The U.S. Government and the Railroads In the period from 1865 to 1900, the United States Government aided the

development of the West by granting land to railroad companies To build a railroad is expensive and profits are not immediate; thus to encourage

private companies to build, the government gave free land to the companies Some of the land was used to build the tracks for the trains but the rest could be

sold at a profit – this was an incentive or reward for railroad building It led to the completion of a transcontinental railroad in 1869 A transcontinental railroad made movement west easier and therefore more

Americans were willing to settle in the West

Antitrust Legislation A trust is another word for a monopoly Antitrust legislation means anti-monopoly laws Or laws to prevent monopolies from forming The purpose of antitrust legislation is to increase competition in a market When a monopoly exists or a single seller dominates a market, there is no

competition The lack of competition hurts consumers with higher prices and inferior goods

Laissez-faire Capitalism Laissez-faire means “Let them do [businesses] as they please” Laissez-faire capitalism is a completely free market where the government does not

intervene in the market Buyers are free to buy and sellers are free to sell There are no government regulations In a completely free market, the price of a good is determined by the law of supply

and the law of demand If many consumers are willing to buy a good and the supply of the good is low, the

price will be high Wages are also determined by the laws of supply and demand

Robber Barons An American capitalist of the latter part of the 19th century who became wealthy

through ruthless practices A business owner who used ruthless practices to dominate a market and maximize

his profits Robber barons unfairly eliminated competition Robber barons paid workers low wages Andrew Carnegie [steel industry] and John D. Rockefeller [oil industry] were

accused of being robber barons J.P. Morgan [banking] and Cornelius Vanderbilt [railroad] were also accused of

being robber barons A robber baron acquired wealth by any means necessary even if practices were

unfairly eliminating competitionThe Gospel of Wealth

Andrew Carnegie was a successful capitalist One of the captains of industry of 19th century America, Andrew Carnegie helped

build the American steel industry, a process that turned a poor young man into one of the richest entrepreneurs of his age

Later in his life, Carnegie sold his steel business and systematically gave his collected fortune away to cultural, educational and scientific institutions for “the improvement of mankind”

While some critics called Andrew Carnegie a robber baron or a business owner who used unfair and ruthless methods to eliminate competition, it is important to note that he gave millions of dollars to charity

Andrew Carnegie was a philanthropist or a person who gave money to promote the welfare and improvement of others

In his Gospel of Wealth, Andrew Carnegie wrote about his views regarding money, philanthropy, and charity

He wrote of the duties of the man of wealth: to live simply and to use his money to improve society or for the most beneficial results for the community

The Interstate Commerce Act In 1887, Congress passed the Interstate Commerce Act, making the railroads the

first industry subject to Federal regulation Congress passed the law largely in response to public demand that railroad

operations be regulated The act also established a five-member enforcement board known as the Interstate

Commerce Commission In the years following the Civil War, railroads were privately owned and entirely

unregulated The railroad companies held a natural monopoly in the areas that only they serviced The Interstate Commerce Act addressed the problem of railroad monopolies by

setting guidelines for how the railroads could do business The act became law with the support of both major political parties and pressure

groups from all regions of the country Applying only to railroads, the law required “just and reasonable” rate changes;

prohibited special rates or rebates for individual shippers; prohibited “preference” in rates for any particular localities, shippers, or products; forbade long-haul/short-haul discrimination; prohibited pooling of traffic or markets; and most important, established a five-member Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC)

The Sherman Antitrust Act The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 was the first measure passed by the U.S.

Congress to prohibit trusts or monopolistic practices Trusts had come to dominate a number of major industries thereby destroying

competition The Sherman Act authorized the Federal Government to institute proceedings

against trusts in order to dissolve them Any combination “in the form of trust or otherwise that was in restraint of trade or

commerce among the several states, or with foreign nations” was declared illegal

A trust or corporate trust is an American English term for a large business with significant market power

It is often used in a historical sense to refer to monopolies or near-monopolies in the United States during the Second Industrial Revolution in the 19th century and early 20th century

Therefore, antitrust is anti-monopoly

Industrialization (1870–1900) A period in American history when factories became increasingly important in the

economy Many “New Immigrants” arrived to work in factories Movement to cities or urbanization increased Labor unions formed or organizations that promoted the interests of workers and

workers’ desires for an eight-hour workday, higher wages and safer working conditions

Samuel Gompers encouraged “Bread and Butter” unionism or having unions focus on wages and working conditions and not social issues

Mechanization or the use of machines to produce goods increased And Andrew Carnegie, a monopolist, wrote about the need for the wealthy to use

their wealth to benefit or improve society [The Gospel of Wealth]

The Main Benefit Gained by Labor Unions in the late 19th Century Higher wages Safer working conditions Even sometimes an eight-hour workday Yes, improved wages and hours

John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and J. Pierpont Morgan Captains of industry Formed powerful businesses that dominated their industries Rockefeller – Standard Oil Company Carnegie – Steel industry J.P. Morgan – Banking Yet also sometimes labelled robber barons American capitalists who became wealthy through unfair practices and the

elimination of competition It was said that a robber baron used ruthless business tactics against their

competitors

Henry Ford Henry Ford started the Ford Motor Company He manufactured automobiles But his greatest contribution to industry was the introduction of the assembly line Inspired by the continuous-flow production methods used in other industries, Ford

installed moving lines for bits and pieces of the manufacturing process: For

instance, workers built motors and transmissions on rope-and-pulley–powered conveyor belts

In December 1913, Ford began using the moving-chassis assembly line In February 1914, he added a mechanized belt that chugged along at a speed of six

feet per minute As the pace accelerated, Ford produced more and more cars The assembly line increased production greatly

“Eight hours for work, eight hours for sleep, eight hours for what we will” This slogan was used in the late 1800s by labor unions The eight-hour workday was a major goal of labor unions in the late 1800s Workers wanted shorter workdays in order to have time for sleep and a bit of

leisure

Labor Unions and the “New Immigrants” in the late 19th Century The “New Immigrants” were from Southern and Eastern Europe They escaped poverty and persecution in their native countries They were willing to work for low wages in factories to survive Labor Unions viewed the “New Immigrants” as a threat Unions feared that the “New Immigrants” would take jobs from Americans

Social Darwinism The 19th-century philosophy of Social Darwinism maintained that economic success

comes to those who are the hardest working and most competent Social Darwinists misapplied Charles Darwin’s “Survival of the Fittest” Social Darwinists believed that there were stronger races and stronger individuals

within races too They believed that the strong should dominate the weak Social Darwinists believed that the poor were poor because they were lazy and not

fit Social Darwinists believed that the monopolist was simply the most fit individual

and therefore was meant to be a monopolist Fortunately, this idea has been challenged and is largely discredited today Social Darwinism was also used to justify imperialism and poverty in the world It categorized individuals as superior or inferior

Samuel Gompers, Terence Powderly and Eugene Debs Samuel Gompers founded the American Federation of Labor (AFL), an early and

still existing labor union The AFL only organized skilled workers Terence Powderly was a founder of the labor union called The Knights of Labor;

this union organized skilled and unskilled workers The Knights of Labor was discredited after the Haymarket Affair Eugene Debs was a founding member of the labor union: the Industrial Workers of

the World

Thus, Samuel Gompers, Terence Powderly and Eugene Debs were all leaders in labor unions and all wanted to improve working conditions

Monopoly After the Civil War, one way business leaders tried to eliminate competition was by

forming monopolies or trusts A monopoly occurs when a single seller dominates a market In a monopoly, there is no competition and the seller can increase the price of goods

and still have customers Monopolies harm consumers with high prices and lower quality goods

Haymarket Riot On May 4, 1886, a labor protest rally near Chicago’s Haymarket Square turned into

a riot after someone threw a bomb at police At least eight people died as a result of the violence that day Despite a lack of evidence against them, eight radical labor activists were convicted

in connection with the bombing The Haymarket Riot was viewed a setback for the organized labor movement in

America, which was fighting for such rights as the eight-hour workday At the same time, the men convicted in connection with the riot were viewed by

many in the labor movement as martyrs The following headlines: “Labor Leaders Executed for Causing Haymarket Riot;”

“State Militia Called In To End Homestead Strike:” and “1,000 Jailed as Silver Miners Protest Wage Cuts” – reveal that the government officials frequently opposed labor union activities

A labor union is an organization of workers that tries to increase wages, create safer working conditions, and advocate on the behalf of workers

In the 1800s, the United States government was very supportive of big business and capitalists and often tried to stop the activities of labor unions

Chinese Exclusion Act, the Gentlemen’s Agreement, and the National Origins Act The Chinese Exclusion Act was the first major law restricting immigration to the

United States It was enacted in response to economic fears, especially on the West Coast, where

native-born Americans attributed unemployment and declining wages to Chinese workers whom they also viewed as racially inferior

The Chinese Exclusion Act – signed into law on May 6, 1882 – effectively halted Chinese immigration for ten years and prohibited Chinese from becoming US citizens

The Gentlemen’s Agreement stated that Japan would agree not to issue passports to emigrants to the United States, except to certain categories of business and professional men

In return, President Theodore Roosevelt agreed to urge the city of San Francisco to rescind an order by which children of Japanese parents were segregated from white students in the schools

The National Origins Act or The Immigration Act of 1924 limited the number of immigrants allowed entry into the United States through a national origins quota

The quota provided immigration visas to two percent of the total number of people of each nationality in the United States as of the 1890 national census

It completely excluded immigrants from Asia Thus, the Chinese Exclusion Act, the Gentlemen’s Agreement and the National

Origins Act were similar is that all were expressions of nativism Nativism is an anti-immigrant attitude Nativism is hostility towards immigrants

Jacob Riis, Jane Addams, and Margaret Sanger Are all associated with efforts to improve conditions for the poor Jacob Riis documented how poor immigrants lived in overcrowded and unsanitary

tenements in the cities in his How the Other Half Lives Jane Addams founded Hull House to provide services to newly arrived immigrants Hull House was one of the first social settlements in North America or center for

neighborhood social services and social reform activities typically located in densely populated urban areas

Margaret Sanger devoted her life to legalizing birth control and making it universally available for women

Margaret Sanger tried to help women determine the number of children they would give birth to in order to improve the economic conditions of the families

Federal Civil Service System A civil service system is a system where government employment is determined by

merit or the taking of a test to determine ability Government is the largest employer in the United States Even before World War II began, one out of every ten civilians worked for

government The National Civil Service Reform League was organized in an effort to correct

abuses of the old “spoils system” Under the Spoils System, government jobs were given to supporters of political

parties – if the candidate won, his supporters got the jobs The spoils system didn’t make for high quality in government personnel or for

efficiency in their services to the public Today, government workers are given jobs based on ability The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act of United States is a federal law established

in 1883 that decided that government jobs should be awarded on the basis of merit instead of political affiliation

The Pendleton Act provided that Federal Government jobs be awarded on the basis of merit and that Government employees be selected through competitive exams

The act also made it unlawful to fire or demote for political reasons employees who were covered by the law

Nativism Nativism is an anti-immigrant attitude

This hate-filled attitude views immigrants negatively Nativism in the late 19th century was motivated primarily by hostility toward

immigrant workers Immigrant workers would often work for lower wages as they were desperate for

employment In addition, in the late 1800s, the “New Immigrants” arrived from southern and

eastern Europe These “New Immigrants” did not speak the English language and were often

Catholics or Jews The “New Immigrants” faced discrimination The “Old Immigrants” were often hostile to the “New Immigrants” and treated the

“New Immigrants” poorly The “Old Immigrants” had come from England and Northern Europe and were

Protestants as well as English-speakers [although the Irish were Catholics and did face discrimination in the United States]

Farmers in the 1870s and 1880s During the 1870’s and 1880’s, Midwestern farmers found that earning a living was

increasingly difficult because railroad companies charged high rates for transporting farm products

Railroad companies often charged farmers higher rates than other customers and would charge higher rates for shorter hauls

A railroad is a monopoly and farmers had no choice but to transport their crops on trains

Crops can rot easily and so even at high prices, the crops had to be transported But farmers wanted the government to regulate or control the railroads and to

control prices The Grange Movement and the Populist Party fought for the farmers and

encouraged government regulation of the railroads

The Populist Party Free and unlimited coinage of silver, government ownership of railroads and a

graduated income tax were first proposed by the Populist Party A movement toward direct political action among desperate western farmers In late 19th century, angered over low crop prices, crippling bank loans, and high

shipping rates, farmers began to unite in self-help groups like the Grange Initially, these groups primarily provided mutual assistance while agitating for the

regulation of railroads and grain elevators Increasingly, they became centers of support for more sweeping political change by

uniting to help form the new third-party movement known as the Populists The Populists wanted the government to regulate the railroads and to help the

common man To help western farmers fight unjust economic practices

Granger and Populist Movements

To help the American farmer in his fight against the railroad monopolies and the high interest rates of bank loans

The Granger Movement was a movement for the American farmer; it tried to improve the lives of American farmers

Indeed a goal of the Granger movement and later Populist movement was to help western farmers fight unjust economic practices

The Dawes Act The Dawes Act split up reservations held communally by Native American tribes

into smaller units and distributed these units to individuals within the tribe Also called the General Allotment Act, the law changed the legal status of Native

Americans from tribal members to individuals subject to federal laws and dissolved many tribal affiliations 

The goal of the Dawes Act was to encourage Native Americans to integrate into American culture

The passage of the Dawes Act in 1887 was primarily an attempt by the United States government to encourage Native American Indians to give up their traditional cultures and assimilate

The aim of the Dawes Act of 1887 was to assimilate Native American Indians into American culture

The Homestead Act Passed on May 20, 1862, the Homestead Act accelerated the settlement of the

western territory by granting adult heads of families 160 acres of surveyed public land for a minimal filing fee and 5 years of continuous residence on that land

The Homestead Act, enacted during the Civil War in 1862, provided that any adult citizen, or intended citizen, who had never borne arms against the U.S. government could claim 160 acres of surveyed government land

Claimants were required to “improve” the plot by building a dwelling and cultivating the land

After 5 years on the land, the original filer was entitled to the property, free and clear, except for a small registration fee

After the Civil War, Union soldiers could deduct the time they had served from the residency requirements

The passage of the Homestead Act and the completion of the transcontinental railroad helped to fulfill the United States commitment to Manifest Destiny but at the expense of the Native American Indians

Booker T. Washington He was born into slavery He founded the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama He wrote Up From Slavery, an autobiography Believed that African Americans should first concentrate their efforts on trying to

achieve economic independence before seeking full social equality Believed economic prosperity could best be achieved by vocational training or job-

related education

He wanted young African Americans to develop skills and attitudes that would help them to survive in an environment of increasing violence and discrimination

Booker T. Washington believed that the most immediate means for African Americans to achieve equality was to expand their opportunities for vocational education

Jim Crow Laws Southern states attempted to limit the impact of constitutional amendments passed

during the Reconstruction Era by passing Jim Crow laws Segregation laws in the South Were state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States Enacted after the Reconstruction period, these laws continued in force until 1965 Separate bathrooms for whites and blacks Separate water fountains, separate schools, etc. “Although important strides were made, Reconstruction failed to provide lasting

guarantees of the civil rights of the freedmen.” – Jim Crow Laws exemplify the failure of Reconstruction

The Jim Crow laws of the post-Civil War Era were attempts by state and local governments to restrict the freedoms of African Americans

Poll Taxes, Literacy Tests and Grandfather Clauses The Fifteenth Amendment gave African American males the right to vote Poll taxes, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses took that right away A poll tax was a tax for voting - newly freed slaves could not afford to pay the tax A literacy test is a difficult test to pass in order to vote - newly freed slaves were

often illiterate and could not pass the test A grandfather clause stated that if a man’s ancestor voted before the Civil War, he

could vote and not pay the tax – the ancestors of newly freed slaves could not vote and so newly freed slaves, unlike poor whites, had to pay the poll tax and pass the literacy test in order to vote

Thus, poll taxes, literacy tests, and grandfather clauses kept African Americans from exercising their right to vote

Poll taxes and grandfather clauses were devices used to deny African Americans the right to vote

W.E.B. DuBois William Edward Burghardt “W. E. B.” Du Bois (1868-1963) was a leading African-

American sociologist, writer and activist Educated at Harvard University He earned fame for the publication of such works as Souls of Black Folk (1903), and

was a founding officer of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and editor of its magazine

W.E.B. DuBois believed that African Americans should attempt to gain equality in the United States by demanding full and immediate participation in American society

He differed from Booker T. Washington in his method for improving the lives of African Americans; Booker T. Washington believed in vocational education as a means of improving economic status and thereby eventually gaining equality whereas W.E.B. DuBois believed that African Americans were entitled to equal rights now as was stated in the U.S. Constitution with its 14th and 15th amendments

Plessy v. Ferguson Plessy, a racially mixed man, sat in a railroad car where only whites were permitted He was arrested for violating a state law that provided “separate but equal”

facilities for non-whites Plessy said this law violated his “equal protection” rights under the 14th

Amendment The Supreme Court held that so long as a state provided “equal” facilities, it could

legally separate African Americans from whites The decision allowed the continuation of “separate but equal” facilities – resulting

in whites and African Americans attending different schools, using different water fountains, and bathing in different public beaches

State and local governments restricted the freedoms of African Americans The Jim Crow laws, upheld by the Supreme Court in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896),

provided for separate public facilities based on race

The 14th and 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution The 14th and 15th Amendments, passed during Reconstruction, resulted in increased

individual rights for African Americans The 14th to the Constitution granted citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized

in the United States,” which included former slaves recently freed In addition, it forbids states from denying any person “life, liberty or property,

without due process of law” or to “deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws”

The 14th Amendment is an equal rights for citizens amendment The 15th Amendment granted African American men the right to vote Set free by the 13th amendment, with citizenship guaranteed by the 14th amendment,

African American males were given the vote by the 15th amendment

The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson The underlying reason for the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson was a

power struggle with Congress over Reconstruction  The Radical Republicans in Congress accused President Andrew Johnson of

blocking their Reconstruction plan The Radical Republicans wanted harsh punishments of Confederates and full

political and social equality of African Americans The Radical Republicans did not support Johnson's plan for Reconstruction

Sharecropping in the South In the ten years following the Civil War, a large numbers of former slaves earned a

living by becoming sharecroppers on Southern farms

Freed slaves were only given their freedom; they were not given land or money to start their new lives

As many freed slaves were illiterate and needed to work, they found employment with their former masters as sharecroppers

Sharecroppers farmed for a rich landowner and paid rents to farm the land The rents, however, were high and sharecroppers were often in debt to the rich

landowners The effect of sharecropping in the South after the Civil War was that it kept

formerly enslaved persons economically dependent In order to survive, sharecroppers needed to farm but without their own lands, they

were forced to depend on former masters for their survival

The 13th Amendment Formally abolished slavery “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime

whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction”

Radical Republicans A major reason the Radical Republicans opposed President Abraham Lincoln’s

Reconstruction plan was that his plan offered amnesty to nearly all Confederates who would swear allegiance to the United States

Radical Republicans did not like Lincoln’s lenient plan for Reconstruction Radical Republicans wanted to punish Confederates for the war and change

Southern society Radical Republicans believed freed slaves were entitled to the same political rights

and opportunities as whites The provision of the Radical Republicans’ plan for Reconstruction that Southern

States found most objectionable was that a former Confederate State could not be readmitted to the Union unless that State ratified the 14th amendment

The 14th amendment gives equal rights to all citizens

The Louisiana Purchase Included the Mississippi River, the Great Plains, and the Port of New Orleans Americans gained full control of the Mississippi River with the Louisiana Purchase Allowed farmers in the Ohio River Valley to transport their goods A benefit for trade Also a benefit for farming with the acquisition of the Great Plains The Mississippi River was a major trade route that transported goods from North

to South The Mississippi flows into the Gulf of Mexico which led to the development of the

trading port city of New Orleans The Great Plains are known as the “breadbasket” of the nation as farmers grow

important grains on the Great Plains and cattle is also herded on the Great Plains

Geography of the South

Long growing season and fertile soil Greater reliance on agriculture Because of fertile land and a long growing season, plantations in the thirteen

colonies developed in the South

Mercantilism The idea that colonies benefit the mother country Colonies only trade with the mother country Colonies only export raw materials or natural resources Colonies only import finished goods from the mother country Gold and silver is taken from the colonies to the mother country Mercantilism was a popular economic philosophy in the 17th and 18th centuries in

Europe In this system, the colonies were moneymakers for the mother country The British system of mercantilism was opposed by many American colonists

because it placed restrictions on trading  Colonists hated mercantilism

The Mayflower Compact The Mayflower Compact was a document signed by 41 male Pilgrims on November

21, 1620 on the ship called the Mayflower By signing this document, the men agreed to form a temporary government and be

bound by its laws The compact became the basis of government in the Plymouth Colony It is an example of self-government in the colonies The Mayflower Compact is important to the concept of a democratic society because

it represents a clear step toward self-government

Checks and Balances The system of checks and balances is a system where government is divided into

different branches [executive, legislative, and judicial] and each branch limits the power of the other branches

To check is to limit Thus, in a system of checks and balances, one branch cannot become too powerful;

tyranny cannot develop The system of checks and balances is best illustrated by the power of the President

to veto a bill passed by Congress The Unwritten Constitution

The Unwritten Constitution refers to traditions and practices of American government but traditions and practices that are not listed in the Constitution

Examples of the Unwritten Constitution are: the President’s cabinet, judicial review, political parties, and Congressional Committees

These examples are not listed in the Constitution but have become a part of American government

Dred Scott v. Sanford

Dred Scott was a slave His master moved to a free state Dred Scott lived in a free state with his master The master returned to a slave state Once in the slave state, Dred Scott sued stating that he was free because he had lived

in a free state The Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution recognized slavery and protected

property; therefore, the Supreme Court ruled that Dred Scott was a slave The Dred Scott decision on the issue of slavery upheld the Southern viewpoint that

Congress could not pass a law depriving territorial residents of their property The Court stated that slaves were not citizens of the United States and, therefore,

could not expect any protection from the Federal Government or the courts The opinion also stated that Congress had no authority to ban slavery from a

Federal territory This decision moved the nation a step closer to Civil War. The decision of Scott v. Sanford, considered by legal scholars to be the worst ever

rendered by the Supreme Court, was overturned by the 13th and 14th amendments to the Constitution, which abolished slavery and declared all persons born in the United States to be citizens of the United States

Marbury v. Madison A Supreme Court case Established the principle of judicial review Judicial Review is the concept that the Court has the power to declare a law

unconstitutional Chief Justice John Marshall thereby increased the power of the Supreme Court and

strengthened the power of the federal government The Supreme Court has the power to interpret the Constitution and determine the

constitutionality of laws Judicial review is not listed in the Constitution Judicial review is part of the Unwritten Constitution

Plessy v. Ferguson Plessy, a racially mixed man, sat in a railroad car where only whites were permitted He was arrested for violating a state law that provided “separate but equal”

facilities for non-whites Plessy said this law violated his “equal protection” rights under the 14th Amendment In Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), the Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation was

constitutional The Supreme Court held that so long as a state provided “equal” facilities, it could

legally separate African Americans from whites The decision allowed the continuation of “separate but equal” facilities - resulting in

whites and African Americans attending different schools, using different water fountains, and bathing in different public beaches

State and local governments restricted the freedoms of African Americans

Tariff A tariff is a tax on imported goods A tariff raises the prices of foreign goods in the United States Since consumers prefer lower prices, a tariff discourages the consumption of foreign

goods A tariff encourages the consumption of domestic [Made in the USA] goods American manufacturers liked tariffs as tariffs increased the sale of their factory

goods Southerners dislike tariffs as they sold agricultural goods and not factory goods and

did not benefit from tariffs Alexander Hamilton urged Congress to pass a protective tariff to encourage the

growth of American manufacturing

President George Washington and Neutrality In George Washington’s Farewell Address, the President wrote, “Steer clear of

permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world” George Washington warned Americans of forming alliances As the nation was a new nation, it needed time to develop the nation and becoming

involved in foreign conflicts would take Americans from the business of building America

Yes, President George Washington pursued a foreign policy of neutrality during his administration primarily because he believed that the United States needed time to gain economic and military strength

Becoming involved in Europe’s many conflicts would only weaken the United States George Washington gave his Farewell Address before leaving office In his Farewell Address, Washington warned against alliances, political parties, and

sectionalism

The Monroe Doctrine The nations of Central and South America gained independence from Spain and

Portugal in the early 1800s As Latin America is neighbor to the U.S.A., Americans feared that other European

nations might try to conquer their newly independent neighbors If their newly independent neighbors were conquered by new nations, the United

States might be in danger too Thus, the U.S.A. issued the Monroe Doctrine which stated that the Americas were

closed to future colonization A major reason for the issuance of the Monroe Doctrine (1823) was to prevent

further European colonization in the Caribbean region  The Americas were closed to conquest

Causes of Sectional Conflict Sectionalism is loyalty to a region and not the nation In Sectionalism, a Southerner is loyal to the South and its way of life and a New

Englander is loyal to New England and its way of life Of course, one of the issues separating North and South was slavery

The Southern economy depended on slave labor and the plantation economy The Northern economy did not depend on slave labor Thus, issues like Nullification crisis, Kansas-Nebraska Act, Dred Scott v. Sanford

and the Election of Lincoln (1860) are all causes of sectional conflict Nullification was the idea that a state could not obey a federal law – this idea of

nullification was popular in the South, particularly when Southerners threatened to nullify a tariff

Nullification supports the idea of states’ rights In the Kansas-Nebraska Act, citizens of territories becoming states were allowed to

vote to determine if they wanted states to be free or slave – popular sovereignty In Dred Scott v. Sanford, the Supreme Court ruled that a slave was property And the Election of Lincoln led to the start of the Civil War as South Carolina

seceded from the Union fearing that a Republican President would abolish slavery

Monopolies A 19th-century business practice was the creation of monopolies A monopoly occurs when a single seller dominates a market J.P. Morgan, John D. Rockefeller, and Andrew Carnegie were monopolists “The business of creating monopolies, crushing opposition...he made a bloody

fortune out of it.” ~ Senator Jay Rockefeller – great grandson of John D. Rockefeller

With his increased profits, Rockefeller, aged just 33, buys up his competitors, and creates the country’s first monopoly

He now controls 90% of the North American oil supply And his lawyers come up with the infamous “trust” solution “Holders of stock in the various oil companies handed over their shares to

Rockefeller and his associates acting as a board of trustees; in return they got ‘trust’ certificates which paid dividends but gave no power” ~ Hugh Brogan, Historian

Yes, a monopolist uses unfair business practices to destroy competition, control or dominate a market, and raise prices on consumers