1. Industrialization

2. Dawes Act – Assimilate Native Americans Homestead Act – Develop the land of the Great Plains

4. Factors for the rise of Industry
Natural Resources –water, timber, coal, iron, and copper
Located in the West
Railroads bring resources to the East

5. Factors for the rise of Industry Cont.
A large workforce – population tripled
Larger workforce  greater demand for goods
Caused by:
Large Families
Flood of Immigrants (20 million between )

6. Notion of Free Enterprise
Laissez-Faire – Belief that the government should not interfere in the economy.
Greater efficiency and wealth for everyone
Rise of Entrepreneurs – People who risk their capital in organizing and running a business.

7. The Railroads

8. Linking the Nation Railroad boom began in 1862
Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act
Provided for the construction of a transcontinental railroad by two corporations:
The Union Pacific and the Central Pacific
To encourage rapid construction
Offered land for each mile of track laid

9. Who Built the Railroads?
Civil War veterans
Miners
Farmers
Ex-Convicts
New Immigrants from:
Ireland
China
Each crew had about 10,000 employees each

10. Railroads Spur Growth
By linking the nation, railroads helped increase the size of markets for many products
Railroads stimulated the economy by spending a large sum of money on:
Steel
Coal
Timber

12. Land Grant System To encourage railroad construction
Railroads sold the land they were given to settlers, real estate companies, and other businesses

13. Robber Barons Great wealth
Accusations that they had built their fortunes by swindling investors and taxpayers, bribing government officials, and cheating on their contracts or debts
Robber Baron - a wealthy person who tries to get land, businesses, or more money in a way that is dishonest or wrong

14. Captain of Industry
Captain of Industry - a business leader that benefits the nation in a positive way

15. Big Business

16. The Rise of Big Business
Dominated the economy, operating vast complexes of factories, warehouses, offices, and distribution facilities
Corporation - An organization owned by many people but treated by law as though it were a single person.

17. Trusts Government became suspicious of large corporations
1882 – Standard Oil (John D. Rockefeller) became first Trust
Trust – A new way of merging businesses that did not violate the laws against owning other companies

18. Unions

19. Working in the United States
Life was difficult for workers
Machines replaced skilled labor
Workers performed highly specific, repetitive tasks
Working conditions were unhealthy and dangerous
Breathed in lint, dust, and toxic fumes
In 1900 the average industrial worker made 22 cents per hour and worked an average of 59 hours a week.
THAT IS ONLY $12.98 PER WEEK!

20. Early Unions Two types of Industrial Workers:
Craft workers – machinists, iron molders, glassblowers, shoemakers, printers
Common laborers – few skills, low wages
Craftworkers began to form Trade Unions
Unions limited to people with specific skills
Industry opposed unions
Companies would use a lockout to lock workers out of the property and refuse to pay them

21. The Struggle to Organize
Knights of Labor – The first nationwide industrial union.
In response to the railroad strike
8 hour workday, a government bureau of labor statistics, equal pay for women, abolition of child labor creation of worker-owned factories

22. American Federation of Labor
Combination of Trade Unions
founded by Samuel Gompers
Belief that unions should stay out of politics
Higher wages, better working conditions in the American system

23. “Bread and Butter” Bread and butter objectives
Better wages, better working conditions, shorter working hours