing conditions.
In the case of specific minority groups, for instance, Hispanic citizens, they were often relegated to the worst-paying jobs working as peóns, vaqueros, and cartmen, with little opportunity for advancement or better wages. Similarly, Black men, even if skilled, faced discrimination and were prevented from joining trade unions, thus being paid inadequately, while Black women often worked in domestic roles. Jobs in industries such as farming, which traditionally employed those with less education, have been in decline, posing additional challenges to unskilled workers.
The industrial labor environment was harsh for all low-wage workers, but many still preferred factory work over other types of labor due to slightly better pay compared to agricultural labor. The history of labor for minority workers who lacked higher education is one of struggle, low wages, and limited job security, often compounded by discrimination and a lack of social safety nets.