United States History Chapter 14

1. United States HistoryChapter 14 Higher Order Thinking Skills Homework

2. 1. Explain how the abundance of natural resources, new recovery and refining methods , and new uses for them led to intensive industrialization. • What led to the nation’s oil boom? • Edwin L. Drake’s invention of a steam-powered Oil Drill that made possible the extraction of oil from beneath the earth’s surface. • What was the Bessemer Process and how did it fuel steel production? • Created a faster and cheaper method for producing steel, making steel the primary building material of the Second Industrial Revolution. • What were some of the new uses in the United States for steel? • Railroads, Bridge Construction (The Brooklyn Bridge), and innovative Skyscrapers (The Home Insurance Building in Chicago).

3. 2. Identify inventions that changed the way people lived and worked. • How did the harnessing of electricity transform American business? • Factories could be constructed away from Rivers and closer to the labor force. • The incandescent light bulb allowed factories to operate 24 hours a day. • Electricity was cheap and convenient, which increased profit. • How did new inventions and products affect people at home and at work? • Elias Howe invents the Sewing Machine • Alexander Graham Bell invents the Telephone • Christopher Sholes invents the Typewriter

4. 3. Identify the role of the railroads in unifying the country • How did the government facilitate the expansion of the railroads? • The Government made huge land grants and loans to Railroad Companies to encourage their expansion. • What were the positive and negative aspects of railroad expansion? • Positives – encouraged western expansion, gave the downtrodden a new “lease on life”, helped unify the North, South, and West economically. • Negatives – abuse of the farmer, abuse of the immigrant (Irish and Chinese) labor force that built the railroads, and government corruption. • How did Railroad time work? • The world was divided into 24 time zones (one for each hour of the day), then clocks were synchronized so that noon in New York City wasn’t somehow different than noon in San Francisco. This helped make the Railroads more efficient.

5. 4. List positive and negative effects of railroads on the nation’s economy • How did the growth of Railroad lines promote the growth of cities and trade? • Increased travel created more cities, which created more markets for the sale of goods, which stimulated economic growth. • What was the Credit Mobilier scandal? • The Union Pacific Railroad created a Construction company to build its own tracks, paid the company (itself) two to three times what the work was worth by charging the government two to three times what the project should have cost then pocketed the profits. To protect its scheme the Union Pacific bribed 20 Representatives of Congress. • Destroyed the reputation of the Republican Party

6. 5. Summarize reasons for, and outcomes of, the demand for railroad reform. • For what reasons were farmers angry at railroad companies? • Corruption • Misuse of land grants • Unfair rate practices • Charging different customers different rates • Charging more for short hauls, where their was no competition between lines • Agreements between Railroad Companies to fix prices. • How did the Granger laws help farmers? • They established the government’s right to regulate industries that serve the public interest. • What was the Interstate Commerce Act? • Allowed the Federal Government to supervise Railroad Activities, however it took until 1906 under the Roosevelt (Theodore) administration to become truly effective.

7. 6. Identify management and business strategies that contributed to the success of business tycoons such as Andrew Carnegie. • What industry did Andrew Carnigie dominate? • Steel (he own U.S. Steel) • What was the difference between vertical integration and horizontal integration? • Horizontal integration happens when a company buys other companies that produce a similar product (owns the market, creation of monopolies). • Vertical integration happens when a company buys other companies that produce the materials it needs to make and distribute their product (owns the process).

8. 7. Explain Social Darwinism and its effects on society. • What does the theory of Social Darwinism advocate? • The application of the law of Natural Selection to the Business World and society. • That when a business fails it does so because a stronger business is successful and that is would helps the economy grow. • What methods did ruthless business operators use to eliminate their competition? • They formed Holding Companies and bought out the stock of rival companies. • They formed Trust Agreements where they ran multiple companies as one giant Corporation. • This eliminated competition and resulted in the abuse of the consumer and worker by Big Business. • Why did the nation’s business boom bypass the south? • The South lack industrial resources and Capital. • The South was still very much recovering from the Civil War and not suited for Industrial growth.

9. 8. Summarize the emergence and growth of unions • What conditions did many factory workers face in the late 19th Century? • Long hours, low wages, and dangerous working conditions • What did labor unions advocate? • Eight-hour Workday • Equal Pay for Equal Work • Collective Bargaining • What different types of unions emerged during the nation’s industrial boom? • National Labor Union (William Sylvis) • Knights of Labor (Uriah Stephens) • American Federation of Labor (Samuel Gompers) • American Railway Union (Eugene V. Debs) • Industrial Workers of the World (William “Big Bill” Haywood”)

10. 9. Explain the violent reactions of industry and government to union strikes • What were the reasons for the various strikes during the late 19th Century? • Wage cuts (Great Strike of 1877) • Dangerous Working Conditions (Homestead Strike) • Equal Pay (Sugar Beet and Farm Laborer’s Strike) • What role did women play in the labor movement? • Mary Harris Jones was a key player in the Labor Movement • Women worked for Equal Pay, better working conditions, and an end to child labor • How did management and the government react to union activity? • Injunctions were issued forcing workers back to the job. • In some cases the police were called in to break up strikes and protests, oftentimes violently. • Best example is the Haymarket Square Riot, which (ironically) turned the public against labor unions.