Unit 5

1. Unit 5 The Expansion of American Industry (1850-1900)

2. A Technological Revolution - FYI • Indoor electric lighting did not exist in 1865. Instead, the rising and setting of the sun dictated the rhythm of a day’s work. • After dark, people lit candles or oil lamps if they could afford them. If they could not they simply went to sleep, to rise at the first light of dawn.

3. A Technological Revolution - FYI • Imagine summers without the benefits of refrigeration! • Ice was available in 1865, but only at great cost. • People sawed blocks of ice out of frozen ponds during the winter, packed them in sawdust, and stored them in icehouses for later use.

4. A Technological Revolution - FYI • Communication was also very slow in those days. • Most mail from the East Coast took ten days to reach the Midwest and three weeks to get to the West. • Think of email and texts today… • An immigrant living on the frontier would wait months for news from relatives in Europe.

5. A Technological Revolution - FYI • By 1900, daily life had changed dramatically in the United States. • Between 1790 and 1860, the Patent and Trademark Office of the Federal Gov’t issued just 36,000 patents (licenses to make, use, or sell an invention). • In contrast, b/w 1860 and 1890, 500,000 patents were issued for inventions.

6. Telegraph – Samuel Morse Telephone – Alexander G. Bell Phonograph – Thomas Edison Filament Light bulb – Thomas Edison Motion Pictures – Thomas Edison Central Power Station – Thomas Edison (direct current) Transformer (alternating) – George Westinghouse Bessemer Process – H. Bessemer Brooklyn Bridge & William Kelly

7. A technological revolution: Electric Power • Thomas A. Edison (“There is always a better way to do something, find it!” He patented over 1,000 inventions! • Helped to make electricity widely available. • Improved stock ticker • Phonograph, electric light bulb, motion pictures • 1882, Central power station • Westinghouse • 1885 George Westinghouse and alternating current. • Use of transformer made use of electricity in homes practical. • General Electric and Westinghouse Electric.

8. The Railroad gets connected! • In 1850, steam powered ships still provided much of the nation’s transportation. • Before the Civil War, most of the railroad tracks were in short lines that connected neighboring cities, mainly in the East. • There was no standard track width, or gauge, so each train could only travel on certain tracks. • As a result, goods and passengers often had to be moved to different trains, which caused costly delays. • To make matters worse, they were dangerous b/c trains could not communicate and brakes were unreliable….eeekkkk 

9. The Transcontinental RR • In 1862, a huge project began in Sacramento, CA by the Central Pacific RR company and in Omaha, NB by the Union Pacific RR company to connect one line. • On May 10, 1869, the project was complete with the final “Gold” spike being driven in by Leland Stanford at Promontory Point, Utah. • Most of the workers on the railroad were immigrants. Irish for the Union Pacific and Asian, especially Chinese, for the Central Pacific. • This railroad officially connected the east to the west.

10. Problems with the RR - FYI • Rails were not standardized, this caused a lack of mobility. • Trains were often noisy, dirty, and uncomfortable. • People feared for their safety and distrusted most trains. • And scheduling for the train to be “On Time” was a nightmare, b/c of the time differences from town to town. Each town set its time according to solar time.

11. Solutions for the RR • Steel rails replaced iron rails (Bessemer Proc.) and signals and track gauges became standardized. • George Westinghouse developed more effective air brakes and Granville Woods patented a telegraph system for communicating with moving trains, thus reducing the risk of collisions. • In 1883, the railroads adopted a national system of time zones to improve scheduling. As a result, clocks in broad regions of the country showed the same time. • Four time zones were used: Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific (we still use these today)

12. Changes brought forth by the RR (draw please) Gov’t reg. of private industry Grow of towns and cities Rapid Growth of Railroads Creation of nationwide market Consolidation of RR Greed and Corruption

13. The Growth of Big Business • The period of invention after the Civil War set the stage for the great industrial growth. • Still, it would take more than technology to change the U.S., it would take entrepreneurial people to make the difference. • These individuals became known as “Robber Barons!”

14. Robber Barons (Captains of Industry) • Robber Baron implies that these individuals build their fortunes by stealing from the public, and in turn drained the natural resources. • Captains of Industry paints a more positive image of hard work and success in the building of the business world as we know it. Andrew Carnegie: Steel John D. Rockefeller: Oil Cornelius Vanderbilt: Railroads

15. Big Business: draw in your notes

16. Big Business Problems • Monopoly: complete control of a product or service. • Cartel: a loose association of business that make the same product. • Trust: managing companies as a single unit. Ex. Standard Oil (John D. Rockefeller) • Sherman Antitrust Act: law that prevents any combination of companies that restrain interstate trade or commerce. • Social Darwinism: Those who were more “fit” would “survive” in the business world. (Carnegie really believed in this idea) • Methods of Industrial Control • Horizontal consolidation (same type of business bought by one company, ex. Rockefeller w/oil) • Vertical consolidation(different type of business bought by one company, ex. Carnegie w/steel)

17. “Industrialization and Workers” • The Growing Work Force • Immigration: • 1860 – 1900 14 million immigrants to U.S. • Contract Labor Act: 1864 law allowed employers to enter into contracts with immigrants. • Similar to Indentured Servants. • 8 – 9 million migrants entered the cities.

18. Immigration: • Religious Persecution, Economic strife, and the promise of a better life in America brought millions of European immigrants to the country in the late 1800’s. • B/t 1865-1920, over 30 million people came to USA. • The population doubled!!!

19. The Journey • With new steamships, journey was one week. • Most stayed in STEERAGE. • Large open area beneath ship’s deck. • Limited toilets, no privacy, poor food. • Cheap fare. • From Europe? • Came to Ellis Island on East Coast, “The Golden Door.” (NY) • From Asia? • Came to Angel Island on West Coast. • Most used to be from Germ, GB (old). • Now, they were from Eastern Europe and the Middle East. • Russia, Italy, Greece. (new)

20. Immigrants from Europe • 1892, US Gov’t opened Ellis Island, with Statue of Liberty, to immigrants. • Seen as a symbol of the US as a place of refuge and hope. • All immigrants had to have a physical. • If they had a contagious disease, went into quarantine. • Could be deported, like those with trachoma (eyes). • Criminals waited on ports to trick immigrants out of money with fake jobs/lodging. • Went and settled in areas where previous settlers of their homeland were (ghettos). • Mostly in port of entry, only 2% went south. • Found jobs with less than average wages.

21. The Statue of Liberty “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse your teaming shore. Send these, the homeless tempest tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden shore.”

22. Immigration • On the West Coast, Asian immigrants found America less tolerant than the east coast. Cultural differences made Asians the target of suspicion and hostility. • Held at Angel Island for longer • Discrimination caused Chinese immigrants to settle together (Chinatown, etc…). • Labor Unions excluded the Chinese, as they drove wages down, and eventually, even the government discriminated, passing the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882.

23. The Growing Cities Not only were immigrants moving to the cities, Americans were migrating to the cities to escape the economic problems facing farmers.

24. The percentage of America’s population living on farms fell from 72% to 54%. Technological advances reduced the need for farm labor. Racial discrimination drove many African Americans out of the South. The influx of people forced new construction, especially subways and skyscrapers. Growing Cities

25. Increasing Efficiency (FYI, background knowledge) • In 1881, Frederick Winslow Taylor set out to improve worker efficiency in the steel plant where he was chief engineer. • He began to study the workers, trying to see how much time it took to do various jobs. • Then he broke down each task into a # of steps and determined how long each step should take. • He wanted more productivity from less time. • The workers hated Taylor’s ideas, they feared that increased efficiency would result in layoffs or a lower rate of pay for each piece of work.

26. Frederick Winslow Taylor • In 1911, he wrote, The Principles of Scientific Management. • Many people continue to use this formula in their business.

27. Factory Work • Factory workers were(are) ruled by the clock. When to start, stop, or break. • Factory work changed “work” from the days of being a craftsman. • A craftsman would traditionally make a product from start to finish, which required a variety of tasks. • Factory workers performed only one small task, over and over, and rarely saw the finished product. • This concept became known as “Division of Labor.”

28. Life in a Factory • Workers called “Hands” • Discipline was strict • Fined for being late, talking back, or refusing to do a task • Work was boring • Loud, dark, and ventilation was poor • Many fires from: fatigue, faulty equip., & carelessness • Many deaths on the job • In 1882, average # killed was 675 a WEEK, today it is around 120 week

29. Working Families • Because of low wages, everyone in the family had to work. • Children left school at 12 or 13. • Mother’s worked in the factory. • Some boys after 13 stayed in school, but most girls went to work in the factory. • If a parent died, 6 – 7 year olds had to work. (no work, no food) • Social Darwinism = govt. aid did not exist.

30. Women & Children • Women • No chance of advancement. • No training. • Excluded from higher paying jobs. • Children • 1880’s 5% of working population. • No child labor laws. • Stunted growth. • 1892 Jacob Riis wrote, Children of the Poor • By the early 1900’s, child labor legislation was implemented.

31. Section #4“The Great Strikes” • Rich vs. Poor • 1890 9% of pop. held 75% of nations wealth. • Socialism: economic and political philosophy that favors public (social) control of property and income. • Cooperate, not compete. • Karl Marx = “Communist Manifesto” • Labor Unions • Trade Unions • The Federal Society of Journeymen Cordwainers (shoemakers) • 1806, Outlawed for engaging in strikes. • National Trades Union

32. Section #4 cont. • The American Federation of Labor (AFL) • Samuel Gompers • Only skilled workers. • Three main issues for unions: • Higher Wages • Shorter Working Hours • Safer Working Conditions • Collective Bargaining: group bargains with employer for changes Samuel Gompers

33. Employers forbade union meetings and fired union organizers.“Yellow Dog” contracts – workers promised not to join or strikeRefused collective bargaining if strikes occurred.Refused to recognize unions as the workers’ legitimate representatives.

34. Four Major Strikes 1877-1894 • Railroad Strike – 1877 • Haymarket Strike – 1886 • Homestead Strike – 1892 • Pullman Strike - 1894

35. Railroad Strike – 1877 (FYI) • When the B&O RR announced a 10% wage cut in the midst of a depression, workers reacted with violence. • The rioting spread rapidly from Baltimore to Pittsburgh, Chicago, St. Louis, and other cities. • President Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881) sent in federal troops to put down the strike in W. Va. • Soldiers fired on the rioters, killing and wounding many. A crowd of 20,000 set fire to the RR company property. • From the 1877 strike on, employers relied on federal and state troops to repress labor unrest. • A new and violent era in labor relations had begun.

36. Haymarket Strike – 1886 (FYI) • May 1, 1886, groups of workers mounted a national demonstration for an eight-hour workday. • Their slogan was, “8 hrs. work, 8 hrs. rest, 8 hrs. for what we will!” • This led to fight at Chicago’s McCormick reaper factory between strikers and scabs. • Scabs are workers called in by an employer to replace striking laborers. • Several of the workers were killed when police tried to break it up.

37. Haymarket Strike – 1886 (FYI) • Union leaders called for a protest rally on the evening of May 4 in Chicago’s Haymarket Square. • A group of anarchists, radicals who violently oppose all gov’t, joined the strikers. • That evening someone threw a bomb into a police formation, killing seven officers. • A riot followed and over a dozen were killed. • Investigators never found the bomber, yet eight anarchists were tried for conspiracy to commit murder.

38. Haymarket Strike – 1886 (FYI) • Four were hanged, another committed suicide. • Governor John P. Altgeld of Illinois decided later there was not enough evidence so he pardoned the remaining three. • To many unionists, the anarchists who took part in the Haymarket Riot forever would be heroes. • To employers, however, they remained vicious criminals determined to undermine law and order. • Much of the American public came to associate unions in general w/violence and radical ideas.

39. Homestead Strike – 1892 (FYI) • Summer of 1892, while Andrew Carnegie was in Europe, his partner Henry Frick tried to cut workers’ wages at Carnegie Steel. • The union at the Carnegie plant in Homestead, PA called a strike. • Frick intended to crush the strike and he hired a private police force to do the job. • Again, several people were killed and many Americans were angry with the steel company, until…..

40. Homestead Strike – 1892 (FYI) • Anarchist Alexander Berkman tried and failed to assassinate Frick. • Berkman was not associated w/the union, but the public connected him anyway. • This led to a huge distrust of unions in many Americans’ eyes.

41. Pullman Strike – 1894 *** • This strike involving the RR marked a shift in the Federal Government’s involvement with labor-employer relations. • Sleeping-car maker, George Pullman considered himself a caring industrialist. • He donated money to build schools, banks, and utilities in his hometown of Chicago. • But, when the economy took a nose dive in 1893, he had to lay off workers and cut wages. • A small group tried to protest to him and he fired them on the spot, causing the local union to go on strike.

42. Pullman Strike - 1894 • Pullman refused to bargain and shut down the plant. • The American Railway Union, lead by popular labor organizer Eugene V. Debs, called for a boycott of Pullman cars throughout the country. • By June of ’94 over 120,000 RR workers joined in the strike. • The strike got out of hand and the fed. Gov. was brought in to help. • The strike broke the Sherman Antitrust Act • On July 4, 1894 President Grover Cleveland(1885-89 & 1893-97) sent in 2,500 federal troops to enforce the law.

43. Pullman Strike - 1894 • The Pullman strike and its outcome set an important pattern. • In the years ahead, factory owners appealed frequently for court orders vs. unions. • The Fed. Gov. regularly approved these appeals and helped to limit the growth of unions for the next 30 years.

44. Moving West (FYI) • Why did they want to go west? • 1.) Explore! • The Great Plains, the Pacific Northwest, & the Southwest. • 2.) New Beginnings! • In life, opportunity, etc. • 3.) Be own Boss! • Can own their own farm. • 4.) Overpopulated! • East is way too crowded.

45. Moving West • Big Business owned land. • RR companies profited as settlers moved. • Land next to RR especially popular. • Morrill Land Grant Act • Created to support state colleges. • Fed Gov’t gave land to state gov’t, they sold it to fund agricultural land-grant colleges. • Homestead Act (signed by Pres. Lincoln) • Fed Gov’t gave land directly to settlers!

46. It’s a “hard knock life” for settlers: FYI • Water was scarce, used buckets to collect rain. • This carried “Prairie fever” or typhoid. • Working prairie sod was back-breaking labor. • Women made soap, clothing, candles, and preserved food. • Families cooperated in raising houses/barns, sewing quilts, husking corn, etc.

47. Conflict with Native Americans • Remember… • Clearing the East of Indians; President Jackson; Trail of Tears; Reservations; Assimilation; War. • Clashes of Culture! • Indians and settlers looked at the world differently. • Settlers felt that the resources were there to be used. • Settlers used large scale hunting, mining, and farming. • Plains Indians used only the resources they needed for their actual needs. • They saw the white settlers as being greedy and destructive.

48. Fighting begins, with the Sioux • Little Bighorn • The Black Hills of South Dakota had been set aside for the Sioux and Northern Cheyenne • 1874 - U.S. Army exploring party found gold • Settlers went looking • Gov. tried to buy the Black Hills for gold (Sioux considered land sacred) • 1875 and 1876 - Sioux warrior left their reservations and united under the leadership of Sioux chief, Sitting Bull

49. Massacre at Wounded Knee • After Sitting Bull died, some American soldiers tried to arrest some Indians who left their reservation. • Shots were fired and more than 200 unarmed Sioux (women & children) were killed.

50. Indians way of life destroyed: FYI • Whites killed buffalo • Indians depended on buffalo to survive (how?) • As conditions grew worse and Indians were forced onto reservations, many whites wanted to help & an Indian Rights Movement began. • Helen Jackson wrote, A Century of Dishonor and said, “It makes little difference…where one opens the record of the history of the Indians; every page and every year has its dark stain.” • Some felt Indians should be more “civilized” • What does this mean? How can this happen?