1. 1850 to 1900 Industrialization

2. Chapter 13 Section 1 Technological Revolution
In the years following the Civil War, the United States would see a large increase in industry
This would be due to the increasing number of inventions and technological improvements

3. Changes in Daily Life Lack of electricity or sufficient lighting
Rustic methods of refrigeration
Poor communications (standard post)

4. Investments Tremendous increase in patents
Patent and Trademark office issues 500,000 patents from 1860 to 1890
New inventions seen as an opportunity to make a profit based on the increase in productivity
Investors bought stock or funded the production of new inventions

5. New Forms of Energy Electricity and oil change the American lifestyle
1858, Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company sends Edwin Drake to drill for oil in Titusville, Pennsylvania
Finally struck oil in 1859
Oil becomes a major industry
Gasoline was a byproduct of oil and until automobiles were invented, was seen as useless and was discarded.

6. Thomas Edison “The Wizard of Menlo Park”
A young genius, never had any formal training
Biggest invention is the light bulb, which allowed all Americans to stay up later and to function better as a society after dark
Later worked toward developing plants that could provide the electricity for this lighting

7. Improvement of Power
George Westinghouse: develops an “alternative current” that allows electricity to travel farther
Also worked with transformers to control the level of electricity
General Electric and Westinghouse Electric are the two companies that control the electric business

8. Electricity and Business
Boosts productivity
Greatly decreased the cost of producing an item
Increased production also created many jobs throughout the country
Becomes a household necessity and completely changes the way of life in the United States

9. Communications
The Telegraph: perfected by Samuel Morse, who was the first to devise a code for electrical impulses sent through sound waves
Western Union Telegraph Company
The Telephone
1871 Alexander Graham Bell: patented the “talking telegraph” and created the American Telephone and Telegraph Company

10. Booming Railroads
Pre-Civil War conditions for railroads were awful (Standard Tracks, companies, times, signals)
Transcontinental Railroad - when completed in 1869, it stretched from Omaha to Sacramento
Built by two companies
Central Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad

11. Further Railroad Improvements
Shift from iron to steel rails
Standardized signaling
Stronger breaks
Telegraphs to prevent collision
Time Zones
Created standard times for the entire country, and increased the effectiveness of scheduling
Also aided organization in business

12. Railroads and Industry
1. Faster and more practical
2. Lower costs of production
3. Create National markets
4. Model for Big Business
5. Stimulation of other industries

13. The Bessemer Process Developed by Henry Bessemer
Creates a cheap and simple way to remove impurities during steel production
Made it possible to mass produce steel products
An example is the Brooklyn Bridge, which connects Manhattan to Brooklyn.
The bridge was engineered by John Roebling and was completed in 1883

14. Chapter 17 Section 2 Growth of Big Business
Robber Barrons
Indicates that business leaders stole money from the public
Captains of Industry
Indicates that business leaders served the nation in a positive way

15. John D. Rockefeller Andrew Carnegie
Developed the standard oil company in 1870
Gave over $500 million to charities
Rockefeller Foundation – provided aid for public health, the arts, social research, and other ideas
Andrew Carnegie
Boomed in the steel business
Gospel of Wealth: Carnegie preached that people should be free to make as much money as possible, but that they should also be responsible for donating it back to society

16. Social Darwinism Also suggested by Carnegie
Wealthy are the most valuable to society
This idea expands Darwin’s ideas of “survival of the fittest” into society
Under this idea, power comes from success and money

17. Large Scale Business Larger need for capital Wider geographic span
Performance of multiple operations
Less connection between owner and business
Higher level restrictions in the workplace

18. Competition in Business
Industries used a variety of methods to maximize their profits
Oligopoly – a market controlled by only a few large firms
Monopoly – the market is controlled by only one business
Cartel – a loose association of businesses that make the same product
Consolidation – controlling all of the businesses that make up a products development
Economies of Scale – production rising means a drop in the cost per item

19. The Standard Oil Trust
Rockefeller begins by building an oil refinery in Cleveland, Ohio
He later joins with several associates to create the Standard Oil Company of Ohio
He was able to outsell competition because the size of the company cut production costs
Practiced horizontal consolidation (bringing together firms in the same business)

20. Eventually able to buy out his competitors
A Trust: a group of companies that are managed as one single unit.
1890, Sherman Antitrust Act
Outlawed any combination of companies that restrained interstate trade or commerce
Courts rarely upheld the act because it was worded vaguely and had no specific restrictions

21. Chapter 17 Section 3 Workers During Industrialization
Growth in the workforce
14 million immigrate into the US between 1860 and 1900
Labor Act – 1964, allowed contracts to be made between employers and immigrants
8-9 million Americans moved into cities in the late 1800’s

22. Work in Factories Harsh working conditions
Piecework – workers were paid by how much they produced rather than how long they worked
Sweatshop – shops were employees worked long hard hours under extremely poor conditions
Frederick Winslow Taylor – worked and studied to increase productivity through scientific management

23. Division of Labor: This divided workers into smaller more specific jobs, which would collectively result in a final product.
Workers become separated from each other and from business management
The Work Environment
Workplace run by the clock
Extremely dangerous conditions
Many growing children in the workforce

24. Chapter 13 Section 4 The Great Strikes
Large gaps develop between the rich and poor
9% of Americans hold 75% of the wealth in 1890
Some poor families tried to follow socialism
They also played with the idea of Communism

25. Labor Unions
The very first union was the National Trades Union, open to all, but it was destroyed during the Great Depression
Knights of Labor
Formed in 1869 in Philadelphia
Lead by Terence Powderly
They pursued equal pay, 8 hr workday, and the end of child labor
Had some success with strikes, but disappeared by the 1890’s

26. American Federation of Labor
1866 – lead by Samuel Gompers
Craft union: attempted to organize on skilled workers in a network of smaller unions
Focused on wages
Collective bargaining: when workers are allowed to negotiate their circumstances with the employer

27. Employer reactions : disliked and feared unions
Wobblies – a group composed of AFL opposers. (Industrial Workers of the World)
Employer reactions : disliked and feared unions
Forbid union meetings
Fired union organizers
Yellow dog contracts
Refusing to bargain collectively
Refusing to recognize unions

28. Railroad Workers Great Railroad Strike of 1877
Workers strike because of a 10% pay decrease and a riot ensued in Pittsburg
20,000 angry men set fire to railroad property and federal troops were required to resolve the issue
Eugene Debs: spoke out against the 1877 strike – advised an industrial union for workers of all tasks

29. Strikes Haymarket 8hrs work, 8hrs rest, 8 hrs whatever we want
Clash between strikers and scabs
Even anarchists joined the scabs
At the demonstration, a bomb killed one police officer
The Knights of Labor were blamed for the Haymarket Riot and unions were given a violent reputation

30. Homestead - 1892 Strike occurs while Andrew Carnegie is away
however, many Americans sympathized with the striking workers
Pullman 1894 –
Pullman Cars
Pullman Strike