Chapter 13

The Triumph Of Industry Chapter 13

Change in workforce

In 1881, nearly three quarters of a million immigrants arrived to the U.S

They were willing to work for low wages, in order to support their families

Rise of Big Businesses

Pre Civil War Usually financed by

one person Only a few people

were wealthy Specialized in single

operations Middle class:

farmers, shopkeepers etc.

Industrialization Range of operations New middle class: white

collared workers Management was required

to maintain the businesses Larger Investment

Big Businesses and Corporation

Investors developed a form of group ownership known as corporation

Wanted to increase and maximize profits Cheap labor

Robber Barons

Cornelius Vanderbilt Steamboat Railroad industry

John D. Rockefeller Standard Oil Company

Andrew Carnegie Steel Tycoon

John D. Rockefeller Andrew Carnegie

Standard Oil Company

Government Regulation

Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) Railroad operations

Sherman Anti-Trust Act Trusts

Social Darwinism

Charles Darwin “natural selection” and “survival of the

fittest” William Graham Sumner applied this

theory to businesses, and called it Social Darwinism

Organized Labor Movement

President Grover Cleveland 1885-1889 The first Democrat elected

to the presidency after the Civil War

Believed that the people should support the government but the government does not need to support the people

Angered many with his strong stand against government favors and inevitably lost the election of 1888.

Factory Work

Poor working conditions

Long hours Low wages Worked in

Sweatshops Child Labor

Methods of Unions & Owners

• Collective Bargaining: the process by which wages, hours, rules, and working conditions are negotiated and agreed upon by a union with an employer for all the employees

• Arbitration: the hearing and determination of a dispute by an impartial referee agreed to by both parties (often used to settle disputes between labor and management) 

Labor Unions

AFL (American Federation of Labor) 1886- Samuel

Gompers Craft Union Membership dues Opposed women as

workers Wanted to better

wages, working hours and working conditions

Knights of Labor 1869 Uriah Stephens Both skilled and

unskilled workers Welcomed African

Americans and Women 700,000 men and

women nationwide Worked towards 8

hour work day, end to child labor, and equal opportunities for women

Haymarket Riot May 1886, thousands of

workers began a strike for an eight hour work day

On May 4, protesters gathered at Haymarket Square in Chicago

Police ordered the protest to disperse, and a bomb was thrown by an unknown person

Knights of Labor involvement declined

Employers were more suspicious of union activities

Homestead Strike

1892 Union members at the Carnegie steel plant went on strike to protest a wage cut.

Management brought in security guards in order to protect the plant

National guard was needed to help end the fight (16 people were killed)

The strike brought the union movement to a stand still

Pullman Strike 1893 Pullman Palace Car

company laid off workers and reduced wages by 25%

George Pullman owner, required workers to live in the company town

Led by Eugene V. Debs 300,000 rail workers left

their jobs and the strike escalated

President Cleveland sent in federal troops to end the strike

Immigration and Urbanization

Why America?

“Push Factors” Famine War persecution

“Pull Factors” Chain immigrants Economic opportunity Religious freedom

Elis Island

Opportunities and Challenges

Difficulty learning new language Employment Most stayed close to the cities

Ghettos Americanization Programs

Helped immigrants adopt to the American dress and diet

“Melting Pot”

Term used to describe American Society

People of all different nationalities, and religion, blend together to create one society.

Hostility

Immigration Act of March 3, 1891 Chinese Exclusion Act Nativism

Difference in culture and religion

Urbanization: Living in the City

Advantages great opportunity for women Variety of jobs children had the opportunity to go to school entertainment

New Technology

New technologies were invented to improve living conditions

Skyscrapers Elisha Otis, developed the safety elevator

Mass transit

Problems with Urban Living

Crowded Lived in tenements

Low cost multifamily housing Poor sanitation Only new urban dwellings had indoor toilets Fires

Gilded Age

1873 author Mark Twain ridiculed American life in his novel The Gilded Age

People are becoming consumed with materials goods.

Higher Standards of Living

Americans began measuring their wealth by what they could buy.

Conspicuous Consumerism People wanted and bought new products on the

market Materialistic Society

Literature and Entertainment

Newspapers circulation increased “A Girl in the Streets” 1893 Many questioned society, and some

disapproved of the new lifestyle Mark Twain Henry James

Education

Public education grew rapidly Literacy rate increased Schools became more specialized in

what they taught Limited access to white-male dominated

schools introduced the growth of African American schools

Entertainment

1884 worlds first roller coaster First amusement parks

Vaudeville shows Musical dramas, and songs

Baseball, football, and boxing became popular spectator sports