Final answer:
Workers in the late 19th century used the slogan "Eight hours for work, eight hours for rest, eight hours for what we will!" to encapsulate their demands for shorter workdays, pushing for an eight-hour workday against the common ten to twelve-hour shifts.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Slogan for Shorter Working Days
During the late 19th century, the labor movement in the United States and other parts of the world advocated for better working conditions, including shorter working hours. Workers' demands for an eight-hour workday were encapsulated by the slogan "Eight hours for work, eight hours for rest, eight hours for what we will!" This slogan represented the workers' fight for a more balanced division of the day, promoting not just the decrease in labor hours but also the necessity for rest and personal time.
This was a response to the often grueling work schedules that required workers to labor for ten to twelve hours a day, six days a week. Labor unions and labor movements like the National Labor Union (NLU) supported the eight-hour day, believing it to be a solution to improve workers' quality of life and force employers to hire more labor due to the reduced hours per worker.
Throughout various industries and locations around the world, actions such as strikes were organized to protest against long hours, low wages, and poor working conditions. Notably, the Haymarket Rally became one of the most infamous labor events related to the campaign for the eight-hour workday. On May 1, 1886, labor organizations around the country engaged in a national rally for the eight-hour workday, which culminated in tragedy during a protest in Chicago.