Final answer:
The Pinkerton Guards were hired by company owners to protect property and suppress labor strikes, often leading to violent clashes with workers as seen in the Homestead Strike of 1892, thus aligning with option B, that they represented the owners and fought against the workers.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Pinkerton Guards played a significant role during strikes in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Their primary role was to represent the owners and fight against the workers, which aligns with option B of the question provided. Employed by various corporations, they were hired to protect company property, break strikes, and confront the striking workers, often leading to violent encounters such as the Homestead Strike of 1892. In this particular incident, the Pinkerton Guards were brought in to secure the plant for the Carnegie Steel Company. Their arrival led to an armed confrontation with striking workers. The conflict escalated, resulting in deaths on both sides, and the union was ultimately defeated.
The presence of the Pinkerton Guards and other private security agencies was a clear indication of the lengths to which companies would go to protect their interests against organized labor. Typically, these guards were used as a tool to undermine the efforts of workers to unionize and improve their working conditions, contributing to a larger struggle between labor rights and corporate power.