U.S. History

1. Unit 6 Notes U.S. History

2. Rails across America • 1860 – Abraham Lincoln promised a transcontinental Railroad if elected • 1862 – Pacific Railroad Act • Required Large amounts of Capital • Congress gave companies loans and government land located along new tracks • The railroads were granted federal land to sell as an incentive to lay the track. • In return the companies had to transport goods at a discount price for the federal government • Two Companies were hired to build it

3. Central Pacific • Central Pacific would build east from Sacramento California • Central Pacific hired Chinese - Discriminated against at 1st due to size - Drank gallons of tea which made them less likely than the Irish to get sick • Had to cross the Sierra Nevada Mountains • One place required them to lay track along cliff face with a 1,400 drop • Workers were dropped down in basket to light dynamite fuses • Had to dig through mountains - Started on both sides and met in the middle

4. Union Pacific • Union Pacific would build west from Omaha Nebraska • Hired Irish immigrants • Unskilled labor • Drinking un-boiled ditch water made them sick

5. Track Completed • Two Companies raced to see who could lay the most track • - Averaged 1 to 2 miles per day • Union Pacific – 1,086 miles • Central Pacific – 690 miles

6. Track Completed • May 10, 1869 - Track was completed in Promontory, Utah - Connected with a golden spike - Attached a telegraph wire to the stake - Transmitted a charge to the entire nation when it was finished

7. Combining the Railroads • Western railroads were big from the beginning due to Government help • Large rail systems in the east were formed by combining smaller companies • Cornelius Vanderbilt created the New York Central Systems by buying smaller systems in the eastern United States • 1873 – New York Central provided services between New York and Chicago

8. Combining the Railroads • 1874 - Jay Gould purchased the Union Pacific Railroad. • He soon began buying up smaller railroads, quickly gaining control of the railway lines leading into NY City and Chicago. • Gould and Vanderbilt were among a wealthy group of businessmen called robber barons. • Wanted to eliminate competition and create a monopoly or total control of an industry.

9. Impact of Railroads • Helped end Indian control of the west • - Lines cut through Indian’s territory • - Carried settlers, buffalo hunters, and minors west

10. Impact of Railroads • Tied the East and West economies together - Carried raw materials, crops, and livestock from West to East them - Midwestern cities became processing centers (Chicago and St. Louis) - .Helped the growth of industry by turning America into one giant market place • Helped people settle and farm the West - Raised cattle and wheat top to feed people in the cities - People moved West with dreams of independence - Farmers were often at the mercy of railroads who transported goods to market and • Eastern who buyers who determined how much they would pay for

11. Impact of Railroads • Changed the way people thought about the environment - Before railroads People lived and worked near water transportation routes - Railroad made it possible to transport goods without water - Denver, Colorado and Cheyenne, Wyoming developed without water Transportation - Weather didn't stop Railroad

12. Impact of Railroads • Schedules became a part of American life - Standard time established - 1st established railroad time that was too local (over 100 time zones) - November 18, 1883 - standard time went into effect (divided U.S. into 4 zones) - Many communities refused to accept it -1918 - Congress adopted standard time - Today we have six (4 original plus the Alaska time and Hawaii- Aleutian time)

14. Opportunities and Opportunists • With the expansion of the railroad system, many people abandoned their form of lifestyle to move westward. • Many Irish and Chinese immigrants made up a large portion of the population in the West. • Goods such as cattle and farm products crisscrossed the country. • Those looking to make money fast looked to the railroads. • Railroads required great supply of materials, parts • Iron, coal, steel, lumber, glass industries grew to meet demand

15. Opportunities and Opportunists • 1880 - George M. Pullman built railcar factory on Illinois prairie • Pullman provided housing, doctors, shops, & sports field for workers • Company tightly controlled residents to ensure stable work force • Wish for control, profit leads some railroad magnates to corruption - Union Pacific stockholders formed construction company, CréditMobilier - overpaid for laying track, pocketed profits - Republican politicians were implicated & reputation of party tarnished

16. Chinese Immigration and the Chinese Exclusion Act • About 15,000 Chinese were hired to build the Central Pacific railroad. • After the railroad was completed, the Chinese posted a threat to the limited number of jobs in the West even though they were not citizens. • In 1879 the California state constitution was rewritten to place restrictions on the hiring of workers from Asia. • The Chinese Exclusion Act passed in 1882 effectively stalled the immigration of more Chinese workers.

17. Vocabulary • Pacific Railway Act - Act passed by Congress that granted the Central and Union Pacific Railroad companies the right to lay track to finish the Transcontinental Railroad..

18. Natural Resources Fuel Industrialization • By 1920s, U.S. is world’s leading industrial power, due to: - Wealth of natural resources - government support for business - growing urban population

19. Steel: The backbone of industry • Steel played the biggest role in moving the U.S. into the Industrial revolution • - It is a mixture of Iron and other metals • Steel had been used to make Knives, Swords, and Guns (VERY EXPENSIVE) • 1860 - Bessemer Process enabled people to make iron into steel at a low cost • - Bessemer process put air into iron to remove carbon to make steel • Railroads demanded most of the new steel (9/10)

20. Steel: The backbone of industry • Steel required both iron and coal - Coal both source of fuel and carbon - Coal mining, iron mining and steelmaking expanded along with railroads • Steel also used in barbed wire & farm machines • Changed construction: Brooklyn Bridge; steel-framed skyscrapers • Thanks to steel buildings could be built taller than ever before. • By building taller buildings in cities such as New York and Chicago, this allowed them to save more room.

21. EOCT REVIEW • SSUSH11: The student will describe the growth of big business and technological innovations after Reconstruction. • Explain the impact of the railroads on other industries, such as steel, and on the organization of big business. 1. How did the railroad expansion help industries? 2. How did the railroad industry affect the steel industry Describe the impact of the railroads in the development of the West; include the t ranscontinental railroad, and the use of Chinese labor. 3. What events affected the development of the Transcontinental Railroad 4. How did the use of Chinese labor lead to changes in immigration policy?

22. Leaders of Big Business

23. Gilded Age • American industry enabled a few people to become rich beyond imagination • Had palace like homes with gilded decoration • 1883 - William and Alvia Vanderbilt threw party that cost $200 per person (1,200 guest $250,000 total - Average nonfarm person made $438 per year • Nations economy seesawed between boom and bust (called business cycle)

24. Rise of Corporation • Before 1880 most businesses owned directly by one person or partnership • Banks were afraid to loan money because company could collapse if person died • Corporation - company that has Gov. permission to raise money by selling stock • People buy stock for 2 reasons - Hope price of stock will rise - Want dividends (share of profits) • Corporations can borrow money more easily - Continues to exist if when its owners die

25. Social Darwinism and Business • Darwin’s theory of biological evolution: the best-adapted survive • Social Darwinism, or social evolution, based on Darwin’s theory • Economists used Social Darwinism to justify doctrine of laissez faire • Idea of survival & success of the most capable appealed to wealthy • Notion of individual responsibility in line with Protestant ethic • See riches as sign of God’s favor; poor must be lazy, inferior

26. Entrepreneurs • People who start businesses • They imagined a goal then achieved it • Used new inventions to gain what they wanted • Many became philanthropist - gave money to colleges, libraries, museums, etc • Many Entrepreneurs of the 1800's called "Captains of Industry" for leadership • Critics call them "Robber Barons" for ruthlessness - Destroyed their competitors - Raised prices and lowered quality - Paid low wages and had unsafe factories

27. Andrew Carnegie (Steel) • Born poor • Started out in textile business • Moved to job with railroads saved money • Decided steel was industry of the future - Invested money in steel mills that used latest technology • Used vertical integration - bought out suppliers to control materials - Cut cost buy purchasing mines and ships to transport • By 1900 - controlled American steel business • Andrew Carnegie would eventually sold his steel mills to J.P. Morgan ($500 million dollars) -Made Carnegie the richest man in the world. • Didn't believe in leaving money to family - Gave away 350 million dollars for the improvement of mankind

28. John D. Rockefeller (Oil) • Cleveland merchant • Entered oil business in 1860's • Purchased refinery - plant that turned purify crude oil • Formed Standard Oil - Trust - a business that controlled many businesses in same industry - Charged whatever prices they wanted to

29. EOCT REVIEW • Identify John D. Rockefeller and the Standard Oil Company and the rise of trusts and monopolies 5. Who was John D. Rockefeller? 6. What was the Standard Oil Company? 7. What are Trusts and Monopolies?

30. Vocabulary • Steel Industry - Industry revolutionized by Andrew Carnegie that helped railroads and cities expand. • Robber Barons - They were the business leaders in America, but used corrupt practices to gain their control. • Andrew Carnegie- He was the leader of the Steel Industry and revolutionized it by using the Bessemer Process. • John D. Rockefeller -He was the owner of Standard Oil and used the concept of trusts to create a monopoly in the oil industry. • Standard Oil - Corporation in the oil industry that controlled all aspects by using trusts. • Trust - A group of companies controlled by one board of directors. • Monopolies- This is a when a business controls all of the producing and competition aspects. They use horizontal and vertical integration to control all aspects. • Interstate Commerce Act- Act passed by Congress that said the railroads had to have fair shipping rates.

31. Inventions in Electricity • 1800's - scientist continued to learn about electricity • Learned how to make electricity from a generator - Used Niagara Falls to generate the electricity • Electricity changed business - By 1890 used to run numerous machines • Became available in homes & encouraged invention of appliances • Allowed manufacturers to locate plants anyplace & industry grew

32. Inventions in Electricity • Thomas Edison - made widest use of electricity - Wanted practical inventions (something that would sell) - Took out new patent almost every month for a 5-year period -Edison invented the electric light bulb, the phonograph, and motion picture camera. • Edison’s light bulb transformed how people lived and conducted business. - Helped businesses continue at night, and it created more opportunities for socializing

33. EOCT REVIEW • Describe the inventions of Thomas Edison; include the electric light bulb, motion pictures, and the phonograph, and their impact on American life 8. Who was Thomas Edison? 9. How these inventions affect Americans: - Light bulb - Motion pictures - Phonographs

34. Vocabulary • Thomas Edison - Scientist that invented the motion picture camera, phonograph, and the incandescent light bulb. • Electric Light Bulb - This invention allowed factories/businesses to stay open for longer hours, and allowed people to socialize after dark. • Phonograph - Invention that recorded sound and could play back • Motion Picture Camera- Invention that allowed you to capture a series of images instead of one still image at a time.

35. Westward Expansion and Immigration

36. Manifest Destiny and the Oklahoma Land Rush • After the Civil War, the conquest of Manifest Destiny continued. • Many Western settlers felt it was their right to take all the land they felt necessary. • Conflict with the Plains Indians was inevitable as European settlers moved westward on the Oregon and other trails.

37. Impact of Westward Movement • With opportunities opening in the West, it led to more people moving. • Black Exodus - the mass movement of African-Americans to the West. • Many blacks moved west to become cattle ranchers. • Exodusters- Southern African-American settlers in Kansas • A large group of blacks served with distinction on the frontier as Buffalo Soldiers.

38. Farming the Plain • Gov. encouraged western settlement • (1862) Homestead Act - Gov. offered 160 acres to head of family over age 21 in return for living on the land 5 years and improving it - 1862 to 1900 – 6000,000 families settled in the west • John Deere’s steel plow allowed farmers to plant crops in the Midwest and plains by enabling to cut through the thick prairie sod.

39. Farming the Plain • Windmills helped farmers to pump water to their fields. Water sometimes was over 100 feet deep in the ground. • Railroads created a way for farmers to import what they needed. This helped farmers afford what they needed and gave them access to new technologies.

40. Farming the Plain • Gov. created Department of agriculture • Introduced new crops (Russian wheat) that could survive harsh winters • Morrill Act of 1862, 1890 financed agricultural colleges

41. Life on the farming frontier • Lumber was scarce • Many settlers dug homes into sides of ravines or hills • Made soddy or sod home by stacking blocks of turf - Snakes & bugs sometimes crawled into cracks - Burned cow chips for fuel • Grew cash crops (wheat and com)

45. Life on the farming frontier • Had to fight year around battle against weather (blizzards and extreme heat) • Homesteaders were virtually alone (Had to be self-sufficient) • Women did men’s work (plowing, harvesting, shearing sheep) - Also did traditional work (carding wool, making soap, canning vegetables) - Some worked for communities (sponsor schools, churches)

46. Farmers in Debt • Railroads, investors created bonanza farms (huge, single-crop spreads) • 1885 to1890 - droughts bankrupted single-crop operations • Rising cost of shipping grain pushed farmers into debt

47. Closing the Frontier • 1872, Yellowstone National Park created to protect some wilderness • 1890s - No frontier left - miners, ranchers, and farmers had swelled the population • 1889 - Congress agreed to open central Oklahoma - 50,000 people gathered to wait for the gun shot to officially open the territory. • April 22, 1889 - Governemt gave signal for settlers to settle the Oklahoma territory • The Oklahoma Land Rush featured people on horseback, bicycles, in wagons, and on foot, all surging forward to stake their claim. • Some “jumped the gun” to get a head start and there sooner. Hence, Oklahoma achieved the nickname the “sooner” state. • It was laid out within the day • 60,000 people lived there by the end of the year

48. Birth of the Cattle Industry • Cowboys' roots were in Texas • Small herds - (only sold cattle locally) • Joseph McCoy organized 1st cattle drive - Drove cattle to Abilene Kansas (Railroad) - Cattle sold for $40 per head in the east ($3 per head in Texas) • Dodge City also becomes a cattle town

49. Long drives • Cowboys herded cattle over the open plains to cattle towns • 12 cowboys 3000 head • Made sure that cattle had plenty of grass to eat along the way • Drives were tough -Had to keep cattle together - Watch for thieves

50. Wild West • Cowboys ended drives in cattle towns - Were dirty and nasty - Weren't always law abiding - Had money to spend • Large spaces with little settlement made it hard to catch outlaws - Frank and Jesse James became legendary bank robbers - Belle Starr became famous cattle thief • Westerners formed vigilante groups - Groups that took the law into their own hands