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Standard 11. The student will describe the growth of big business and technological innovations after Reconstruction. A. The Growth of the Railroad. Railroads were the airlines of the late 19th century. Government involvement allowed transportation to flourish.
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Standard 11 The student will describe the growth of big business and technological innovations after Reconstruction.
The Growth of the Railroad • Railroads were the airlines of the late 19th century. • Government involvement allowed transportation to flourish. • The growth of railroads allowed for the growth of business. • The transportation of goods became faster, cheaper, and more efficient.
Steel • The Bessemer process allowed for the production of better steel. • Andrew Carnegie was the man who controlled almost all of the steel made. • Big business was able to use the rail system to quickly transport goods around the country and drive out competition.
Railroad workers laid some 150,000 miles of railroad track following the Civil War. The track linked cities and small towns across America. What was one effect of the growth of railroads in the United States? • Greater use of the Oregon Trail • Reduced employment in industry • Increased migration west of the Mississippi River. • A decrease in the amount of farm goods sent to market
In what way did railroads and advances in communication affect geographic patterns in the United States? • They stalled the need for new inventions. • They assisted in maintaining cultural traditions in an area. • They changed the physical characteristics of a region. • They stalled migration.
Westward Expansion and Settlement • Although not great for agriculture, the grasslands of the West were perfect for cattle grazing • The construction of railways as far west as Kansas opened a booming market for beef and the requisite processing centers • The Homesteaders helped put an end to the long cattle drives that were significant to the cattle industry by using barbed-wire fences
The Transcontinental Railroad • This was to be the first railroad to stretch across the whole of the US. • The Central Pacific Railroad began laying track eastward out of Sacramento. • The Union Pacific Railroad began work toward the west in Omaha. • At Promontory Point, Utah on May 10, 1869, a golden spike was driven to officially connect the two railroads.
Immigrant Labor • The Irish were used to build the Union Pacific line across the Great Plains. • The Chinese were used to build the Central Pacific line across the Sierra Nevada.
Chinese and Irish immigrants are remembered for • Their contributions to the steel industry. • Their contributions to building the nation’s railroads. • Their refusal to work for giant’s of big business. • Working together to found the nation’s first trust.
In 1862, Congress passed the Pacific Railway Act to allow for construction of the transcontinental railroad. What was the impact of this legislation? • Regulation of the railroad industry • Rapid westward expansion • An end to Chinese immigration • A decline in big city growth
The mega corporations used many different tools to drive their competition out of business and hurt consumers. • Monopolies – complete control of a product or service. • Cartels – loose association of business that make the same product. • Trusts – a group of separate companies that are placed under the control of a single managing board.
The Standard Oil Trust • In 1870 John D. Rockefeller and several associates formed the Standard Oil Company. • In 1882 the owners of Standard Oil and companies allied with it agreed to combine their operations. • They would turn over their assets to a board of nine trustees. • In return, they were promised a share of the profits of the new organization.
The Sherman Antitrust Act • This law outlawed any combination of companies that restrained interstate trade or commerce. • The federal government rarely enforced it. • The act was applied successfully against labor union.
The Rise of Laissez-Faire • Laissez Faire capitalism advocated for a hands off approach to regulating business • Social Darwinism was thought to rule the world of business, those most able would rise to the top • Another attempt to justify consolidation was the Gospel of Wealth. This said that wealth was the clearest sign of God’s favor for your hard work
John D. Rockefeller dominated the oil industry by • Refusing to use railroads to ship his products. • Focusing only on oil production and allowing other people’s companies to supply him with the materials he needed for production. • Establishing a trust. • Hiring large numbers of Chinese workers.
What was the effect of the growth of monopolies? • They increased competition among similar business. • They reduced the need for government intervention. • They spread equal wealth among the entire population. • They reduced the number of small businesses within an industry.
By establishing a trust, John D. Rockefeller • Introduced railroads as a major contributor to big business. • Took land away from Native Americans. • Made efficient use of tenant farmers. • Eliminated competition in the market place.
What was the purpose of the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890? • To assist robber barons • To eliminate government intervention in business • To protect trade and the growth of monopolies • To eliminate big business monopolies
Thomas Edison • Electric power became widely available because of Thomas Edison. • His work on the light bulb and alternating current changed daily life for all Americans. • Edison also invented the phonograph and motion pictures.
Who invented the electric light bulb? • Jay Gould • Thomas Edison • John D. Rockefeller • Andrew Carnegie
What effect did Thomas Edison’s work have on the 19th century? • It expanded the growth of government. • It encouraged the growth of industry and cities. • It stalled westward movement into California. • It encouraged the growth of mining towns.
Review Assignment • Page 460: 1-8 and 11-13
