industrial age after the civil war the u.s. was still and agricultural nation. 60 years later the...
TRANSCRIPT
Industrial Age
After the Civil War the U.S. was still and agricultural nation. 60 years later the U.S. becomes the leading industrial power in the
world.
The industrial boom was due to several factors.
A wealth of natural resources Government support for business A growing urban population Markets for new products
Inventions
Abraham Gesner- Kerosene for lamps Edwin L. Drake- steam engine used to drill for
oil/kerosene/later gasoline William Kelly & Henry Bessemer- Bessemer process-
cheap and efficient way to make steel Joseph Glidden-barbed wire William LeBaron-1st skyscaper Thomas Alva Edison- light bulb/electric power Christopher Sholes-typewriter Alexander Graham Bell-telephone
Analyzing effects:
Which invention or development described in this section had the greatest impact on society? Justify your choice..
If the U.S. had been poor in natural resources, how would industrialization have been affected?
Answer the above questions…
Railroads
May 10, 1869 the transcontinental railroad is completed at Promontory, Utah.
Who built the railroad? Central Pacific-Chinese workers… Union Pacific-Irish workers
Railroad time had to be adjusted. Professor C. F. Dowd proposed the earth’s surface to be divided into 24 time zones, one for each hour of the day. In the U.S. we had the Eastern, Central, Mountain and Pacific time zones.
November 18, 1883- time was changed. In 1884, worldwide time zones were changed to follow the system.
Effects of the railroad
Iron, coal, steel, lumber and glass industries grew.
Growth of towns New markets Trade and interdependence Towns specialized in certain goods George M. Pullman-sleeper cars Corrine, and Ogden Utah play their part.
How?
Munn vs. Illinois 1877
The Supreme Court upheld the Granger Laws (laws created to protect the farmers from abuses of the railroad).
The states won the right to regulate the railroads for the benefit of the farmers and consumers.
Important: the government now had the right to regulate private industry to serve the public interest.
Interstate Commerce Act- 1887
1886- the Supreme Court over ruled the Munn vs. Illinois case.
ICA establishes the right of the federal government to supervise railroad activities and established a 5 member Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) for that prupose.
1897- The Supreme Court ruled that the ICC could not set maximum railroad rates.
1906- ICC gains control again. Bankruptcy for the railroads became a problem J.P. Morgan & Co. reorganized the railroads
Critical Thinking
Answer the following questions: Do you think the government and private
citizens could have done more to curb the corruption and power of the railroads? Give examples
The federal government gave land and made loans to the railroad companies. Why was the government so eager to promote the growth of the railroads?
Big Business and Labor
Andrew Carnegie Born in Scotland Poor Came to America in 1848 Worked on the railroad Bought stock and became successful 1873- entered the steel business 1899- Carnegie Steel Company manufactured more
steel than all the factories in England. Always looking for new and efficient ways to do
business. Controlled much of the steel industry. How?
Vertical Integration; a process in which Carnegie bought out his suppliers-coal fields and iron mines, ore freighters and railroad line- in order to control the raw materials and transportation systems.
Horizontal Integration: Carnegie bought out all competing steel producers.
By doing this he limited competition and had control over his suppliers.
Social Darwinism and Business
“Survival of the fittest”-Charles Darwin William G. Sumner- promoted the theory that
success and failure in business were governed by natural law and that no one had the right to intervene. Therefore, the marketplace should not be regulated by the government.
Laissez Faire doctrine Think about today’s economy… How has the
government had to intervene?
“Robber Barons”
John D. Rockefeller- gained control of the oil industry.
Paid his employees extremely low wages and drove out his competitors by selling his oil for the lowest price. The when he controlled the market, he raised the prices.
Industrialists were also philanthropists- they gave a lot of money away to help with Universities, hospitals and libraries.
Sherman Antitrust Act-1890
Made it illegal to form a trust that interfered with free trade between states or with other countries.
________________________________ Industrial growth concentrated on the North,
while the South remained mostly agricultural.
Labor Unions
Exploitation and unsafe working conditions drew workers together to form unions.
National Labor Union (NLU) refused to represent African Americans. The Colored National Labor Union was created.
= 8 hour days Noble Order of the Knights of Labor-
advocated arbitration instead of strikes.
Union leaders
Samuel Gompers-American Federation of Labor (AFL)focused on collective bargaining and negotiation- used strikes as a major tactic
=higher wages and shorter workweeks Eugene V. Debs- American Railway Union (ARU) =higher wages Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)- Wobblies-
headed by “Big Bill Haywood” Wanted socialism or more government control of
business and factories
Violent Strikes
The Great Strike of 1877- B&O Railroad went on strike. President Hayes had to intervene and end the strike.
The Haymarket Affair-1886-3,000 people had gathered to protest police brutality. Someone had been killed the day before. Someone threw a bomb into the police line. 5 were convicted in inciting a riot. 4 were hanged and 1 committed suicide. The public began to turn against labor unions.
Strikes continued:
The Homestead Strike-left 12 people dead. The Pullman Company Strike-Grover
Cleveland had to send troops to intervene and stop the violence.
Women organize- Mary Harris Jones organized the United Mine Workers of America- Child Labor Laws
Pauline Newman-International Ladies’ Garment Union (ILGWU)=improved working conditions for women strikers.
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory
1911-NYC Caught on fire and as the workers tried to
flee, they were made aware the exit doors had been locked.
146 women died Factory owners were acquitted. ________________________________ Many companies feared the unions and
forced people to sign “yellow-dog contracts”, swearing they would not join a union.
Critical Thinking:
Do you think the tycoons of the late 19th century are best described as ruthless robber barons or as effective captains of industry?
Does the life of Andrew Carnegie support or counter the philosophy of Social Darwinism?
Consider the problems that late 19th-century workers faced and the problems that workers face today? How important do you think unions are for present day workers?
