1. SSUSH11 a, b, & d
a. Explain the impact of the railroads on other industries, such as steel, and on the organization of big business.
b. Describe the impact of the railroads in the development of the West; include the transcontinental railroad, and the use of Chinese labor.
d. Describe the inventions of Thomas Edison; include the electric light bulb, motion pictures, and the phonograph, and their impact on American life

2. Steel Railroads increased the amount of steel being used in two ways-
1st: The railroads used steel for their rails
2nd: Railroads made it much easier to transport large quantities of the natural resources needed to produce steel (iron & coal), which increased the demand for those products
The steel industry developed cheap, efficient methods for the mass production of steel rails.

3. Railroads

4. Railroads
Railroads also reshaped the steel industry (and many others) by developing vertical integration
Railroad owners bought iron mills, coal mines, and factories which produced railroad cars
Railroads helped to spur the “Gilded Age”

5. The Gilded Age
In United States history, the Gilded Age refers to the era of rapid economic and population growth in the United States during the post–Civil War and post-Reconstruction eras of the late 19th century. The term "Gilded Age" was coined by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner in their book The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today.

6. The Gilded Age is most famous for the creation of a modern industrial economy. During the 1870s and 1880s, the U.S. economy rose at the fastest rate in its history, with real wages, wealth, GDP, and capital formation all increasing rapidly

7. Transcontinental Railroad
Transcontinental Railroad
In 1862 Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act which helped create the transcontinental railroad
Much of the western portions of the railroad was built by Chinese laborers, specifically brought to the US to work on the railroad
The Transcontinental Railroad was completed in 1869
The Railroad transported settlers west and goods east.

8. Impact of the Railroad on the West
The Transcontinental railroad helped spur growth by:
increasing the number of markets (places to sell products)
requiring an enormous amount of raw and finished materials to build and supply the railroad
Because it connected the east coast to the west coast, it opened up the west for settlement.

9. Big Business
During the Gilded Age, there was a growth in big business and corporations.
Corporation: An organization owned by many people.
The economic philosophy of the times was Laissez-Faire Capitalism
 The belief that the government should not regulate businesses and the economy.
Mass production was adopted by businesses to maximize profit.
Mass Production: Using machinery to produce a large amount of a product in a short period of time, at less cost.
Information quoted from:

10. Big Business
Leaders of big business applied Social Darwinism to business practices.
Social Darwinism  The theory created by Herbert Spencer that applied Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution and survival of the fittest to human beings.
Captains of Industry  Name given to big business leaders who were extremely successful using ruthless business tactics.
John D. Rockefeller  Standard Oil
Andrew Carnegie  Carnegie Steel Company
Also were referred to as “Robber Barons”
Information quoted from:

11. Consequences of Big Business
These big businesses used their financial power to try to dominate politics. Due to this, the state and national governments used reform movements to try to limit big business control over American society.

12. Thomas Edison
Invented the phonograph, light bulb, and the motion picture all in the late 1800s
Created a research lab to develop and perfect his inventions

13. The Impact of Edison’s Inventions
Long distance electricity transmission
Electricity replaced steam as a source of power
Street cars using electricity to run replaced horses
Electricity replaced humans in the household for powering appliances (ex. a blender)

14. Closing What industries did the railroads positively affect?
What groups of people were brought to America to help build the Transcontinental Railroad?
What does Laissez-faire mean in your own words?