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Warm-up:. If you had your own business, what kind of boss do you think you would be? Tell me what kind of business, what kind of boss, and why?. Big Business. Government & Big Business. Social Darwinism- “survival of the fittest” Government should not be involved in business affairs
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Warm-up: • If you had your own business, what kind of boss do you think you would be? Tell me what kind of business, what kind of boss, and why?
Government & Big Business • Social Darwinism- “survival of the fittest” • Government should not be involved in business affairs • Laissez-faire attitude • Leave it alone • Very friendly towards business • Big industrialists practically controlled government • Then unfair business practices caused government regulation in the Gilded Age • Sherman Anti-Trust Act promoted fair industrial competition
Robber Barons • Wealth concentrated in the hands of a few industrialists—uneven distribution of wealth • Rockefeller and Carnegie did not practice fair industrial competition • Railroad rebates-monetary kickbacks • Corporations & Monopolies-killed competition • Abused natural resources • Corrupted politicians • Usurped and abused labor • Critics called them “robber barons”
Labor • In 1860, 900,000 factory workers; in 1890, 3.2 million workers; 1900, 20 million • Working conditions grew increasingly worse • Factory conditions were unhealthy and dangerous • Children were regularly employed; the family structure was changed dramatically • More and more women entered the work force but in menial jobs • Workers faced constant threats of pay cuts and lay offs • Led to the rise of labor unions
Labor Unions • Knights of Labor: • Accepted skilled and unskilled workers • Became identified with violence and radicalism • Led by Terence Powderly • American Federation of Labor (AFL) • Accepted only skilled workers • Led by Samuel Gompers • Fought for safer working conditions, shorter work days, better wages
Labor Strikes • Railroad Strike of 1877 • Haymarket Riot of 1886 • Homestead Strike of 1892 • The Pullman Strike of 1894 • Led to government compromise with creation of Labor Day, first Monday in September
Activity: • Look up the 4 strikes in the textbook and answer the following questions about each strike: • Who was part of the strike? • Why did they strike? • Where did they strike? • What did the achieve? • How did the government or the owner respond to the strike?