Industrialization, Urbanization and Reform

I. Industrialization: Rise of Industry (1850’s-early 1900’s) How do we deal with the seemingly unlimited basic needs and wants of a society (economics) when there are unlimited (scarce) resources? –Natural Resources –Human Resources –Capital Resources

3 Types Economies Traditional: (tradition determines the allocation of resources within a society) Ex; Amish community, Native Americans Command: (Government commands, or determines the allocation of resources within a society) Ex; former Soviet Union, Cuba, North Korea Market: (Citizens determine the allocation of resources within a society) Ex; United States, Canada

Rise of American Industry Capitalism/Free Enterprise allows private individuals to build and create a developing economy Railroads are born –Transcontinental RR –Central-Pacific (Use of immigrants and child labor)

New Inventions/Inventions: Morse, Edison, Bell Rise of Big Business/Corporations –Rockefeller-Standard Oil Trust (shares of stock fall under one larger trust) Monopoly: control of 95% or more of an industry Horizontal Integration –Carnegie-Steel Magnate-Captain of Industry or Robber Baron? Vertical Integration –Vanderbilt- RR Industry

Response of Government: Monopolies lead to anti-trust laws –S–Sherman Antitrust Act –C–Clayton Antitrust Act –I–Interstate Commerce Act Response of Labor: Poor conditions led to formation of labor unions –A–AFL: Samuel Gompers (1 st labor union) –K–Knights of Labor: 1 st attempt at a national labor union –T–Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire: poor conditions in factories (sweat shops) leads to disastrous death of 146 workers (mostly women)

II. Urbanization and Immigration Emergence of huge numbers of immigrants to the US during the Industrial Revolution led to the rapid growth of cities, urbanization. –People immigrating in search of the American Dream, believing that in America the streets are “paved in gold.” –What a majority of immigrants meet is a strong Nativist opinion (“America for Americans”)

Problems in cities: –O–Overcrowding –T–Tenements (small, crowded apartments laced with disease, starvation, mal-nourishment and little or no light) –C–Corruption (Boss Tweed) –S–Social tensions: class distinctions –I–Inadequate public services: transportation, hospitals, education

JACOB RIIS

By: THOMAS NAST

The Immigration Experience Push/Pull Factors Old Immigration: North/Western Europeans that tended to be more “welcome” in the US (except the Irish). Asians also came in the Old Immigration wave. New Immigration: Southern/Eastern Europe and Asia –faced major discrimination –Settled in ghettos

Reform during the Industrial Revolution Attempts to limit immigration during the “New Wave” of immigration called for governmental reforms –Chinese Exclusion Act –Gentlemen’s Agreement –Emergency Quota System

Due to the arrival of immigrants and the respective over-population of cities, reforms were made offering land to newcomers out west. –Homestead Act: offered citizens 160 acres of land out west and a 5-year lease. –This was a wildly popular act, however it created the destruction of Native American lands and herds of buffalo. –In response, the government created reservations for Native Americans.