Chapter 14 Industrialization 1865 1901 The U S

Chapter 14 Industrialization 1865 -1901

The U. S. Industrializes n 1860: 30 million people n n GNP: gross national product n n 1. 3 million worked in industry Value of all goods and services produced by a country Natural Resources: abundance of raw materials= industrial success Ex. Water, timber, coal, iron, copper n Petroleum: new resource n Turned into kerosene n By 1900 oil fields turned up from PA - TX n

The U. S. Industrializes n A Large Workforce 1860 -1910 population tripled n 2 causes: n Large families n Flood of immigrants n n ve o G td n e m n r w lo bt e Free Enterprise n Laissez faire: “let do” government should not interfere with the economy s w Lo e x a t US raised tariffs against foreign goods other countries did the same

New Inventions n Alexander Graham Bell 1874 suggested the telephone to his assistant Watson n 1876 he transmitted a voice n 1877 organized Bell Telephone Co. Became American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T) n

New Inventions n Thomas Alva Edison 1877 phonograph n 1879 perfected light bulb and electric generator n Battery and motion picture n 1882 supplied electricity to NYC n 1889 Edison General Electric CO GE n

Impact n n n Thaddeus Lowe: ice machine Gustavis Swift: refrigerated RR car Northrop auto loom- clothing industry Clothing industry: standard sizes Shoe making: factories put cobblers out of business Cyrus Field: telegraph cable across Atlantic

Working in the U. S. n n Machines replaced skilled workers Conditions were dangerous and unhealthy High number of injuries Rise in the standard of living n n n Wages rose 50% between 1860 -1890 Average industrial worker made $. 22 per hour and worked 59 hours per week 1865 -1897 US Deflation n n Companies cut wages People decided to combat this by creating unions

Early Unions n Craft workers: special skills and training Machinists, iron molders, stonecutters, glass blowers, shoemakers, printers… n Higher wages and more control over shop floor n n n Common Laborers: few skills and lower pay 1830’s craft workers began to create trade unions

Industry Opposes Unions n Employers regarded as illegitimate conspiracies n n Opposed industrial unions Techniques used to prevent: Oaths n Contracts n Hired detectives to find out who was involved n n n Those workers were fired and blacklisted Lockouts: locked out workers then hired other non-union people to replace them

The Knights of Labor n Goals n n n n Eight-hour workday. Worker-owned factories. Abolition of child and prison labor. Equal pay for men and women. Safety codes in the workplace. Prohibition of contract foreign labor. Haymarket riot ruins reputation

Working Women n n 18% of labor force in 1900 “Women’s work”: n n n 1/3 domestic servants 1/3 teachers, nurses, sales clerks, secretaries 1/3 industrial workers: garment industry and food processing plants Most unions excluded women Women’s Trade Union League: 1 st dedicated to promoting women’s issues n n 8 hour day Minimum wage No evening work Abolition of child labor

Linking the Nation n 1862 President Lincoln signs Pacific Railway Act n n Transcontinental RR by Union Pacific and Central Pacific To encourage rapid construction, the gov. offered land grants along the way Chinese laborers in West Creation of time zones

Robber Barons n n Jay Gould “insider trading” Credit Mobilier Construction company set up by Union Pacific n Including a member of Congress! n Overcharged RR - used up grants, went bankrupt n Gave members of Congress shares in return for more grants n