Chapter 18Industry, Immigrants, and Cities

The Gilded Age

The Gilded Age Term applied to late 19th century America that

refers to the shallow display and worship of wealth characteristic of that period

Term was first used by Mark Twain

Used to satire people’s obsession with materialistic items of the day

Great Dilemma New wealth was being created, but poverty

was increasing as well

Dilemma of the time was to reconcile these contradictions and provide opportunity for a decent life to all

Philadelphia symbolized this issue in 1876

Philadelphia in 1876

Centennial Exposition Celebration of America turning 100 People came to witness new technologies and

inventions by Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell

Celebration vs. Reality Country was in the midst of a Depression; Not

a hopeful time

Typical Philadelphia worker’s daily wage was $1.00

Cost of admission to the exposition was 0.50 cents

Many were forced to celebrate elsewhere…

Centennial City Collection of cheap bars, cheap hotels, and

small restaurants

This is what most could afford

Had their own celebration, and it wasn’t fancy or sophisticated

New Industry Huge switch takes place The United States moves from primarily an

agricultural nation into the world’s foremost industrial nation

The Electric Age Steam engines and electricity meant

manufacturers were no longer dependent on water power

Management could now substitute machines for workers

This had a great impact on city life: electric lights, appliances, store bought food

Electric Light Bulb Invented by Thomas Edison

Light Bulb Edison astounded everyone when he was able

to get bulb to burn for 45 minutes!

The race was on to see who could invent a way to light the world cheaply and efficiently

Whoever was able to do this would gain a huge fortune

Edison would NOT be that guy

Elihu Thompson High school Chemistry teacher

Look like Hutch at all?????

Purchased a company (which you all have heard of) from Edison

Company he Purchased?

General Electric Established a research and development

division

By 1914, they were producing 85% of the world’s light bulbs

The Corporation and its Impact Corporation an association of individuals with

legal rights and liabilities separate from those of its members

Key feature? separation of ownership from management

Raise oney by selling stock to shareholders

2 Advantages of Corporations Does not dissolve (end) when a partner dies,

as partnerships did

Limited liability shareholders are not responsible for a corporation’s debts

Share of Stock

Vertical Integration Consolidation of production functions under

the direction of one firm

Meatpacking industry was a good example

Gustavas Swift

Refrigerated Railway Cars He realized it was possible to ship meat from

Western ranges to Eastern markets

Eliminated the need to transport live cattle

Railroads were skeptical and were not eager to buy his special railway cars

Oh, Canada! Swift was able to convince Canadian railway

to buy his cars Also built refrigerated warehouses in Omaha

and Kansas City He controlled the production, transportation,

and distribution of his products

Was it successful? Swift was shipping $200,000 worth of meat

per week!

Horizontal Integration Merging of competitors in the same industry

Standard Oil Company Owned by John D. Rockefeller Used threats and deceit to acquire

competitors Controlled 90% of the nations oil refinery

Other Examples of Horizontal Integration James Duke Cigarettes

Andrew Carnegie Steel

The Changing Nature of Work Huge wave of immigrations into the United

States looking for work (Europe and Asia)

Received very little pay

Eastern Europeans made up 75% of the steel workforce and were paid $12.50 per week

Corporations were making HUGE profits, but were not protecting worker safety

Unsafe Working Conditions 30,000 railroad workers killed in 1881 alone

25% of workers at U.S. Steel in Pittsburgh would be killed or injured

Those working in the Chicago meatpacking plants faced terrible conditions

Chicago Meatpacking Workers grew careless from fatigue and long

term exposure to extreme temperatures

Often worked rapidly with sharp knives

Would not notice that they had sliced the fingers off of their numb hands

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

The Jungle Chronicled the killing floors of the meatpacking

plants in Chicago

“It was to be counted as a wonder that there were not more men slaughtered than cattle”

Typical worker worked 10 hour days six days a week

By Sunday, workers would be so exhausted all they did was sit.

Only had time to eat and sleep during the week

Impact on Families Families moved closer to factories to reduce

the time spent going back and forth

Industrial wastes polluted rivers and streams near the plants

Workers and families could never escape the filth and pollution of these plants

Child Labor

Child Labor Pg 473

In Pennsylvania, children were made to work in coal mines all day long

Girls under the age of 16 made up 50% of the workforce in Scranton, PA

No Protection Laws were passed to prevent child labor but

they were rarely enforced

Parents who were desperate for income would lie about the children’s age

Working Women Women looked for work out of necessity (Page

474).

Men could not support a wife and kids on his own

Women were often paid less than men

In one St. Louis factory, women were paid $4/per week compared to $16/per week for men

Prostitution Some women were forced to work as

prostitutes

They could earn 4-5 times more

These women were treated as outcasts

“Is it any wonder that a tempted girl who receives only six dollars per week working with her hands sells her body for $25 per week?”

New Invention The invention of the typewriter transformed

clerical (office) work

Before the typewriter, men held these jobs

Women were said to have greater dexterity and “tolerance for repetition

Nurturing Professions Women were slowly gaining access to higher

education

They were still restricted from high profile jobs, such as doctors and lawyers

Found work as teachers, nurses, and library work

Responses to Poverty and Wealth

Jacob Riis How the Other Half Lives (excerpt on page

477)

Essay on the poor in New York City

“The half that is on top cares little for the struggles, and less for the fate of those who are underneath so long as it is able to hold them there and keep its own seat

Tenement Apartments Apartments in urban slums that were known

for their lack of ventilation and light

The Hull House

The Hull House Most famous settlement house

Founded by Jane Addams

Provided the poor with facilities and education to help them improve their environment and eventually escape it

The Gospel of Wealth Thesis that hard work and perseverance lead

to wealth

Implied that poverty was a character flaw

Some people fought against this idea, but the majority of others simply accepted it as truth

One who Fought it Andrew Carnegie

Felt it was the responsibility of the rich to set an example for the working class and return some of their wealth to the communities in which they lived

Social Darwinism Flawed attempt to apply Darwin’s theory of

evolution to human society

Used as a justification for the growing gap between the rich and poor

The fit survive and become wealthy; The poor are simply weak

Believer of Social Darwinism? John D. Rockefeller

“The working out of a law of nature and a law of God”

Workers Organize

The Great Uprising Railroad strike of 1877 Railroad workers in Baltimore went on strike to

fight pay cuts

The Great Uprising President Hayes sent troops to guard the

railroad’s property

Once word got out, railroad workers in other states started to strike as well

In Pittsburgh, state militia opened fire on strikers and their families, killing 25 including a woman and three children

Knights of Labor Union founded in Philadelphia in 1869 that

grew drastically after the Great Uprising

Welcomed black workers and women Led the movement for an 8-hour work day

Haymarket Square Incident

Haymarket Square Incident Police killed four unarmed workers during a

skirmish with strikers in Chicago

A bomb later exploded at a meeting to protest the slaying, killing seven policemen and four strikers (100 wounded)

Eight strike leaders were tried for the deaths, and despite a lack of evidence linking them to the bomb, four were executed

American Federation of Labor

AFL Emphasized collective bargaining

negotiations between management and union representatives

AFL did not admit black or female members

Went through two major strikes

The Homestead Strike

Homestead Strike Involved Andrew Carnegie

Carnegie announced he would negotiate with workers ONLY; not collectively bargain

Union workers were locked out and they hired 300 replacement workers Scabs

Fighting Erupts! Governor of Pennsylvania sent militia to

protect the non-union workers

Pullman Strike Ownership cut workers’ wages but did not cut

the rent workers owed for their company owned housing

Eugene Debs Head of American Railway Union Ordered a boycott of any trains that sued

Pullman cars

Management Reaction Railroads fired the workers who refused to

work with Pullman cars

Debs ordered all workers nationwide to walk off the job

President Cleveland issued an injunction and sent troops to enforce it

Debs was arrested