Written by:
Jonnette Hay-Rivenbark
Industrial Revolution OverviewIndustrial Revolution Overview
• First began in Britain during mid-1700s—the United States by 1800s
• Change from small manufacturing to factory-based industry
• Change from a rural society to urban society
• Wealthy entrepreneurs
OverviewOverview
• Began in U.S. around time of Civil War
• Successful industries lured explorers to frontier
• Western states joined the Union
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Into the WestInto the West
• Gold rush of mid-1800s brought many to the West
• Settlers crossed the country by foot or covered wagon
• Gold mining in California and silver mining in Nevada
Into the WestInto the West• Cross-country railroad needed
• Led to Pacific Railway Act
• Cross-country railroads built
• Railroads improved shipment of goods and travel
• Chinese laborers recruited to build railroads
• Conditions were harsh
• Many died from unsafe working conditions
• Paid less than White counterparts
• Received no recognition
Into the WestInto the West
Into the WestInto the West
• Settling the West interfered with Native Americans’ cultural habitat
• Settlers in constant conflict with Native Americans
• Federal government moved Native Americans to reservations
Into the WestInto the West
• Homestead Act of 1862
• Government gave pioneers land
• Land give-away ended by 1890
• Forest Reserve Act passed
Into the WestInto the West• Economic depression
followed Civil War
• By 1870s: industry main source of jobs
• The United States was in the “Gilded Age”
• Considered a time of prosperity
Inventions that Fueled IndustryInventions that Fueled Industry
• Mills used to be powered by water
• James Watt developed steam engine
• Steam power allowed factories to be built in cities
• Caused rapid growth of factories
InventionsInventions
• 1844: Samuel F.B. Morse built a telegraph line, improving communication
InventionsInventions
• 1856: Bessemer process of making steel
• 1868: Westinghouse created train air brake
• 1875: Production of electric power
InventionsInventions
• 1876: Alexander Graham Bell patented telephone
• 1879: Thomas Alva Edison developed incandescent light bulb
• 1890s: George Westinghouse brought alternating current to America
BellBell
RailroadsRailroads
• First built in America in 1820s
• Railroads connected eastern and western United States
• Traveled faster than boats
• Travel not limited by environmental factors
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RailroadsRailroads
• Railroad system grew rapidly
• Building was poorly organized
• “Free enterprise” kept government from interfering
• Railroads were constructed unequally
• Standard track-size was created
• Creation of time zones stopped scheduling confusion
RailroadsRailroads
• Government saw potential of railroads
• Government granted railroad companies land
• Companies later sold land for profit
• Profited by charging high shipping rates
RailroadsRailroads
• Railroads became essential to businesses
• Railroad companies engaged in unethical business practices
RailroadsRailroads
Captains of IndustryCaptains of Industry• Construction of railroads created wealthy class
• Business owners desired more money
• Began corporations
• Corporations became trusts
Captains of IndustryCaptains of Industry
• John D. Rockefeller: Standard Oil Company
• By age 39, monopolized oil industry
• Allowed him to control the price of oil
RockefellerRockefeller
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• John Pierpont Morgan: U.S. Steel
• Controlled 60% of American- produced steel
• Steel needed for railroad tracks
• Necessary for bridge and building construction
Captains of IndustryCaptains of Industry
• Other businessmen created trusts
• Enabled them to control major portions of an industry
Captains of IndustryCaptains of Industry
GouldGould
• Trusts allowed a few to own most
• Monopolies crushed competition
• Corporations manipulated stock prices
Captains of IndustryCaptains of Industry
• Workers were exploited
• Owners viewed workers as objects
• Company owners drove down cost of labor
Captains of IndustryCaptains of Industry
Working for a LivingWorking for a Living
• Industrial Revolution began in England
• Jobs became scarce
• Cities overcrowded
• Europeans moved to America during its Industrial Revolution for opportunities
Working for a LivingWorking for a Living
• Work for Americans replaced by machines
• American farmers migrated to cities for factory jobs
• African Americans came for better jobs
• Many factories built in northern cities
Working for a LivingWorking for a Living
• Jobs in factories used unskilled labor
• Jobs were physically exhausting
• Most jobs extremely dangerous
Working for a LivingWorking for a Living
• By now, 40% of Americans worked in factories
• Work day was often 10-12 hours
• Work week six days; no “weekend”
Working for a LivingWorking for a Living
• Workers often could not afford essentials
• Whole families worked, even children
• Women paid half men’s wages
• Immigrants and people of color usually given worst jobs
Working for a LivingWorking for a Living
Life in the CityLife in the City
• Before 1880s: most immigrants from western Europe
• Looking to escape European industrialism
• America: promised land and opportunities
Life in the CityLife in the City
• After 1880: immigrants came from other countries
• Traveled by boat, mostly to Ellis Island
• Most worked in factories
• Came for better lives
• Similar or worse conditions than before
• Lived cramped in tenement buildings
• Often only two or three rooms for families of five or larger
Life in the CityLife in the City
• Often no running water
• Apartments heated by coal or kerosene
• Used same stove for heating air and water and cooking
Life in the CityLife in the City
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• Workers without apartments lived in boarding houses
Life in the CityLife in the City
• Tenements were extremely unhealthy
• Conditions exposed by book How the Other Half Lives
Life in the CityLife in the City
• Created their own sections within cities
• Maintained culture from place of origin
• Socialized within own communities
Life in the CityLife in the City
Workers UniteWorkers Unite
• Idea of unionizing gained strength
• Some unions had existed prior to 1870s
Workers UniteWorkers Unite
• Knights of Labor organized in 1869
• Knew importance of strength in numbers
• Recruited members in all areas
• Strike against railroad companies
• Knights of Labor gained 700,000
• Enough power to influence Congress
Workers UniteWorkers Unite
• May 1, 1886: strike of all industry workers
• 340,000 laborers representing 12,000 companies
• Demanded work day be lowered from twelve hours to eight
Workers UniteWorkers Unite
• McCormick Harvesting Machine Company workers in strike
• Peaceful rally turned violent
• Police action caused injuries and deaths
Workers UniteWorkers Unite
• Result: protest in Haymarket Square
• Led to Haymarket Riot
• Unions associated with violence
• Workers’ and management’s relationship worsened
Workers UniteWorkers Unite
• 1892: Homestead Strike on Carnegie’s steel plant
• Value of steel had declined
• Management had cut wages of workers
• Carnegie wanted union to disband
Workers UniteWorkers Unite
• Plant shut down
• Workers locked out
• Violence ensued
• Union eventually lost strength
• Those in union were fired
Workers UniteWorkers Unite
• AFL—American Federation of Labor
• Wanted better life for workers
• Used boycotts and strikes to achieve goals
Workers UniteWorkers Unite
Government InterventionGovernment Intervention
• Government had history of allowing free enterprise
• Workers’ suffering brought government intervention
• Government passed laws to help working class
ClevelandCleveland
Government InterventionGovernment Intervention
• Set up Interstate Commerce Commission
• At first was ineffective
• Federal government used constitutional authority
• 1890: Sherman Antitrust Act
• Disbanded trusts and prohibited new ones
• Consequences included jail time and fines
Government InterventionGovernment Intervention
Sherman VideoSherman Video
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AfterwardAfterward
• Early 1900s: Issues still unresolved
• Industry and workers saw improvements after the Depression
Concluding ThoughtsConcluding Thoughts
• America became most prosperous nation
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