Chapter 18Industry & Urban Growth

Section 1A New Industrial Revolution

Why Industry Boomed

Expansion of U.S. led to discovers of deposits of coal, iron, lead, & copper› Along with vast forests that could furnish

lumber Land grants given by gov’t to railroads

& other businessesses Tariffs were kept on imports

› Helped American industry grow by making foreign goods more expensive

Steel & Oil

Technology spurred industrial growth as well› 1850s: Bessemer process was developed

Method of making steel stronger at lower costs

Steel quickly replaced iron as basic building material

Pittsburgh became nation’s steel making capital Due to close coal mines & good transportation

1859› Titusvill, PA

New source of energy found 1st oil strike Methods to refine crude oil were developed

Made into lubricants for machines & later into gasoline

Oil became known as black gold

A Railroad Boom

Railroads fueled industrial growth› Carried people & goods to the west & raw

materials to the east› New services added (sleeping cars) & more

tracks were laid down› Big lines soon consolidated & bought up

smaller lines Limited competition & kept prices high

Higher prices angered small farmers who relied on railroads to get their goods to market

Inventors & Inventions

Late 1800s› More patents issued than 10 years before

Civil War› U.S. became known as a land of invention› Inventions made business & life easier

Edison’s Invention Factory

1876› Thomas Edison created research lab in Menlo

Park, NJ Here they created the light bulb, the phonograph,

the motion picture camera, & other useful devices 1882

› Edison opened 1st electrical power plant in New York City; other soon followed all over the country Supplied electricity that lit homes, powered

streetcars, & replaced steam engines & electric ones in factories

Communication Revolution

1866 telegraph speed increased› Cyrus Field laid an underwater telegraph cable from

Europe› Made communication faster

1876› Alexander Graham Bell sent the 1st telephone

message to his assistant in another room› Patent for the telephone became the most valuable

ever issued› By 1885 300,000 phones were sold› He later organized over 100 local companies into the

giant American Telephone & Telegraphy Company

Devices for Home & Office

1868› Christopher Sholes invented the type writer› Made writing letters much faster

1888› George Eastman introduced a lightweight camera› Replaced heavy chemicals & equipment› Sold for a low price, ordinary people could purchase it

Jan Matzeliger› African American; invented shoe sewing machine

Granville Woods› African American; invented telegraph between moving

trains

Transportation Revolution

Late 1800s› European engineers developed automobile

Only 8,000 Americans had one› Era of freer & faster transportation followed

Henry Ford› American manufacturer made automobile available to millions› Created a system to mass produce cars & made them

available at a lower price› 1913 Ford introduced the assembly line

Production time was cut in half Lower costs to build = lower prices for consumers 1917 4.5 million owned cars

Cars changed the nation’s landscape› Roads spread across country & new cities were developed

The Wright Brothers

1903› Wilbur & Orville Wright tested a gas powered

airplane @ Kitty Hawk, NC› Stayed in the air for 12 seconds & flew 120

feet› 1st flights attracted little interest

No use for a flying machine Military did not starting using airplane until WWI

1920s› Airplane started to alter the world by making

travel quicker & trade easier

Big Business & organized Labor

Section 2

New Ways of Doing Business

Expansion led by entrepreneurs› Someone who sets up new businesses to

make a profit› To raise more money, entrepreneurs

adopted new ways of organizing business

The Corporation

Corporations› Businesses owned by many investors› Raise money by selling stock or shares› Stockholders get some of the profits & pick

who runs the company Limited risk of investors, only lost money

they invested

Banking

Huge loans were given to corporations› Helped industry grow quickly› Made huge profits for bankers

J. Pierpont Morgan› Became powerful force in American

economy› Gained control of key industries (railroads &

steel) Bought stock in troubled corporations Ran companies by eliminating competition &

increasing profits

Growth of Big Business

Congress did little to regulate business practices› Led to growth of “Big Business”› Entrepreneurs formed monopolies or

companies that control most or all business in a particular industry

Andrew Carnegie

Poor Scottish immigrant that worked his way up in the railroad business

Entered the steel industry› Soon controlled every step of making

steel (owned iron mines, steel mills, railroads, & shipping lines) 1892 formed Carnegie Steel Company;

produced more steel than all mills in England

Carnegie believed the rich had a duty to improve society› Called Gospel of Wealth› Donated millions to build libraries &

charities› Set up a foundation that funded worthy

causes after his death

John D. Rockefeller

Son of a New York peddler At 23 he invested in an oil refinery

› Used profits to buy other oil companies› Didn’t hesitate to crush competitors

1882 Rockefeller formed the Standard Oil Trust› Trust: group of corporations run by a single

board of directors 1900

› Trusts dominated many of nation’s key industries

Debate Over Trusts

Big Business good or bad? Critics

› Trusts threatened free enterprise (system in which privately owned businesses compete freely)

› Business leaders were “robber barons” & used their money to influence politicians

Others› Bold “captains of industry”› Built up economy & created jobs› Made goods & services affordable for American

consumers

Social Darwinism

Supported trend toward trusts Survival of the fittest applied to human

affairs Business leaders used to justify efforts

to limit competition & harsh working conditions

Changes in the Workplace

Close relationships between owners & workers ended as industries grew

Most new workers were immigrants, others were African Americans who left southern farms

Women & Children

Outnumbered men in most industries Many work in sweatshops (workshops

with long hours & poor working conditions with low pay)

Children had hazardous jobs as well Most children did not go to school &

could not improve their lives

Dangerous Conditions

Lung diseases by textile workers & miners› From breathing fibers & dusts

Burns & death by steelworkers Employers were not required to

pay compensation for injuries› Social Darwinists: harsh conditions

necessary to cut costs, increase production, & ensure survival of business

March 25, 1911

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory› Fire broke out› Within 15 minutes, upper stories were

ablaze› Workers raced to exits to find them locked

Doors locked to keep workers at their jobs› Fire truck ladders were too short to reach

the fire Workers leaped to their deaths 150 people, mostly young women, died

New York & other states approved safety

Workers Organize

Factory workers made attempts to organize in early days of Industrial Revolution› Security guards were hired by companies

to attack strikers or union organizers› Laws made it illegal to strike› Workers formed unions in secret

Sought safer working conditions, higher wages, & shorter hours

Knights of Labor

Philadelphia clothing workers› 1st was small & secret

1879› Terence Powderly elected president of

KOL Held public rallies Women, African Americans, immigrants,

& unskilled workers were admitted Became biggest union in the country

Violent labor disputes soon took place

May 4th, 1886› Strike took place in Haymarket Square

in Chicago› Bomb exploded killing seven

policemen› Police opened fire on the crowd› KOL lost their influence as a result of

protest

Rise of the AFL

1886› Samuel Gompers formed new union in Columbus,

OH American Federation of Labor Replaced KOL as leading union in the country

AFL only admitted skilled workers› Costly & more difficult to train replacements› Believed in collective bargaining (unions negotiate

with management for workers as a group)› Used strikes only when all else failed

1904› AFL had more than a million members› Only included a fraction of American workers

Women in the Labor Movement

Played leading roles in building unions Mary Harris Jones

› Traveled the country campaigning for unions

› Called attention to hard lives of children Called Mother Jones by many people

Bitter Strikes 1893

› Severe economic depression› Owners cut production, fired workers, & slashed wages

Violent strikes swept the country George Pullman

› Cut workers pay by 25% & did not lower rent on company housing

› Workers walked off their jobs› By July rail lines were shut down from coast to coast› President Grover Cleveland sent federal troops to Chicago

to end the strike Shots were fired into the crowd, killing 2

Public generally sided with owners in violent labor disputes› Striking unions were seen as radical or violent› By 1900 only 3% of American workers belonged to a union

Chapter 18 Section 3Cities Grow & Change

Rapid Growth of Cities

Urbanization› Rapid growth of city populations

1890› 1 in 3 Americans lived in a city› U.S. had cities the sizes of London & Paris

Reasons for urbanization› Cities attracted industry & industry attracted

people Moved in search of jobs & excitement Many were near waterways, provided easier

transport of goods

Growing Out and Up

Technology› Aided in growth of cities

Elevated trains, electric streetcar, & electric subway

Public Transportation› Help create suburbs

Didn’t have to live in the cities to work there› Steel bridges also allowed suburbs to grow

Cities expanded upward› 1885 1st 10 story building constructed› 1900 skyscrapers reached 30 stories

Electric elevators allowed people to move up & down the building

Cities grew outward from old downtown sections› Poor families crowded into these

areas

Problems of Urban Life

Fire› Constant threat to tightly

packed neighborhoods› 1871

Chicago fire leveled 3 square miles of downtown killing 300 people & leaving 18,000 homeless

Tenement Life

Downtown slums› Poor living conditions› Tenements: buildings divided into many tiny

apartments No windows (usually), heat, or indoor plumbing 10 people lived in a single room & several families

shared a single bathroom› Streets were littered w/ garbage› Diseases were common› Babies ran the greatest risk of death

In one Chicago slum, half of all babies died by one

Improving City Life

1880s› Streetlights, fire stations, police

departments, & sanitation stations were set up

› Public health officials waged war on disease

› Religious groups served the poor Hospitals & clinics were set up for those who

could not afford a doctor› Salvation Army was founded & gave food,

clothing & shelter to the homeless

Settlement Houses

Jane Addams› 1889 opened Hull House (settlement house)

in Chicago A center offering help to the urban poor

At settlement houses› Taught English to immigrants, sponsored

music & sports for young people, & provided nurseries for children of working women

Addams & other house leaders fought to outlaw child labor

The Excitement of City Life

Attractions available in the city› Electric lights, elevated railroads, & tall

buildings Department stores

› Developed to meet the needs of shoppers Could buy everything they needed in one

store (use to buy shirts in one, shoes in one, pants in one)

Goods were separated on different floors

Leisure Activities

Entertainment provided to people in cities› Museums, orchestras, art galleries, & theaters› Circuses drew large audiences

1850s› Frederick Law Olmsted planned Central Park in NY

Others cities built parks, zoos, & gardens Sports

› Pro teams developed in cities after the Civil War› Baseball was the most popular

Cincinnati Red Stockings 1st pro team in 1869 7 years later 8 cities had teams & formed the National

League of Professional Baseball Clubs w/ crowds of 5,000 people

1891› James Naismith nailed two peach baskets

to the walls of a gym in Springfield, MA› Basketball was the new game he created

Used a soccer ball Football also became popular

› Very dangerous, no equipment› 1 season 44 college players died of injuries

Section 4The New Immigrants

A Fresh Start

1865-1915› 25 million immigrants entered U.S.

Reasons for Migration› Farmland in Europe was shrinking w/ increasing

population & machines were replacing farmhands› Religious freedom› Political unrest› Job opportunities

Steamships & railroads (profited from immigration) sent agents to Asia & Europe advertising cheap land & plentiful jobs

› Promise of freedom drew people from lands w/o democracy & liberty

The new Immigrants

Came from southern & eastern Europe (Italy, Poland, Russia, & Greece), Asia, & the Pacific

Most were Catholic or Jewish

Few understood English or experience living in a democracy or a city

Starting a new life

Difficult decision to emigrate› Leave home, family, & friends to start

a strange new life Coming to America

› Miserable journey› Crammed below decks in steerage

(large compartments that usually held cattle)

› Diseases & rough seas sickened travelers

› Europeans landed at Ellis Island in NY & Asians landed at Angel Island in San Francisco Faced rigorous physical exam; could be

sent home if disabled or seriously ill

Immigrant Neighborhoods

Most settled into cities after being admitted to U.S.› Near people from the same country

Helped people feel less isolated Celebrated familiar holidays & cooked foods

from homeland Social groups were started (Sons of Italy) Storefronts became places of worship

Becoming American

Immigrant Aid Societies› Helped cloth, house, & teach immigrants

Assimilation› Immigrants kept traditional modes of

worship, family life, & community› Worked hard to also assimilate (process of

becoming part of another culture) Children assimilated faster than parents;

learned English faster, played baseball & dressed like native-born Americans

Pained parents to see children change, but dreamed of the next generations would be better off

Contributions of Immigrants

Labor of immigrants was essential to new American economy› Took whatever job they could find (steel mills,

meatpacking plants, mines, garment sweatshops, built subways, skyscrapers, & bridges)

› Chinese, Irish, & Mexican workers laid hundreds of miles of railroad track

Hard work & saving allowed many to advance economically› Sometimes opened small businesses to serve their

community Customers expanded beyond neighborhood over time,

spreading traditional customs like food throughout the country (spaghetti, chow mein, & bagles)

Individual Immigrants who contributed› Andrew Carnegie, Alexander Graham Bell,

Samuel Goldwyn & Louis Mayer (started motion picture industry), Arturo Toscanini (famous orchestra conductor), Leo Baekeland (invented 1st plastic)

A New Wave of Nativism

1840s› Increased immigration led to nativism

Nativists sought to preserve U.S. for native born Americans Immigrants wouldn’t assimilate because their languages, religions, &

customs were too different Took away jobs from Americans Immigrants were associated w/ violence, crime, & anarchy

› West Coast Chinese were drove from mining camps & cities & sometimes

killed by angry mobs 1882

› Congress passed Chinese Exclusion Act to exclude Chinese laborers from U.S. 1st law limiting immigration based on race; repealed in 1943

1917› Congress passed a law that denied entry to immigrant who

could not read their own languages Barred most of the world’s poor people from U.S.

Education & CultureSection 5

Educating Americans

Before 1870› ½ American children attended school› All age levels w/ one teacher

Industry Growth› Nation needed educated workforce› States improved public schools @ all levels

Education Expands

1852› Compulsory education law passed

Requirement that children attend school up to a certain point

› Most states passed minimum of 10th grade› Schools for whites & black were built in the South

More reluctant to pass compulsory education laws 1918

› Every state required children to attend school Higher education also expanded

› Colleges for men & women opened› Universities offering free or low-cost education opened

The School Day Elementary School

› 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.› Learned reading, writing, & arithmetic› Moral values & the Christian religion

Education for Adults› Libraries were built

Offered not only books & magazines, but also speakers on important topics

› 1874 Methodist minister opened summer bible

school along Lake Chautauqua Camp later opened to the public Chautauqua Society later began & traveling lectures

were sent out

New American Writers

Americans began to read more› Bestsellers were dime novels› Told rags-to-riches stories

Realism› Writers who try to show life as it is› Emphasized the harsh side› Stephen Crane, Jack London, Kate Chopin,

& Paul Laurence Dunbar

Mark Twain› Pen name of Samuel Clemens› Made stories realistic by capturing the

speech patterns of southerners who lived & worked along the Mississippi River Huckleberry Finn

A Newspaper Boom Late 1800s

› Newspapers grew dramatically 1900

› Half the newspapers in the world were printed in the U.S.

Causes of newspaper boom› Spread of education

More could read, more newspapers & magazines were bought

› Urbanization News was shared face to face People needed newspapers to stay informed

A New Kind of Newspaper

Joseph Pulitzer› Created 1st modern mass circulation

newspaper› 1883

Bought New York World Cut the price so more people could afford it Added crowd pleasing features

Color comics (the Yellow Kid a sweet slum boy), crime & scandalous headlines

Critics called it yellow journalism