The Industrial Revolution

1850-1900

License to make, use, or sell an invention

1790-1860 36,000 issued

1860-1890 500,000 issued

No indoor electric lights

No refrigeration

In 1860, most mail from the East Coast took ten days to reach the Midwest and three weeks to get to the West Coast. A letter from Europe to a person on the frontier could take several months to reach its destination.

Power stations across the country began providing electricity for lamps, fans, printing presses, and many other appliances.

Drilling for Oil Needed for

factories to run efficiently

Drilling was quicker. cheaper, and created a much larger supply than digging ditches or melting animal fat

Invented by Samuel F. B. Morse

Invented by Alexander Graham Bell

By 1900, there were 1.5 million telephones in use all over the country, and Western Union Telegraph was sending roughly 63 million messages.

Setup research lab

Created a system for producing and distributing electrical power

Perfected the light bulb

Developed the phonograph

Developed the motion

picture camera

Helped make electricity safer and less expensive by funding Nikola Tesla (AC Current)

• More effective air brakes for trains

•Developed a way to transmit it long

distances (Transformers)

Electric sewing machine

• Cameras

• Refrigerator

Mechanical Reapers

Sod busting plows

Mechanized tractors

In 1856, Henry Bessemer receives a patent on a process that made steel production easier and less expensive.

The Bessemer process made possible the mass production of steel.

•The Brooklyn Bridge,

designed with steel

cables suspended from high

towers, was made

possible by mass

production.

Designed & started building the Brooklyn Bridge- 1st suspension

It took another innovation to

begin the transformation

of cities

Strong steel plus elevators mean that

America’s teeming cities can now grow upwards!

Automobile – Henry Ford made the car more affordable by using the assembly line

Assembly line – process where each worker does one task in the making of a final product

When someone completes one task as part of the job

Positive: increases productivity for businesses

Negative: workers no longer take pride in work and removes creativity

He may never work on shoes!

Organized and systemized factories

Goal: to get workers to produce more in less time

Business LeadersBusiness Practices Business Regulations

Generally classified as either a

“Robber Baron” or a

“Captain of Industry”

Business leaders who made their fortunes by taking advantage of the public

They drained natural resources and charged high prices

They persuaded public officials to interpret laws in their favor.

They ruthlessly drove their competitors to ruin.

• They paid their workers meager wages and forced them to toil under dangerous and unhealthful conditions.

Adhered to a policy of “Social Darwinism”, as it applied to business practices

Based on Darwin’s Based on Darwin’s Theory of Theory of EvolutionEvolution (1859) regarding (1859) regarding natural selection and the natural selection and the survival survival of the fittestof the fittest

Businessmen are justified in Businessmen are justified in using using anyany means necessary to means necessary to become rich and powerful, and become rich and powerful, and the government should stay out!the government should stay out!

Three business practices exemplified the philosophy of Social Darwinism Monopolies Cartels Trusts

Monopoly (Vertical Consolidation) one company completely controls a product or a service, from the means of production, to manufacturing, to transportation, and sales

Bob’s Pizza Using Vertical Consolidation, Bob could control the Pizza market in town by controlling many of the costs associated with making his pizza!

Bob’s Pizza

Bob’s Farm

Bob’s Cheese Factory

Bob’s Trucking Company

Monopoly (Horizontal Consolidation) One company buys out each of their competitors, and therefore owns every outlet for a certain product

Using Horizontal Consolidation, Bob could control the Pizza market in town by buying the other Pizza shops!

Bob’s Pizza

MOT Pizza Rizzo Pizza

Pizza Shack

Bob’s Pizza Bob’s Pizza Bob’s Pizza

Bob’s Pizza

Cartel – a loose association of businesses in a similar field or that make the same product and agree to limit supply to drive up prices

Trust multiple company’s selling the same product agreed that rather than compete with each other over prices and profits, they would agree to set their prices, and then split the profits evenly

Still practiced the theory of Social Darwinism to a certain extent to increase their fortunes, but: They increased the supply of goods by building factories.

They raised productivity and expanded markets, further lowering prices

They created jobs at decent wages and in safe factories that enabled

many Americans to buy new goods and raise their standard of living.

• They also funded museums, libraries,

and universities, many of which still

serve the public today.

Carnegie Hall

Philosophy that states a person should be able to make as much money as they can, BUT they should also use their wealth to improve society.

Formed Standard

Oil Company

Wealthy individual who saw the oil industry as a way to get richer

Made illegal deals with railroads to transport oil cheaper, thus weakening other refineries that he would eventually buy

Utilized horizontal consolidation for business purposes

Captain of Industry for steel production in Pittsburgh

Used Bessemer Process to produce stronger steel

Utilized vertical consolidation for business purposes

Born in Scotland

A Philanthropist uses wealth to improve society

Carnegie funded the building of libraries, education facilities, and music/arts facilities

The growth and contraction of a

nation’s economy A new concept in the

mid-late 1800s

While big business urged the federal government to adopt a Laissez-Faire attitude, many consumers and workers called for a “Social Welfare” policy to be enforced

It is the government’s responsibility to control big businesses in order guarantee quality products at fair prices for consumers, and fair pay and decent hours for workers

Enacted in 1890 Effort by Congress to end trusts

Ineffective due to lack of enforcement

Send children as young as age 6 to work

Force children to leave school Ask for aid from a private charity

(church, etc.) because Government Welfare is non-

existent at this time!

Typically 12 hours/day, 6 days/week

After 1868 Government employees were guaranteed an 8 hour day (did not apply to private businesses)

Used by some companies Paid by how many items you

produce Faster workers

made more $

Organized and systemized factories

Goal: to get workers to produce more in less time

Illustrated the negative impact of children working in mines and factories

Published photos of working children in How the Other Half Lives

Wrote Children of the Poor

Traveled around the country to photograph child workers in factories, mills, mines, and canneries.

Documented the plight of working children

Photos were used as evidence (to the public and government) of the need for child labor reform

Journalist who Journalist who investigated and investigated and

exposed misconduct exposed misconduct among political and/or among political and/or

business leadersbusiness leaders

Focused on Drilling, shipping, refining, and the sale of oil

Ida’s father was forced

out of business by Standard Oil

Perhaps this was

revenge???