Early America The Gilded Age Western expansion the

Early America: The Gilded Age Western expansion, the growth of industry, labor changes, politics, urbanization, and immigration

Western Expansion � What allowed Americans to fully expand west? Conflicts with Native Americans were diminishing � New pathways for citizens to travel � � Oregon � Trail (by wagon) Railroads � Gov’t gave land grants to RR companies (e. g. Central Pacific & Union Pacific) � Employed thousands of workers (increased immigration) � By the mid 1880 s, several transcontinental railroads were built � Increased business connections � Encouraged travel

Western Expansion � Why � did Americans want to move west? Gold! Thousands went to western states like CA searching for gold and other valuable minerals � Western (Bodie) � cities grew rapidly (San. Fran); some were later abandoned Farmland & new farm technology � Homestead Act (1862) – gov’t gave away 160 -acre plots of land � 1837=John Deere’s steel plow, 1841=William Pennock’s grain drill, 1842=Joseph Dart’s grain elevator, 1847=Cyrus Mc. Cormick’s mechanical reaper � New life � Exodusters west � – African Americans who moved from the South to the New industries � Cattle ranching (learned from Mexico) Open land, Texas longhorn cattle accustomed to prairie env. , growing demand for beef, cowboys hired to drive cattle along specific routes

New Inventions Improve Life � The creation of new inventions helped fuel the trend of industrialization and change in society � Many different categories: � Farm technology � Factory machinery � Communication � Leisure/recreation � Transportation

New Inventions Improve Life � Telegraph � Invented by Samuel B. Morse in 1838 (constructed in 1844), based on earlier ideas of Henry, Cooke, and Wheatstone � Improved by Cyrus Field – came up with the idea of laying telegraph cable under the ocean so America could communicate with Europe � IMPACT: Made it possible for individuals to communicate much faster (took minutes, not days or weeks!), more easily and on a broader scale than ever before.

New Inventions Improve Life � Motion picture projector � Invented by Thomas Armat and Charles Francis Jenkins (who worked with Thomas Edison to market it) in 1896 � IMPACT: allowed whole groups of people to watch a series of moving pictures (what we later know as movies!); this became a big source of entertainment in many cities

Natural Resources & New Industries � Resources plentiful in the U. S. : � Lumber (southeast & west) � Water (shorelines & many rivers/lakes) � Iron ore & coal (Appalachian Mountains) � Oil (southwest; first found in PA) � Industries � Steel manufacturing � Textile mills � Coal � Oil

New Industries & Business Tactics � Railroad � Abuse industry expanded of power? � George Pullman – railroad factory owner; built an entire town for his workers, but tightly controlled their lives; led to the violent “Pullman Strike” in 1894 � Union Pacific – railroad company that created their own construction company (“Crédit Mobilier”), then paid them 2 or 3 X the normal rate to build track; owners pocketed the profit and gave stock to Congressmen (including James Garfield, future US President)

New Industries & Business Tactics � Grangers – members of a farmers’ organization called for gov’t regulation of railroad co. s � Claimed rates � RRs misused land grants, fixed prices, and charged unfair Granger laws � Allowed the gov’t to regulate RR rates and policies � Upheld in Munn v. Illinois (1877); est. the gov’t’s right to regulate private business to serve the public interest � Led to the ICC (Interstate Commerce Commission) � Supervised RR activities � Limited success in controlling RR co. s � RRs began to collapse financially Mismanagement, corporate corruption � Led to an economic collapse in the 1890 s; many RR co. s were bought out by financial co. s (JP Morgan) �

New Industries & Business Tactics � Businessmen of the 1800 s � Andrew Carnegie � John D. Rockefeller � Use your textbook, pg. 241 -244, to create a profile of one of these businessmen; then share with a neighbor who profiled the other. Include their industry, new tactics used, and other important details. � Trust-busting � Trust = several companies merged under one “trust”, where trustees run one large corporation. Each company then gets a share of the trust’s profits. � Sherman Antitrust Act (1890) � Learning log: read pg. 244 and explain how effective this Act was & why

Industries and Labor � Urbanization: shift in population pattern from rural to urban concentration � People came to cities from the countryside (as agriculture and small-scale jobs faded) and from other countries (for work or a better life) � Pros � Many new industrial jobs available � Most required limited skill or training � Cities grew (economically, culturally) � Cons � Poor working conditions � No labor regulation from the gov’t � Cities grew (overcrowding, disease, crime)

Industries and Labor � Most jobs were in factories or mills (sweatshops) � Long hours (12+ hrs/day, 6 days/week), even for children � Low wages (~$10/week for avg. steel worker) � Unpleasant conditions � Dirty, poorly ventilated, poorly lit � Boring, repetitive tasks � Unsafe environments � Heavy, 1907: from July 1906 through June 1907 – JUST in Allegheny County, PA – 526 workers died in “work accidents” 1912: The National Safety Council est. 18, 000– 21, 000 workers died from work-related injuries � Many � No hard-to-use equipment resulted in MANY accidents workers got sick insurance, sick days, workers’ comp.

Industries and Labor � Workers began organizing to ensure rights Fought for better pay, shorter hours, job security, safe conditions � NLU (National Labor Union), 1866 � � Fought for an 8 -hour work day; approved in 1868 by Congress � CNLU (Colored National Labor Union) � Knights of Labor, 1869 � “An injury to one is the concern of all”; ~700, 000 members � Open to all; fought for “equal pay for equal work” � AFL (American Federation of Labor), 1886 � Joined workers from various skilled trades � Collective bargaining (negotiations b/t labor rep. s & management) � Strikes (refusing to work until demands are met) � Achieved shorter work weeks & higher wages � 1890: $17/week, 54. 5 hrs/week 1915: $24/week, 49 hrs/week Many groups (farmers, immigrant workers, miners) formed unions

Industries and Labor � Famous � events (pg. 247 -249) Haymarket riot, 1886 � What were they protesting? � What happened? � How did the public react? � Homestead Strike, 1892 � What company? � Who were strikebreakers? � Pullman Strike, 1894 � What industry? � Why did the strike fail? Results? � Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, 1911 � What happened & why? � How did the public & gov’t react?

Urbanization � Many groups migrated to cities in the NE & Midwest � Immigrants � Cities were cheap & convenient, often located along waterways � Unskilled jobs available � Had ethnic neighborhoods (security & culture) � Farmers � Fewer workers needed on mechanized, commercial farms � Jobs and cultural opportunities (school, religion, leisure) � African Americans � Many had relied on farm jobs � Escaping racial violence (only mildly better in northern cities) � These groups brought new culture & diversity, but also competition & tension

Urbanization � Problems & solutions � Lack of affordable, safe housing � Laws set standards for plumbing, ventilation, etc. in apartments (not always effective) � Lack of safe & efficient transportation � Mass transit networks built (cable cars, streetcars, subways) � Unsafe drinking water � Public waterworks added filtration and chlorination � Lack of sanitation � Developed sewer lines and established sanitation departments

Urbanization � Fire hazards � Created full-time, pro. fire depts � Automatic fire sprinklers � More buildings made from brick & stone instead of wood � Crime � Created full-time, pro. police depts � Social Gospel movement = reform movement based on religious duty to serve the poor & improve society � Created settlement houses (community centers that provided assistance to impoverished citizens) � Run by middle-class, educated women Jane Addams & Ellen Gates Starr founded Hull House in Chicago � Provided education, health, and social support � ~400 nation-wide by 1910

Immigration � “Old wave” � Mid-1800 s; � “New mostly from N & W Europe wave” � Late 1800 s-1920; from S & E Europe, Asia, South & Central America/Caribbean � Using your book (Ch. 7 Sect. 1), summarize the arrival of people from these places of origin. Include: # of immigrants, countries they came from, push/pull factors, where they entered & lived in the U. S. � Europe � Asia � S. & C. America & the Caribbean

Immigration � European eastern) (Italy, Austria-Hungary, Russia – southern & � 20 million (1870 -1920) � Came through Ellis Island (NY) � Push factors: Population boom in Europe (overpopulation, job & resource scarcity), religious persecution � Pull factors: jobs, American freedom & opportunity � Asian (China, Japan, Oceania) � 300, 00 Chinese (late 1800 s); 200, 000 Japanese (early 1900 s) � Pull factors: Gold rush, jobs (railroad), higher wages, annexation of HI � Came through Angel Island (San Fran, CA) � S. /C. America & Caribbean (Mexico, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Cuba) � 260, 000 from the Caribbean (1880 -1920) � Pull factors: unskilled jobs (farming, industrial), National Reclamation Act opened more farmland in SW

Farmers & the Populist Party � Economic trouble for farmers � Crop prices were falling � Good farmland was scarce � Couldn’t make mortgage payments; banks foreclosed on properties � Railroads were charging high fees for shipping � Gold, silver, and the money debate � Paper money retains value when it is backed by a metal standard � Rep. favored gold standard (backing paper $ only with gold) � Dem. favored bimetallism (back with gold OR silver) � Silver was more plentiful � More money in circulation; hoped to stimulate economy

Farmers & the Populist Party � Farmers organize to push for reforms � Grangers, Farmers’ Alliances � Wanted gov’t control of banks & regulation of railroads � Formed the Populist Party in 1892 � The movement of the people; popular with farmers & laborers � Platform: � Increase $ supply; bimetallism � Graduated income tax � Low interest federal loans � Election of Senators by popular vote � Single-term presidency � Improved working conditions (8 -hr day) � Limits on immigration

The Highs & Lows of City Life � Political corruption � Political machines (organized groups that controlled the activities of political parties in cities) active in many major cities � Offered favors, jobs, and bribes to those who supported their agendas � Could provide positive services to city dwellers; usually engaged more in graft for their own gain � Ex: Boss Tweed = leader of Tammany Hall (political machine in NYC) � Patronage (giving gov’t jobs to people who helped a candidate get elected) � People were not chosen based on merit many were unqualified � Countered by Pendleton Civil Service Act (1883) created a bipartisan commission to appoint people to federal jobs based on their qualifications, not their political ties

The Highs & Lows of City Life � Segregation � Jim & discrimination Crow laws (legal segregation of races) � Voting restrictions, segregated public facilities � Supported � Supreme by Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896 Court case that upheld “separate but equal” laws as legal � Social discrimination � Surge in racial violence South: lynching, often w/o trial (some 1, 400 from 1882 -1892) North: segregated neighborhoods, job discrimination, race riots � Mexican & Chinese immigrants particularly targeted over jobs

The Highs & Lows of City Life � Amusement Parks � To provide outdoor space for activities in/near cities � Coney Island – NY � Bicycling � Began as a male-only sport � Safety bicycles had smaller wheels & air-filled tires � Women got new clothing to allow them to cycle, too � No longer needed a chaperone – could get around town themselves � Susan B. Anthony was a supporter � Boxing � Gave people an escape from work; encouraged social listening gatherings; live matches very profitable � Famous boxers: John Sullivan, “Gentleman Jim” Corbett

The Highs & Lows of City Life � Baseball � Created an avid fan base of spectators; offered an escape from work � Nationwide leagues formed: National League, American League, Negro leagues � Shopping centers � Offered a wide variety & large quantity of manufactured goods; many went for leisure (to window shop) � Earliest shopping center = 1890 in Cleveland, OH (included jewelry stores, leather goods, and an arcade) � Department � Offered stores personalized service & a variety of goods all in one store � Marshall Field opened the first one in 1865 in Chicago

The Highs & Lows of City Life � Chain stores Offered the same goods, same prices, & same ownership in different locations; could offer low prices b/c goods were bought in bulk � F. W. Woolworth = chain store owner, 1870 s � � Mail-order catalogs Brought department store merchandise to people OUTSIDE the city; people who could not get to the stores could order through the mail � Rural free delivery – US Post Office delivered catalogs & packages to rural areas for free � Sears & Roebuck, Montgomery Ward (1870 s) � � Expansion � of written news Yellow journalism (sensational reporting style used by newspaper) provided wide-spread distribution of news to people in many areas; criticized as too sensational & not always factual;