The 2nd Industrial Revolution14.1 Industry and Railroads

“The east and west have come together. Never since history commenced her record of human events has she

been called upon to note the completion of a work so magnificent.”

- Dr. H.W. Harkness

Focus Your Thoughts . . .

What new industries would you expect to see rise up as the population increased, western

expansion continued, and more railroads emerged? In what ways might the industrial

revolution have changed or impacted the lives of Americans?

New Industries Emerge In the early 1800’s, the U.S. underwent its first industrial revolution

Water and steam power replaced animal and human sources of power Workers made goods in factories instead of in workshops or private

homes

In the late 1800’s, new technologies helped industry grow to new heights

Electrical power replaced water and steam power Larger, more efficient factories produced more and more goods Quicker, more reliable transportation helped move goods

quickly/cheaply

Steel William Kelly (U.S.)

Wanted to find a new way to make steel Used a blast of hot air to purify molten

iron and convert it

Henry Bessemer (England)

Working independently, he developed a similar method which he quickly patented

Using the so-called Bessemer process, American steel mills began working faster and more cheaply In 1873 the U.S. turned out about 115,000

tons By 1910, output soared to 24 million tons

America became the world’s top producer

Who Cares?Steel helped transform the United States into

a modern industrial economy

Construction companies could build bigger bridges and taller buildings

Steel was stronger, less brittle, and more easily shaped than ironRailroads found it to be a superior material for

locomotives and rails

The Oil Industry Oil became another key commodity

in the late 1800’s

It was valued both as a fuel source and as a lubricant for factory machinery

In the mid-1800’s, people began using it to light kerosene lamps

As the demand for kerosene increased, companies began looking for ways to profit off of it

The law of supply and demand When supplies of goods and

services become plentiful, prices tend to drop; when supplies become scarcer, prices tend to rise.

Kerosene lamps

The Oil Industry Edwin L. Drake was hired to extract

oil from the ground in Pennsylvania

At first people mocked his efforts, but in August of 1859 his crew hit a crevice deep in the rock, as oil seeped up, the men scrambled to collect it in a bathtub

Edwin Drake drilled the first commercial oil well

The output from Drake’s oil well was modest, but it drew plenty of wildcatters (oil prospectors)

Spindletop HillJanuary 1901

Anthony F. Lucas struck a rich oil pocket at Spindletop Hill near Beaumont, Texas

Oil gushed nearly one hundred feet into the air for nine days before it could be capped

The discovery at Spindletop kicked off an oil boom in Texas producing more than seventeen million barrels of oil in 1902

The Texas Oil BoomThe Texas oil boom lasted less

than twenty years, but it had long-term consequences

Many of the world’s leading oil companies, such as Exxon Mobil, Gulf Oil, and Texaco got their start at Spindletop

They refined crude oil not only into kerosene, but gasoline and other fuels as well These new petroleum

products became a major source of energy, fueling a revolution in transportation and industry

G-Dub and Di ck

Railroads Expand (Again!)In the 1850’s train tracks already

crisscrossed the Northeast and reached into the Southeast and the Great Lakes area

In the following decades, rail service spread even farther

Between 1865 and 1890, the number of miles of track jumped fivefold (5x)

The Transcontinental Railroad In 1862, Congress authorized two companies to build rail lines to the

West Coast

For the next six and a half years, workers raced to complete the first railroad which would cross the entire country . . . It was followed quickly by others

The Union Pacific Laid tracks westward from Omaha, Nebraska Workers

Irish, German, English, African-American, and Native American

The Central Pacific Laid track toward the east starting in Sacramento, California Workers

Chinese

Why Was this Significant? Regional railroads expanded as well uniting the country both physically and

economically

Promoting Business Railroads promoted trade and provided jobs The demand for rails and railcars boosted steel and train manfacturing

Promoting Growth The railroads also sped up settlement of the West

A journey to the West Coast once took months; now travelers could go from the Atlantic to the Pacific in just a few days

As a result, parts of the country which were sparsely populated began to fill with residents

Led to the adoption of standard time Earlier, people kept time according to the position of the sun C.F. Dowd, a New York principal, proposed dividing the nation into time zones; in 1918,

Congress adopted standard time for the nation as a whole Wherever the railroads ran, new towns popped up and existing towns continued to grow

and became cities

Transforming Chi-TownBy the 1900’s Chicago had been transformed into the hub of the nation’s transportation

system

Chicago Meatpacking Industry

The Union Stock Yards covered more than a square mile; railroads brought in cattle and hogs from as far away as Texas

Shipping Industry Boats carried good east from Chicago through the Great Lakes and Erie Canal and south

through a canal leading to the Mississippi River

Steel Skyscrapers Chicago’s steel industry and railroads depended on each other; after the Great Fire of

1871, the mills produced steel for the world’s first skyscrapers as rapid expansion forced the city outwards and upwards

Suburbs As Chicago grew, so did its middle class and they migrated to the new suburbs

Catalog Companies Companies such as Montgomery Ward, Sears, and Roebuck & Co. all relocated to Chicago

because of its superior railroad access During the first half of the 1900’s, Sears customers could purchase mail-order homes! In addition,

they could submit blueprints to Sears and Sears would send them the supplies to build their dream homes!

The Great Fire Burned from 9 p.m. on Sunday

October 8th until early Tuesday October 10th

Killed hundreds and destroyed four square miles of the city

No one really knows how the fire started, but it spread rapidly due to the abundance of wood, the strong winds, and the recent dry spell

One of the largest U.S. disasters of the 19th century

Rebuilding commenced immediately and spurred Chicago’s development into one of the most populous and economically important cities in the United States “The Second City”

The Great Fire

The Great Fire

Did You Know . . . ?Chicago is considered the

birthplace of modern architectureFrank Lloyd Wright

An architect who once worked as a civil engineer in Chicago before taking a job at an architectural firm and then leaving to open his own

Most famous architect of the 20th century; many of his building still stand in Chicago and in other cities all over the world

Falling Water

In-Class Essay

Which of the industries we’ve discussed today – steel, oil, or the railroad – has had the

greatest impact on our lives? Do you think this industry will continue to be important in

the future? Why or why not.