The Growing U.S. in the late 1800’s/early 1900’s Industrial Revolution & the Gilded Age.
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Transcript of The Growing U.S. in the late 1800’s/early 1900’s Industrial Revolution & the Gilded Age.
The Growing U.S. in the late 1800’s/early 1900’s
Industrial Revolution & the Gilded Age
Industrial Advantages of the U.S.
1. Growing labor supply (immigrants & children)
2. An abundance of natural resources (iron, oil, electricity)
3. Free enterprise – business that is free from govt. involvement
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Corporatebusiness
organization
Laissez-Faire
attitude ofgovernment
Capitalfor
investment
Largelabor
supply
Nationalmarket
Abundant resources
Technologyand
Inventions
SecondIndustrialRevolution
2nd Industrial Revolution
Laissez-faire capitalism – little govt. regulation of the economy
Entrepreneurs – people who organize their own business
Labor was mostly immigrants (paid cheap) or poor children
Because of this, the U.S. became the industrial leader in the world during the 1890’s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tY1gk6J6zc
Government Regulations?
Monopolies
Total control of a business or product (just like the game) consolidating corporations to control the market for a product attempting to destroy the competition controlling the majority of the production & distribution of a
product robber barons – polarization of wealth; businessman
who dominated their respective industries Andrew Carnegie – STEEL John D. Rockefeller – OIL Sherman Antitrust Act – outlawed
monopolies. But it was difficult to enforce
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Andrew Carnegie John D. Rockefeller
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How rich were the “robber barons” compared to Microsoft founder Bill Gates?
10
Some of the more commonly known industrial leaders and bankers who were called Robber Barons include:
Andrew Carnegie
John D. Rockefeller
Cornelius and William Vanderbilt
Jay Gould
J. Pierpont Morgan
Jim Fisk
Daniel Drew
Robber Barons
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
Total number of billionaires
1865
1900
2004
322
279
Chart shows the comparison in the number of billionaires from 1865 through 2004
Robber Baron is an insult term used to describe a class of enormously rich businessmen that emerged in the post civil war era. Today they would be known as
billionaires. They were both admired and hated at the time. They used ruthless, unscrupulous, and often illegal methods to create monopolies and develop
overwhelming economic power and control over their industries. In the late 1800’s a handful of these businessmen controlled over 90 percent of total U.S. wealth.
Economic Ideologies
*Capitalism – private business own & operate most industries; competition determines cost of goods as well as workers’ pay
Government favored business in most disputes with its labor force
Social Darwinism – societies evolve over time by adapting to their environment; govt. regulation threatened the natural economic order (survival of the fittest)
Growth of Cities
Increase in immigrantsPort of entry = Ellis Island, NY & Angel
Island, CAMost were Roman CatholicLed to racial & ethnic problems (ex. Wops,
Pollocks) Movement from rural to urban life (more
people living in the city)Jobs available in the citiesLed to overcrowding & lack of city services
– sanitation problems
Immigrants at Ellis Island
Settlement Houses
Neighborhood centers in poor areas staffed by professionals and volunteers who offered education, recreation, and social activities
Jane Addams – founded the most famous settlement house, called Hull House in Chicago.
Hull House focused on the needs of families and immigrants. Teaching citizenship and English.
Hull House
Jane Addams - activist
Discrimination & Civil Rights
Chinese Exclusion Act U.S. fed. law restricting Chinese for 10 years & any
Chinese American could not obtain U.S. citizenship; reaction to open immigration
Plessy vs. Ferguson Plessy (1/18th black) was thrown off railway car &
arrested for violating Separate Car Act of Louisiana U.S. Supreme Court case upholding racial
segregation; “separate but equal” practiced until 1954
Fighting for Civil Rights Booker T. Washington
1st Civil Rights leader (original MLK); author believed in cooperation w/ whites instead of confrontation his work greatly helped lay the foundation for the 1960’s Civil
Rights Movement W.E.B. DuBois
publisher & author of equality writings; encouraged Harlem Renaissance; director of NAACP
“blacks should challenge and question whites, seek higher education, & assimilate into American culture”; they should know when to act “white” and/or “black”
Marcus Garvey founder of Universal Negro Improvement Association (uniting
all of Africa) Africans redeem Africa from European foreigners & return
home
The New Workplace
Machines replaced skilled workers mass production – large amounts of products
being made Immigrants taking jobs Labor Unions grew
They increase workers’ power (power in numbers) Used as a bargaining tool against employer to get
what workers want (collective bargaining) Taft-Hartley Act – fed. law passed that monitors
activities & powers of labor unions
Labor Unions
•American Federation ofLabor –they Individualized
Unions (ex. Mineworkers,
Steelworkers); opento only skilled workers
Knights of Labor - Open to
everyone – men, women, skilled & unskilled workers;
one big union
Labor Union Rallies & Strikes
The Bisbee Deportation – in AZ; the Industrial Workers of the World demanded change in the copper mines, the Bisbee mining corp. refused; violence erupted – 2 men were killed, others beaten - the IWW members were deported to NM; the Bisbee company was never found guilty for their injustice
The Haymarket Riot – 1000s of union members in Chicago went on strike; 2 strikers were killed by police; workers protested; turned violent – 8 officers killed; officers killed several people; another example of unfair labor laws
Labor Dispute & Strikes
Homestead Strike Pennsylvania (1892); between Amalgamated Assoc. of
Iron & Steel Workers (AA) – the whole town & Carnegie Steel Co.
AA wanted to prevent management from forcing workers to agree not to become a member of a union… got violent
Union VICTORY!!! Pullman Strike
nationwide conflict between unions & RRs (1894); violence erupted in Illinois with Pullman Palace Car Company & American Railway Union
President Cleveland ordered fed. troops to Chicago to end strike (he was not reelected); RRs won!
Populist Party (The People’s Party)
Supported free coinage of silver, labor reform, immigration restrictions, & govt. ownership of RR & the telegraph/telephone system
Most populists were farmers and industrial workers (the common people) that were losing jobs and $$$ to immigrants & big business
William Jennings Bryan – a democrat & populist presidential candidate in 1896. He lost. This election marked the end of the populist movement.
Progressive Reforms
all laws were designed to give the people greater control over their state legislatures & state officials
Amendments: 16th – income tax 17th – direct election of senators 18th – prohibition 19th – women’s right to vote
Election reforms: Recall – if enough voters sign a petition, the people can
remove the official Initiative – voters’ ability to propose new laws by petition Referendum – voters approve or disapprove laws already
being practiced
Corruption
Machine Bosses bought voter support with jobs & favors reached out to immigrants by finding jobs attaining
citizenship, housing, etc. in return, expected their vote
used illegal tactics to maintain control (bought votes)
demanded bribes & pay offs for jobs Tammany Hall, a.k.a Tweed Ring
most notorious political machine stole millions of tax dollars
Spoils System
muckrakers Progressivism – reformers who wanted to address city
life & corruption in order to achieve order & stability Journalists who practiced progressivism named,
“muckrakers” – bc they raked up the muck of society & exposed corrution & illegal business practices
Ida Tarbell – wrote about unfair business practices of the Standard Oil Co.; book: History of Standard Oil Company
Jacob Riis – wrote about slum life & business corruption; book: How the Other Half Lives
Upton Sinclair – wrote about unsanitary working conditions; book: The Jungle
Frank Norris – discussed how railroads were a monopoly
Lincoln Steffens – exposed corruption in city govt.
Theodore Roosevelt – Progressive President
“Trustbuster” – broke up trusts (a group of companies under a single board of director that make a lot of $$$, there’s no competition)
Land conservation – doubled the number of national and state parks
Taft (cont.)
Passed Sherman Anti-Trust Act:Supported 16th (income tax) & 17th (direct
elector of Senators) amendments; created Federal Children’s Bureau
Republics split (Progressive vs. Conservative ideas re: conservation & environment)
Election of 1912: Roosevelt (P) vs. Wilson (D)Wilson wins!