Note Entry #1Industrial America: 1865-1900
Major Themes of 1865-1900• Industrialization• New Technologies• Labor-capital conflict (Labor unions)• Political corruption• Immigration• Urbanization• The “new” woman• Westward expansion
What Fueled Industrialization?
• Natural Resources• Oil – “Black Gold”• Coal, Iron ore - How?
• Government Support for Business• Growing Urban Population
• Cheap Labor• New Markets
Technology Boom• Prior to 1860 – 36,000 patents in 70 years• 1860-1900 – Over 676,000 patents!
• Alexander Graham Bell – Telephone in 1876 – How did this change America?
In a 1900 poll, Americans ranked Thomas Edison “2nd” in all time influential figures in history … just behind Jesus.
Railroad Boom!• Unified the country and creates a national market • Union Pacific, Central Pacific, Santa Fe, Great Northern,
Southern Pacific• Meatpacking Industry?
Over 192,000 Miles by 1900
ImmigrationMillions of people flock to the US - Russian and Eastern European Jews, Italians, Poles, Italians, Greeks, Czechs, Bohemians, Chinese
What do you notice about these numbers?
Angel Island – Any Idea Where this is?
Changes in Business
• Laissez-faire capitalism – government should stay out of business
• Monopoly – specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity
• Vertical Integration - gain control in all aspects of the production of their product
• Horizontal Integration – gain control of competing businesses in one area
• Social Darwinism - Survival of the fittest – justify the growth of big businesses
Impact of the Industrial Revolution
• Standard of living• Agriculture eclipsed by industry
• Free enterprise towards monopoly
• Regimented workplace• Women= economic, social independence
• Social stratification• Urban centers mushroomed
3 Facts and ImportanceAs you go through a text, rather than “putting yourself to sleep” reading it, you need to actively engage in the process. Thus, there are simple strategies to enhance your comprehension. For today’s introduction to Industrialization, you will be going through pages 205-209. Please follow the steps to complete the activity:
1. Read the following sections… (Rise of Heavy Industry, Technology Boom, The Birth of Consumerism, The Merger Movement, Social Darwinism)
2. Go back and write out three important facts3. Underneath the facts write: Importance--------4. Next to “Importance,” write a sentence (a complete sentence,
Yes, I know it’s brutal) as to why this is important for the “bigger picture” (i.e. industrialization).
5. Repeat process through each section.6. This is due tomorrow
Industrialization • Technological Innovations---
• Steel• Oil• Farming• Electricity• Business Advances• Popular Culture
• 1880: 50% of Americans work in agriculture
• 1920: 25% of Americans work in agriculture
• What will 1980-2020 changes bring? ….
Technology Boom
How did Steve Jobs and Apple change the way we live on a day-to-day basis?
Or how about innovations in transportation?
In Your Groups…• Using your textbook and the internet, research your assigned
innovation and create a poster with the following information…
• Name of the Innovation• Inventor• Brief Description • Impact (How did it change the way Americans lived and did things?...How
did it REVOLUTIONIZE economy and American Society)
• Be creative and include a picture or symbol for your innovation
• When you finish, find a place in the room hang your poster….You will have 20 minutes on Monday in the Library to finish this.
Steel Industry EmergesAndrew Carnegie---Impoverished Scottish immigrantWorked his way up Invested in steel By 1890- controlled ¼ of nation’s steelSold company to JP MorganCarefully cultivated imageGospel of Wealth- will give away over 90% of his wealth
• In Vertical Integration, Robber Barons gain control in all aspects of the production of their product. An example would be Andrew Carnegie with the U.S. Steel Co.. Carnegie expanded his steel empire by acquiring the iron ore resources, the railroads for transportation, and then steel mills to actually make the steel all resulting in one GIANT Steel Co. instead of many individual Companies. This method helped eliminate the middle man which directly increased the profit of the Company, however not necessarily the workers.
Vertical Integration
Petroleum Industry• Oil= kerosene for lamps• John D. Rockefeller–
• “The way to make money is to buy when blood is running in the streets.”
• Standard Oil Co. • By 1877- owned 95% of all oil
refineries• Rule or ruin• Produced a quality product at a cheap
price • Able to control the market
Horizontal Integration
• With horizontal integration, robber barons, such as John D. Rockefeller would buy up all of his competition and monopolize certain markets
• Mergers – “If you can’t beat em, join em!”• Rockefeller cornered the oil market. By 1877 Rockefeller owned
95% of all U.S. Oil Companies. Rockefeller was a firm believer in Social Darwinism.
ROBBER BARONS?... OF THE GILDED AGE
Jay Gould- “stock watering” Cornelius Vanderbilt- monopolized Andrew Carnegie- gave for over 30 years New York area railways away 90% of fortune
J.P. Morgan- bought out Collis Huntington- Southern John D. Rockefeller- showed little Carnegie and created U.S Steel Corp. and Central Pacific Railroad mercy in ownership of Standard Oil Comp.
How might this lead to the labor movement and progressive ideas?
How do we portray these industrialists…good? Bad?...Ugly?
Robber Barron
• Accentuate the negative• Cruel and ruthless• Greedy• Exploit workers to obtain
max amount of wealth• Unfair• “Stole” from the public
Captain of Industry
• Captain • Ingenious• Leader• Skillful
• Transformer• Created job opportunities• Philanthropist (Charity)
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