2014 HISTORY FAIR: RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

AMERICA’S GILDED AGE: RIGHTS AND

RESPONSIBILITIES OF BUSINESS OWNERS

Primary Sources

Documents“All Society in Costume; Mrs. W.K. Vanderbilt’s Great Fancy Dress Ball.” New York Times,

March 27, 1883, p.1.

This article in NY Times described the fancy ball in the Vanderbilt Hall, hosted by Mrs.

W. K. Vanderbilt. It portrayed in detail the entire event with description of the

extravagant lives of the business owners and the wealthy.

The article enabled me to understand how large the gap is between the wealthy and the

poor during the Gilded Age, thus I am able to understand more about the rights of the

business owners.

Avery, John. Hamilton Company Boardinghouse Rules 1848. 1848. Boardinghouse Rules.

Lowell.

This document is a series of regulations regarding the Boarding Houses of the Hamilton

Company.

The document gave me a better understanding of the lives in Lowell factory and its strict

rules, and also some responsibilities that factory owners do take.

Avery, John. Hamilton Company Factory Rules 1848. 1848. Factory Rules. Lowell.

This document concerns the factory rules of the factories and some regulation of working

for the laborers in the Hamilton Company.

The rules informed me of how was it like to work in a textile mill, the responsibilities

factory owners have such as improving working conditions, and the systems in factories.

Bryan, William Jennings. "Cross of Gold." Chicago. 9 July 1896. Defining Moments: The Gilded

Age. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 192-96. Print.

This famous speech was issued by Former congressman William Jennings Bryan during

the 1896 presidential election. The purpose of the speech was to persuade the American

society to accept silver standards instead of gold. It quickly enabled him to become the

democratic nominee of the campaign against McKinley. Bryan criticized the wealthy, and

promised to destroy them for the sake of the nation.

I was able to understand more about the bitter division between the employees and the

employers during the Industrial Revolution, and how the government decided to ease the

conflict.

Carnegie, Andrew. “The Gospel of Wealth.” North American Review, June 1889.

This article was probably one of the most famous ones ever written during the Gilded

Age. Andrew Carnegie, one of the richest men in the world, persuaded business owners

to be active in philanthropy and act for the common well – being.

I was able to get more information on how some business owners analyze the problem

during the Gilded Age, how they want to solve it, and what kind of responsibility they

believe they have.

Clay, Ann. Letter to Brutus J. Clay. 24 Sept. 1861. MS. Kentucky.

This letter was from a wife to her husband during the civil war. The wife, Ann Clay,

expressed her sorrow, living in the devastation of war and how her family and the others

were torn apart.

I was able to understand how much the civil war destroyed, thus providing me knowledge

on what the business owners during the Gilded Age has created, and how they built a new

America.

"Sherman Anti-Trust Act (1890)." Our Documents. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Mar. 2014

This page contains the transcript and the original document of the Sherman Anti-Trust

Act, which was one of the most famous acts issued by Congress during the Gilded Age.

I was able to gain knowledge on anti-trust efforts of the government, and how the

politicians attempted to balance the society.

"Standard Oil Must Dissolve In 6 Months: Only Unreasonable Restraint of Trade Forbidden."

New York Times n.d.: n. pag. Print.

This newspaper reported the Standard Oil Case and its dissolution during Taft’s

presidency. I was able to understand how the government interfered in the conflict

between the business owners and the majority during the Progressive Era, and the fall of

John D. Rockefeller Senior.

Roosevelt, Theodore. "Social and Industrial Justice."Speech.The Library of Congress, American

Memory.Web.<http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/troosevelt_film/trfpcp.html>.

This document was a speech Theodore Roosevelt gave during his presidency to improve

the conditions and the lives of the working class.

I was able to gain information on how the government participated and tried to decrease

the tension between factory workers and business owners during the Gilded Age.

Riis, Jacob A. "P.179 - 182." How the Other Half Lives: Studies among the Tenements of New

York. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1890. N. pag. Print.

This article in the book was written after the author’s observations on laboring children.

The document gave information on the children’s daily lives, and what they would

become when they reach manhood. In addition, the whole article described how

unfortunate children were during the Industrial Revolution.

I was able to gain much information on Child Labor during the Glided Age because of

this document. And I also realized that although most business owners were very

influential and powerful among the society then, they did not take some responsibilities

that must be taken for the sake of the general welfare.

Schouler, William. Investigation of Labor Conditions, 1845. Rep. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

This document is a long, detailed report regarding the conditions of Lowell factory

conditions. It is comprised of interviews with workers, specific numbers and facts about

hours, wages, diseases and deaths in the city of Lowell and charts and tables concerning

these factors.

This primary source is perhaps, one of the most crucial documents I obtained. It gave me

detailed information on textile manufacture and mill conditions during the American

Industrial Revolution. Furthermore, I put some of the charts it provided onto my website

for the better display of the specific information about Lowell mills. I also was able to

understand the opinions of the workers at that time, and, after reading this, I had the

knowledge that powerful businessmen should take certain responsibilities.

Watt, James. The Watt Patent.James Watt, assignee.Patent. 1769. Print.

This document is the patent issued to Watt by the British Parliament after his brilliant

invention of the steam engine.

The patent gave me a better understanding of the impact of Watt’s engine on the

production, and it enabled to me to write better background information for America’s

Glided Age for my project.

Photographs

Allison, and Kurz. Leaders of the Knights of Labor. c1886. LOC, n.p.

This image enabled me to have a better understanding of the Knights of Labor and

Powderly.

Andrew Carnegie: The Richest Man in the World. N.d. Missouri State University, n.p.

This is an edited portrait of Andrew Carnegie.

Chickering, E. Samuel Gompers. N.d. Library of Congress, Unknown.Jewish Women's Archive,

Living A Legacy. Web. .

This photo is the portrait of Samuel Gompers; it enabled me to have a better display of

Labor Unions on my site.

Dabbs. The Homestead Riot. 1892. LOC, n.p.

This image let me know how cruel Frick and Carnegie were to the workers and how

severe the homestead strike was.

Ebbets, Charles. Lunch atop skyscraper. 1932. New York Herald Tribune, New York. . Web. .

This famous photograph made me have a better understanding of the working class

during the Industrial Revolution, and the dangerous conditions workers have to bear.

[Eugene Victor Debs, Three-quarter Length Portrait, Seated, Facing Slightly Left]. c1908. LOC,

n.p.

This image is a portrait of the leader of the ARU: Eugene Debs.

Historical Income Tax Rates. N.d. EFile. Web. 5 Mar. 2014. <http://www.efile.com/tax-history-

and-the-tax-code/>.

I was able to have a better understanding of how tax rates changed over time and how it

limited the power of business owners.

Keppler, Udo. Next! 1904. LOC, N.Y.

I was able to use this primary source to understand how people hated John Rockefeller’s

Standard Oil and how powerful it has become.

Pach Brothers. Theodore Roosevelt. N.d. Library of Congress Photos and Prints,

Unknown. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. .

This is a portrait of Theodore Roosevelt, this picture enhanced the look of my site.

Roosevelt's Trust Busting Cartoon. N.d. The Post (Cincinnnati), n.p.

This image enabled me to understand how Roosevelt desired Progressivism and the

reason the robber barons feared him.

Unknown. Robber Barons.N.d. Unknown, Unknown. Robber Barons.Web.

This photo contains the portraits of 4 business owners. The photo enabled me to have an

interesting header. 

Unknown. Textile Factory.N.d. Unknown, Unknown. Book Ponderings.Web. .

This picture of a textile factory, not only made my header better, but also increased my

knowledge on factory conditions, and the necessity for business owners to take

responsibility for the improvement of the human society.

Unknown. England During Industrial Revolution. N.d. Unknown, Unknown. Engines of our

Ingenuity.Web. .

This picture showed me how the steam engine and the Industrial Revolution had

transformed England.

Unknown. Spinning Mule.N.d. Unknown, Unknown. Of Men and Machines.Web. .

This picture made me understand more about the Spinning Mule.

Unknown. Cotton Bolls.N.d. Unknown, Unknown. Cottonman.Web. .

This photograph of a cotton field enabled me display more about the cotton production.

Unknown. Girl In Factory. N.d. Unknown, Unknown. Child Labor in Factories.Web. .

This photograph let me understand more about child labor and how miserable children

were during the Industrial Revolution.

Unknown. Bodies of Seamstress. 1911. Unknown, New York. The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire

Trial.Web. .

The picture enhanced my level of understanding of the Triangle Shirtwaist fire, and the

consequences of factory owners not taking responsibilities.

Unknown. The Centennial Transmitter Model.N.d. Unknown, Unknown. The Centennial

Transmitter.Web. .

This photo made me understand that the U.S. was progressing fast during the Glided Age,

and a lot of devices that improved daily lives were invented in America.

Unknown. Spinning Jenny.N.d. Unknown, Unknown. Of Men and Machines.Web. .

This made me know more about the Spinning Jenny.

Unknown. Water Frame.N.d. Unknown, Unknown. Of Men and Machines.Web. 

The photo increased my knowledge on the Water Frame.

Unknown. Tenements.N.d. Unknown, Unknown. Realism.Web. 

This photo enhanced my level of understanding of the living conditions of workers in

urban areas, and it made me realize that it was important for business owners to take

some responsibility.

Unknown. Girl At Loom. N.d. American Textile History Museum, Unknown. . Web. .

The photo showed a girl working at a loom; this made me understand how workers made

clothes in textile factories during the Glided Age.

Unkown. Watt's Steam Engine.N.d. Edinburgh Encyclopedia, Unknown. Engines of our

Ingenuity.Web. .

This diagram of Watt’s Steam Engine gave me a better idea of Watt’s famous invention.

Secondary Sources

Books

Brands, H. W. Masters of Enterprise: Giants of American Business from John Jacob Astor and

J.P. Morgan to Bill Gates and Oprah Winfrey. New York: Free, 1999. Print.

This book described the life of various business owners of all ages, such as Carnegie,

Rockefeller, Morgan, Walton and Gates. It complimented the great spirit of business

owners. It helped me on having a better understanding of the traits of a titan through the

beautifully written passages.

Brill, Marlene Targ. America in the 1900s. Minneapolis: Twenty-First Century, 2010. Print.

This book provided information regarding the American 1900s, the major part of this

book is about the Industrial Revolution, Labor Unions, and mass production.

These texts helped me to see the change of workplaces, cities and the lives of United

States citizens. This also enabled me to understand the necessity for factory owners to

take responsibility to improve working conditions.

Chernow, Ron. Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller. New York: Random House, 1998. Print.

This book told the legend of John D. Rockefeller sr. with every possible detail. It

described his life and how he built the once undefeatable oil empire out of nothing, and

finally how he participated in charity and donated what he earned to different

organizations for the common welfare.

I was able to gain more information on this remarkable business owner. However, the

most knowledge I received was about the Standard Oil Case and how the company

dissolved, which enabled me to understand how the government forced the wealthy to be

responsible.

Clark, Judith Freeman. America's Glided Age. New York: Facts on File, n.d. Print.

This book organized the time period from 1865 to 1900 into five different sections. Each

section of the time period is then written into a chapter. These chapters not only include a

concise introduction to the period, but also a timeline that listed some major events in

chronological order, at last, it included numerous eyewitness testimonies from people at

that time.

These primary quotes gave me a better understanding of America’s Glided Age and

peoples’ opinions at that time.

Klein, Maury. The Change Makers: From Carnegie to Gates: How the Great Entrepreneurs

Transformed Ideas into Industries. New York: Times, 2003. Print.

This book described how entrepreneurs changed the world, and it described their traits as

great men and women. I was able to gain information on business owners and I was also

able to compare and contrast the modern ones with the past.

Corrick, James A. The Industrial Revolution. San Diego, CA: Lucent, 1998. Print.

This book described the Industrial Revolution in chronological order, and it included

thorough information on influential inventions that benefited the general welfare. The

book also have texts regarding Labor Unions, strikes and business owners.

The source benefited me by the background of the Industrial Revolution that it provided.

The book depicted how the great event started in Britain and how it spread. This book

served as the main source for the background page.

Dale, Henry, Rodney Dale, and Rebecca Weaver.The Industrial Revolution. New York: Oxford

UP, 1992. Print.

This book separate the Industrial Revolution into several categories, each one explains a

certain industry. However, this book only discusses the important inventions during the

time. It gave detailed explanation to each, including information such as its inventor, the

time of invention, its uses, and how it functions.

I was able to benefit from this book because it described several major textile machines

that cannot be ignored while doing research on clothing manufacture.

Lamont-Brown, Raymond. Carnegie: The Richest Man in the World. Thrupp, Stroud,

Gloucestershire: Sutton Pub., 2005. Print.

This book is the biography of Andrew Carnegie, including information on his early life,

his business career, and how he became a philanthropist.

I was able to obtain crucial knowledge on this extraordinary man, and the book enabled

me to complete my website entry. More importantly, it contains details on the Homestead

Strike, an important event that might be one of the reasons of Carnegie’s donations in his

later years.

McCormick, Anita Louise. The Industrial Revolution in American History. Springfield, NJ,

USA: Enslow, 1998. Print.

This book talked about the time starting from the Centennial Exhibition to WWII, and

how America progressed through the Industrial Revolution.

This source gave detailed information on the Centennial Exhibition, and this showed me

how the Gilded Age benefit U.S., how the nation become a superpower through labor,

and how did our nation entered the world.

McNeese, Tim. The Glided Age and Progressivism. New York: Chelsea House, n.d. Print.

This source talked about the Gilded Age, its productions, and revolutionary changes that

came with it.

The book gave me a basic idea of the manufacturing during this period, and some specific

numbers on the growth of the United States in result of the mass production.

Miller, Nathan. Theodore Roosevelt: A Life. New York: Morrow, 1992. Print.

This biography of Theodore Roosevelt is comprised of thorough information on the life

of the famous Rough Rider, trust buster, president and nature explorer.

I was able to gain knowledge on how Roosevelt rose to presidency and ended the Gilded

Age to start the age of Progressivism. I was also able to know more about the Northern

Securities Case and how the government balanced the society and forced business owners

to be responsible.

Stearns, Peter N., and John H. Hinshaw.The ABC-CLIO World History Companion to the

Industrial Revolution. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 1996. Print.

This is a well-organized book that discussed the Industrial Revolution thoroughly. The

authors put terms, concepts and events of the Industrial Revolution into alphabetical

order, which make things easier to be found.

The source benefited me by informing me on crucial concepts, and the cause of textile

manufacture. It also explained the major textile produced during the Gilded Age: cotton,

thus serving as a major source on the textile and cotton research.

Strouse, Jean. Morgan: American Financier. New York: Random House, 1999. Print.

This biography described the life of the perhaps, most famous financier in American

History – John Pierpont Morgan. It told the story of how he changed from rich to richer

by dominating the American economy.

I was able to understand how the man changed the financing of America during the

Gilded Age, and the Northern Securities Case.

Telgen, Diane. The Glided Age. Detroit: Omnigraphics, n.d. Print.

This is a very detailed source regarding the Gilded Age. It discussed the production, the

problems, and the culture of U.S. at that particular era. It also included the biographies of

several famous and influential business owners. More importantly, it embedded primary

documents written during the Gilded Age.

This book gave me knowledge on the power of the wealthy and the reluctance and lack of

realization of business owners then about their responsibilities. Its further texts and the

primary documents made me understand the horrible conditions of factories and the

plight of the laboring children.

Woog, Adam. The 1900s. San Diego, CA: Lucent, 1999. Print.

This book was a very descriptive source and it included detailed information on the 1900s

of America. It included things about labor, production, business owners, and the culture

of U.S. at that period.

I was able to see the rights and responsibilities of business owners through this book, and

the consequences when business owners did not take the responsibilities. It also gave me

a better understanding of Labor Unions and the conditions in factories. This source also

gave me information on the effects of textile manufacture and America’s Glided Age, and

also government interferences in labor, and Roosevelt’s anti – trust acts.

Interviews

Alexander, Mike. "Interview with Mr. Mike Alexander." Personal interview. Mar.-Apr. 2014.

I interviewed Mr. Alexander, owner of Reflection Pools and Spas on the rights and

responsibilities of business owners and the regulation of the government. I was able to

know how business owners see their own rights and responsibility.

Brands, H. W. "Interview with Professor Brands." E-mail interview. 19 Mar. 2014.

I was honored to have Professor Brand’s response. I asked him questions regarding

business owners during the Gilded Age, which significantly aided mo understanding of

the titans that built America and their traits.

Dublin, Thomas L. "Interview with Professor Dublin." Telephone interview. 17 Jan. 2014.

I was able to receive Professor Dublin’s response on my questions about the Textile

Industry during the Gilded Age. He gave me detailed information on the Lowell Mills,

Labor, and the rights and responsibilities of business owners.

Livesay, Harold C. "Interview with Professor Livesay." E-mail interview. 26 Mar. 2014.

I was extremely grateful to have Professor Livesay’s help. He gave me thorough

information on business owners during the Gilded Age, this interview played a

significant role in the completion of my project.

Marshall, Z. "Interview with Mr. Mayor." Personal interview. 25 Mar. 2014.

Mr. Marshall cheerfully agreed to set up a meeting in the Parker City Hall with me,

which I am very thankful for. He provided helpful opinions and knowledge on business

owners today.

Website

"Andrew Carnegie." PBS.PBS, n.d. Web. 5 Jan. 2014.

<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/carnegie/peopleevents/pande01.html>.

This site’s text is the biography of Andrew Carnegie; the article described the life of

Carnegie: from his early life, to his steel empire, and finally, his philanthropy.

I found this article extremely useful, and it helped me to create the “Famous Business

Owners” page. It also gave me a better understanding of some business owners that take

responsibility, and furthermore, it informed me of how being responsible for workers

could change a man’s reputation.

"CORNELIUS VANDERBILT." Business Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Mar. 2014.

This web page contains brief information on the railroad magnate, Cornelius Vanderbilt,

describing the business career of the famed Commodore.

I was able to understand more on how business owners during the Industrial Revolution

create miracles to contribute to the economy and industrial progression.

"Digital History." Knights of Labor. Digital History, 2013. Web. 9 Mar. 2014.

This website was about the rise of unions and one of the first ever existed – the knights of

labor.

I was able to gain more information on labor unions and the way people called for

reforms on the horrible conditions for employees, and how the majority desired the

wealthy to be responsible.

"Eastern Illinois University Homepage."Childhood Lost. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2014.

<http://www.eiu.edu/eiutps/childhood.php>.

This site discussed a serious problem during the Industrial Revolution: child labor. It also

included a link to a pdf document that is a collection of primary documents such as

pictures, letters, and poems.

These things were able to let me understand how poor laboring children were during

America’s Glided Age, which gave me a better understanding of the effect of the wealthy

not taking responsibility.

"EHistory at OSU | Multimedia Histories." The Northern Securities Case”. EHistory at OSU,

n.d. Web. 9 Mar. 2014.

This web page was about the Northern Securities Case during Roosevelt’s presidency and

how the company dissolved. I was able to have a better understanding of Roosevelt’s

trust busting efforts and how the government forced the wealthy to be responsible.

"Mill Life in Lowell: 1820-1880." Mill Life in Lowell: 1820-1880. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Jan. 2014.

<http://library.uml.edu/clh/mo.htm>.

The website contained information on the textile industry and the Lowell Mills of

Massachusetts. It is comprised of countless primary documents, such as reports of

factories, regulations of workers, letters, and photographs.

Because it embedded a considerable amount of primary documents, it became my

principal source on textile mills. It gave me an understanding of factory conditions, mill

life, and the need for factory owners to take responsibility for their poor workers.

However, more importantly, this site was able to inform me of the opinions of the women

workers at that time about the condition of their factory.

"Notable Labor Strikes of the Gilded Age." Notable Labor Strikes of the Gilded Age. N.p., n.d.

Web. 8 Mar. 2014.

This web page discussed the most famous strikes during the Gilded Age, including the

Great Strike, the Haymarket Riot, the Homestead Strike and the Pullman Strike.

I was able to understand more about the need for business owners to contribute to the

society, and how the workers expressed their frustration in working in horrifying

conditions.

"Primary Sources: Civil War Effects." KET. KET, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.

This website is comprised of primary sources, mainly letters concerning the effects of the

civil war, I was able to know how devastating the conflict was and what did the business

owners afterwards recover and create.

"The Rockefeller Archive Center - JDR Sr. Biographical Sketch."The Rockefeller Archive Center

- JDR Sr. Biographical Sketch.N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Jan. 2014.

<http://www.rockarch.org/bio/jdrsr.php>.

This site contained a biography of John D. Rockefeller and described how he made the

largest enterprise of oil from nothing at all, and how he gave away much of the profit for

the general welfare.

I was able to get information to make the page “Famous Business Owners” and its sub –

pages. In a word, this is an essential source for my research.

"The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Trial."The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Trial.N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Jan.

2014. <http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/triangle/trianglefire.html>.

This website contained countless secondary sources on the Triangle Shirtwaist fire. It

included a timeline, articles about the particular event and the trials after that. It also

included primary photographs.

This detailed source informed me of the devastating consequence of factory owners not

taking responsibility. Also, I also had a better understanding of the dangerous textile mill

conditions. The information also enabled me to write some more information about

textile productions.