The Gilded Age

The Growth of Industry By 1920s, U.S. is world’s leading industrial power, due to: - wealth of natural resources - government support for business - growing urban population

The Power of Electricity 1876, Thomas Alva Edison establishes first research laboratory  - Patents incandescent light bulb, Phonograph, and hundreds of other inventions.  - creates system for electrical production, distribution

Electricity changes business; by 1890, runs numerous machines Becomes available in homes; encourages invention of appliances Allows manufacturers to locate plants anyplace; industry grows

Inventions Change Lifestyles Christopher Sholes invents typewriter in 1867  1876, Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Watson introduce telephone

Carnegie Makes a Fortune  New Business Strategies Carnegie searches for ways to make better products more cheaply Hires talented staff; offers company stock; promotes competition Carnegie was a philanthropist and gave most of his fortune away. Andrew Carnegie one of first moguls to make own fortune

John D. Rockefeller Rockefeller founds Standard Oil Company, forms trust  Rockefeller and the “Robber Barons” Rockefeller profits by paying low wages, underselling others  - when controls market, raises prices Critics call industrialists robber barons  - industrialists also become philanthropists

Principles of Social Darwinism  Darwin’s theory of biological evolution: the best-adapted survive Social Darwinism, or social evolution, based on Darwin’s theory Economists use Social Darwinism to justify doctrine of laissez faire- the government should stay out of business.

Craft Unionism Craft unions include skilled workers from one or more trades Samuel Gompers helps found American Federation of Labor (AFL) for skilled workers only. AFL uses collective bargaining for better wages, hours, conditions AFL strikes successfully, wins higher pay, shorter workweek

Industrial Unionism Industrial unions include skilled, unskilled workers in an industry Eugene V. Debs forms American Railway Union; uses strikes

Knights of Labor  An eight-hour work day  Termination of child labor  Termination of the convict contract labor  Equal pay for equal work  Government ownership of telegraph facilities and the railroads  A public land policy designed to aid settlers and not speculators  A graduated income tax.

The Great Strike of 1877 Baltimore & Ohio Railroad strike spreads to other lines Governors say impeding interstate commerce; federal troops intervene

The Haymarket Affair 3,000 gather at Chicago’s Haymarket Square, protest police brutality Violence ensues; 8 charged with inciting riot, convicted Public opinion turns against labor movement

Pullman, IL Employees were required to live in Pullman -The town, entirely company-owned, provided housing, markets, a library, churches and entertainment for the 6,000 company employees and an equal number of dependents. -Rent was higher than other places

The Pullman Company Strike Pullman railcars Pullman lays off 3,000, cuts wages but not rents; workers strike Pullman refuses arbitration; violence ensues; federal troops sent Debs jailed, most workers fired, many blacklisted

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire results in public outrage

Chapter 15 Immigration

New Immigrant  Immigration from Europe, Asia, the Caribbean, and Mexico reach a new high in the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries.

Chinese and Japanese About 300,000 Chinese arrive, recruited by railroads.  - work in railroads, farms, mines, domestic service, business Japanese work on Hawaiian plantations, then go to West Coast  - by 1920, more than 200,000 on West Coast

Ellis Island Ellis Island—chief U.S. immigration station, in New York Harbor Immigrants given physical exam by doctor; seriously ill not admitted Inspector checks documents to see if meets legal requirements 1892–1924, about 17 million immigrants processed at Ellis Island

Angel Island – San Francisco West Coast immigration station Chinese Japanese

The Rise of Nativism Melting pot—in U.S. people blend by abandoning native culture  - immigrants don’t want to give up cultural identity Nativism—overt favoritism toward native-born Americans wanted to restrict immigration.

Anti-Asian Sentiment Nativism finds foothold in labor movement, especially in West  - fear Chinese immigrants who work for less Labor groups exert political pressure to restrict Asian immigration 1882, Chinese Exclusion Act bans entry to most Chinese to decrease Chinese immigration.

Immigrants Settle in Cities Industrialization leads to urbanization, or growth of cities Most immigrants settle in cities in their port of entry; get cheap housing, factory jobs Americanization movement—assimilate people into main culture Schools, voluntary groups teach citizenship skills  - English, American history, cooking, etiquette

Housing Working-class families live in houses on outskirts or boardinghouses Later, row houses built for single families Immigrants take over row houses, 2–3 families per house Tenements— multifamily urban dwellings, are overcrowded, unsanitary

Water 1860s cities have inadequate or no piped water, indoor plumbing rare Filtration introduced 1870s, chlorination in 1908

Sanitation Streets: manure, open gutters, factory smoke, poor trash collection Contractors hired to sweep streets, collect garbage, clean outhouses - often do not do job properly By 1900, cities develop sewer lines, create sanitation departments

The Settlement House Movement Social Gospel and Settlement houses work to improve living conditions for poor Social Gospel movement—preaches salvation through service to poor Settlement houses—community centers in slums, help immigrants

The Political Machine Political machine— organized group that controls city political party Give services to voters, businesses for political, financial support After Civil War, machines gain control of major cities Machine organization: precinct captains, ward bosses, city boss

The Role of the Political Boss Whether or not city boss serves as mayor, he: - controls access to city jobs, business licenses - influences courts, municipal agencies - arranges building projects, community services Bosses paid by businesses, get voters’ loyalty, extend influence

Immigrants and the Machine Many captains, bosses 1 st - or 2 nd - generation Americans Political machines help immigrants with naturalization, jobs, housing and so they get their support

The Tweed Ring Scandal 1868 William M. Tweed, or Boss Tweed, heads Tammany Hall in NYC Leads Tweed Ring, defrauds city of millions of dollars Tammany Hall is a political machine

Patronage Spurs Reform Patronage—government jobs to those who help to get them elected or to friends. Civil service (government administration) are all patronage jobs Some appointees not qualified; some use position for personal gain Pendleton Civil Service Act- required applicants for government jobs to pass examinations