The True Story Of The 1899 Newsboy Strike, In Which Newsboys Defeated Publishing Tycoons, Young Revolutionaries: The Newsies’ Fight for Fairness
In a battle for proper wages, the newsboy strike of 1899 united underprivileged newsboys as young as seven against rich newspaper moguls William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer.
A violent strike cut down the circulation of newspapers within New York City just before the century’s end. However, the strikers weren’t professionals, and most weren’t adults. The newsboy strike of 1899 was led by young men called “newsies,” who faced the challenge of William Randolph Hearst, founder of The New York Journal, and Joseph Pulitzer, owner of New York World magazine.
The children, who were as young as seven, did not want to buy their newspaper publications because they were enraged by the cost. Hearst, as well as Pulitzer, demanded bundles of newspapers.
In the middle of July, the newsboy strike of 1899 began in August, and at September’s end, Hearst and Pulitzer were at their weakest. The moguls were willing to negotiate in the initial days, dismissing it as irrelevant.
It was reported that the Newsies had been opposed to Joseph and William.
The Motive Behind The Strike
Newsboys were a long-standing integral part of bustling metropolises like New York City. They would sell the daily newspaper for a penny, dashing between carts and waiting on the corners. There were more newsboys than ever before. Increased by the newsboy strike of 1899 due to new evening newspapers that people would grab as they headed home.
For a long period, they worked in peace with newspapers, such as William Randolph Hearst, the publisher of The New York Evening Journal, and Joseph Pulitzer, publisher of The Evening World.
They had an idea. They would offer the newsboy 50 cents for 100 newspapers and then offer them for a penny.
In addition, although there were newsworthy strike incidents in the past, they were nothing compared to what was to come.
The moment war broke out in the Spanish-American War broke out in 1898; the world was changed. Instead of charging 50 cents for a bundle, publishers began charging newsboys 60 cents per bundle. Although they weren’t aware at the time, this would later serve as the basis for the strike of 1899 by newsboys.
A Newsboy selling evening newspaper
In the beginning, newscasters did not seem to mind. The general population demanded a plethora of war stories. And newspapers, with their catchy and captivating headlines, became a huge hit.
As the war ended when the war ended, most publishers lowered their prices by 50 cents. Yet, Hearst and Pulitzer charged newsboys 60 cents each for 100 copies.
The newsboys were soon aware of the distinction. On July 18, newsboys from Long Island City discovered that a Journal delivery driver was selling bundles of less than 100 newspapers.
Newsies listening as they were being addressed
The angry newsboys threw his car and took his papers. Invigorated and motivated, they decided to confront a far greater injustice: the price for their packages.
The result was the beginning of the strike for newsboys in 1899.
The proprietors of the newspaper initially ignored the demands of the journalists.
The newsboys were determined and did not intend to give up. On July 22, 100 newsboys gathered at “Newspaper Row,” where newspapers were distributed, and clubs were branded on The New York World and The New York Journal.
Police initially detained the strikers of the young generation. However, the newsboy strike remained, and more newsies congregated in Columbus Circle than before. They shouted, hurled fruits, and stole hundreds of newspapers from the wagons.
The newsboys ‘ voices were heard over the following two weeks. They marched over Brooklyn Bridge and into Manhattan’s streets. Newsies tore up copies of Journal and World and threw water at proprietors of newsstands who did not support them.
Louis “Kid Blink” Baletti
On July 25, when the world’s circulation dropped by 360,000, bringing it down to 15,000, newsies staged a protest. Five thousand teenagers watched as their 18-year-old striker, Louis “Kid Blink” Baletti, was on the stage.
Within two weeks, the newsboy strike of 1899 had caused so much harm to the profits from Hearst and Pulitzer’s publications that the moguls began to think about negotiating.
The Result From The Strike
In 1899, on August 2, the newsboys signed an arrangement with Hearst in conjunction with Pulitzer. They could continue to purchase bundles of 60 cents each. However, the World and the Journal would take any unsold paper to be fully returned. The boys were on the same page. They immediately began selling newspapers.
Although the strike only lasted two weeks in duration, the strike nonetheless had a profound influence on American society and life.
