“Unit Snapshot”

1. “Unit Snapshot” “Industrialization in the United States” Post Civil War – Early 1900s

2. * The "second industrial revolution," which took place roughly between 1870 and 1920, brought many changes to the United States, including the mass production of consumer goods; large scale migration from all parts of the world; and patterns of social change that reshaped workplace, family, and gender roles. Mass produced goods rose in quantity and variety, and became cheaper to buy. To sell these goods, entrepreneurs developed vast communication and transportation networks that led to the creation of a nationwide market. The government supported these developments by making grants of land to railroad entrepreneurs and by legislating protective tariffs, a tax on foreign, imported goods. * Often recruited by employers, a labor force eager for economic opportunity migrated to cities from rural areas of the United States, and from Asia, Latin America, and Europe. Millions of immigrants from China, Mexico, Canada, southern and Eastern Europe, and Scandinavia entered all regions of the country, with the majority settling in the Northeast. Many of these immigrants hoped to obtain land, but—arriving penniless—often took the first industrial jobs they could find. At first, these workers might earn enough to support families left behind or bring the family members over to join them. When the economy slumped, however, business owners cut wages, increased work hours and responsibilities, or laid off workers. In response, workers formed unions to demand improved working conditions. Local and national strikes became increasingly frequent—even violent. Acting as concerned consumers, many middle class women’s organizations pressed for reforms in labor-industrial relations.

3. U.S. Presidents 20th 21st • James Garfield (1881) • Chester Arthur (‘81-’85) • Grover Cleveland (‘85-’89, ‘93-’97) • Benjamin Harrison (‘89-’93) • William McKinley (’97-’01) 22nd/24th 23rd 25th

4. Main Characters • Alexander Graham Bell • Thomas Alva Edison • Cornelius Vanderbilt • John D. Rockefeller • J.P. Morgan • Andrew Carnegie

5. Main Events • 1869, Transcontinental Railroad • 1879, Light bulb • 1882, Standard Oil • 1886, Haymarket Riots* • 1892, Homestead Strike* • 1894, Pullman Strike* • 1901, U.S. Steel

6. Main Ideas • Immigration and Urbanization • Big business, Free enterprise • Protectionism vs. Laissez-faire • Mass Production • Monopolies and Trusts • Gospel of Wealth, Social Darwinism • Labor Unions and Reform

7. Essential Questions • What economic policies allowed industries to expand after the Civil War? • How did the railroads effect the industrialization of the United States? • How did “captains of industry” such as Carnegie and Rockefeller expand their businesses through new ways of organization? • Why did workers form labor unions? • What changes in lifestyle occurred because of industrialization? • How did industrialization change American politics?