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Explore the transformative impact of railroads on steel production, big business, and western expansion in the Gilded Age in the United States. Discover how railroads reshaped industries, led to the development of big corporations, and facilitated the settlement of the West.
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Bell Ringer • 1) Accounting for almost 60% of American exports by the Civil War, which statement regarding the impact of cotton is TRUE? • A)The Northern states provided the labor for the cotton plantations. • B)The Southern states developed the plantation system and rigid social classes. • C)The invention of the cotton gin reduced the South's dependency on cotton farming. • D)The cotton production fueled the rise of manufacturing centers in the Southern states.
Bell Ringer • 3) Lincoln’s issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation had all of the following effects EXCEPT • A)it transformed the Union's goal of the war. • B)mass movements of slaves out of "border states". • C)it caused the Union to change its Confiscation Acts. • D)British and French refusal to support the Confederate States.
SSUSH11 a, b, & d • a. Explain the impact of the railroads on other industries, such as steel, and on the organization of big business. • b. Describe the impact of the railroads in the development of the West; include the transcontinental railroad, and the use of Chinese labor. • d. Describe the inventions of Thomas Edison; include the electric light bulb, motion pictures, and the phonograph, and their impact on American life
Steel • Railroads increased the amount of steel being used in two ways- 1st: The railroads used steel for their rails 2nd: Railroads made it much easier to transport large quantities of the natural resources needed to produce steel (iron & coal), which increased the demand for those products • The steel industry developed cheap, efficient methods for the mass production of steel rails. The most efficient steel-making method is called the Bessemer Process.
Railroads • Railroads also reshaped the steel industry (and many others) by developing vertical integration • Railroad owners bought iron mills, coal mines, and factories which produced railroad cars • Railroads helped to spur the “Gilded Age”
http://teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?title=Transcontinental_Railroad&video_id=19400http://teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?title=Transcontinental_Railroad&video_id=19400 Transcontinental Railroad • In 1862 Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act which helped create the transcontinental railroad • Much of the western portions of the railroad was built by Chinese laborers, specifically brought to the US to work on the railroad. Irish immigrants also helped to build the RR. • The Transcontinental Railroad was completed in 1869, at Promontory Point, Utah. • The Railroad transported settlers west and goods east.
Impact of the Railroad on the West • The Transcontinental railroad helped spur growth by: • increasing the number of markets (places to sell products) • requiring an enormous amount of raw and finished materials to build and supply the railroad • Because it connected the east coast to the west coast, it opened up the west for settlement.
Big Business • During the Gilded Age, there was a growth in big business and corporations. • Corporation: An organization owned by many people. • The economic philosophy of the times was Laissez-Faire Capitalism The belief that the government should not regulate businesses and the economy. • Mass production was adopted by businesses to maximize profit. • Mass Production: Using machinery to produce a large amount of a product in a short period of time, at less cost.
Big Business • Leaders of big business applied Social Darwinism to business practices. • Social Darwinism The theory created by Herbert Spencer that applied Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution and survival of the fittest to human beings. • Captains of Industry Name given to big business leaders who were extremely successful using ruthless business tactics. • John D. Rockefeller Standard Oil • Andrew Carnegie Carnegie Steel Company • Also were referred to as “Robber Barons”
Consequences of Big Business • These big businesses used their financial power to try to dominate politics. Due to this, the state and national governments used reform movements to try to limit big business control over American society.
Thomas Edison • Invented the phonograph, light bulb, and the motion picture all in the late 1800s • Created a research lab to develop and perfect his inventions
The Impact of Edison’s Inventions • Long distance electricity transmission • Electricity replaced steam as a source of power • Street cars using electricity to run replaced horses • Electricity replaced humans in the household for powering appliances (ex. a blender) http://www.5min.com/Video/Thomas-Edison-Biography-119827950
http://atlantis.coe.uh.edu/archive/sstudies/sstudies_lessons/ssles5/bigbusiness.html#playershttp://atlantis.coe.uh.edu/archive/sstudies/sstudies_lessons/ssles5/bigbusiness.html#players
Closing • What industries did the railroads positively affect? • What groups of people were brought to America to help build the Transcontinental Railroad? • What does Laissez-faire mean in your own words? • Who were some of the Robber Baron’s of the Gilded Age? Who/What are 2 examples of Robber Baron’s today?
