By: Julio Avila and Matthieu Cartron

Political, social and economic changes in the second half of the 19th century in the United States

"The Great Surge"

The Great SurgeAn immense wave of immigration in the United States beginning in the 1850's.

Push factors influenced immigrants causing them to leave their home countries.

Pull factors of the Unites States, particularly its economy caused the immigrants to select the country as their new place of residence.

Immigration to The United StatesThe Potato

Famine and the loss of land from the British caused the Irish to leave.

The Economic depression and religious intolerance caused many Catholic and non-Catholic immigrants to leave Germany.

Population explosion

and food

shortage. Opium WarTaiping Rebellion.

After the

Mexican War

in 1849 The U.S.

claimed

territories that

now include Californ

ia, Texas,

Arizona, and New

Mexico.Had the

option to stay

or leave, most

stayed.

MexicanChineseEuropean

Why the United States?Rapid industrialization increased the need for cheap labor in the United States.

The California Gold Rush of 1848: Began when James W. Marshall found gold at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. (minor contributor)

Acquisition of the American western theatre from the Spanish and native populations allowed more land for The United States to prosper from.

The fear of immigrants led to organized groups such as Order of the Star Spangled Banner and the Know Nothing Party

Americans feared immigrants as they could potentially take their occupancies.

Exclusion act of 1875 prevented harlots and convicts from entering the United States, reducing immigration.

There were three exclusion acts passed in 1882, all of which essentially banned Chinese immigration. (All repealed

during WWII when U.S. became an ally with China)

Exclusion act in 1892 barred people who had any history of contagious diseases from entering the country, reducing immigration.

Legislations passed in regards to immigration

Money, Banking and Finance

The steel industrySteel was expensive and was only used for small gadgets such as cutlery until 1857.

Henry Bessemer invented the Bessemer converter in 1857.

Pig iron was then used to mass produce steel.

Allowed railroad manufacturing to increase, as well as a trains load capacity to increase.

The Open Door PolicyProposed by Secretary of State, John Hay in his 1899 circular notes with Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, and Russia. (The Imperial Powers)

Circular notes: A document request by a bank to its foreign correspondents.

The United states had acquired the Philippine Islands due to the Spanish American War (Treaty of Paris) , and therefore had an interest in eastern Asian commerce.

Open Door Policy continued... The imperial nations sought "spheres of

influence" and claimed extraterritorial rights in China.

The United States, including President McKinley did not want this as they were in deep economic relations with China due to the Acquisition of the Philippine Islands.

The Policy essentially requested that the Imperial Powers each would now have equal trade opportunities with China, and that they support the Chinese imperialistic ideology.

The Policy was a success since each power neither officially confirmed nor denied the request.

The Panama CanalThe man made canal cuts through the Isthmus of Panama and allowed for a new and efficient maritime trade.

John Hay leased this land from Columbia for 100 years and paid $10 million plus $250,000 a year until the Canal was finished in 1914.

This allowed the United States to become an economic super power at the time as they controlled one of the most important waterways on the planet

Green Backs

A negative/slang term for the United States paper dollar.

Greenbacks did not have a solid financial backing and banks were reluctant to give customers the full value of the dollar. (Were not backed by a gold or silver reserve only the credibility of the government)

Replaced the demand note in 1862.

The First Legal Tender Act made these bills legal tender and could be used as fiat currency in public and private affairs.

Evolution of the Labor Movement

The Labor Movement

Men returned from war, allowing more women to receive an education.

The competitions for jobs increased dramatically.

The National Labor Union was founded in 1866, and it became the first national labor federation in the United States.

Knights of Labor: First labor organization

Violence: People were willing to go to extreme measures to fight for their rights.

Expansion westward with the Railroad

The Bessemer Converter

Railroad Union's formed (Order of Railway conductors, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers)

These Unions advocated Railroad safety and protection (insurance).

The American Federation of Labor

Began in 1881 and was founded by Samuel Gompers.

Was originally called Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions.

Organized Strikes

Wanted: Standard salaries, proper working conditions

Women and Child Labor

Why Child labor?Cheap (they could be paid less than adults)

They were less likely to go on strike

Children could work in small spaces were adults could not

Easier to control and manage

Often worked in dangerous, and unsanitary conditions

Why did they work? To Support their families.

Child labor continued...In 1900, 18% of all American workers were 16 years old

Many children began their working careers at around the age of seven

12-18 hour workdays, usually six days a week

Most of the children came from poor families

The Fair Labor Standards Act was passed by Congress in 1938. It created age requirements for child labor.

Women in the Work force

The demand for women in factories increased greatly as the United States became more industrialized

The needle industry

Textile manufacturing

Women did not earn as much as men

Employer discrimination toward immigrant women

The women who worked were primarily unmarried, and would withdraw from the labor force once they were married

Married women who did work worked to support the family

Supreme Court impact

Allgeyer vs. Louisiana

1897

Unanimous Supreme Court decision struck down state legislation prohibiting foreign corporations from doing business in the state (Allegeyer and co. wins)

Liberty was interpreted to also mean economic liberty

Adair vs. United States1908

A law passed by Congress in 1898 made it illegal for employers to fire employees because of their participation in labor unions.

The law was found to be unconstitutional as it was not a legitimate exercise of congressional authority to regulate interstate commerce

Lochner vs. New York

1904

A New York law limited the working hours of bakers

The Supreme Court ruled (5-4 in favor of Lochner) that the limits on the working hours violated the due process clause in the fourteenth amendment (interfered with the freedom of contract).

Bibliography

"7 Fascinating Facts About the Panama Canal." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 15 Aug. 2014. Web. 30 Nov. 2014. <http://www.history.com/news/7-fascinating-facts-about-the-panama-canal>.Website

Berliner, Yvonne. History of the Americas: Course Companion. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2012. Print.Book

"THE HISTORY OF MONEY Abraham Lincoln's Greenback Dollar." THE HISTORY OF MONEY Abraham Lincoln's Greenback Dollar. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2014. <http://www.xat.org/xat/usury.html>.Website

"LOCHNER v. NEW YORK." Lochner v. New York. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2014. <http://www.oyez.org/cases/1901-1939/1904/1904_292>.Website

"Secretary of State John Hay and the Open Door in China, 1899–1900 - 1899–. - Milestones - Office of the Historian." Secretary of State John Hay and the Open Door in China, 1899–1900 - 1899–1913 - Milestones - Office of the Historian. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2014. <https://history.state.gov/milestones/1899-1913/hay-and-china>.