UNIT 6 - - EXPANSION AND REFORM

Railroads Made life out West

possible; major role in industrial growth and expansion

Western territories populated at rapid rate

Transcontinental Railroad: Union Pacific and Central Pacific joined at Promontory, Utah in 1869 (symbolized with a gold spike)

Not possible without contribution of Irish and Chinese Immigrants

Completion of the Railroad

Immigrants and Building of Railroads

Worked under dangerous conditions causing either serious injury or death

Attacks from hostile Native Americans always a possibility

Blistering sun and freezing snowstorms Paid very little Often victims of racism and abuse

Chinese Immigration and the Chinese Exclusion Act

About 15,000 Chinese were hired to build the Central Pacific railroad.

After the railroad was completed, the Chinese posted a threat to the limited number of jobs in the West even though they were not citizens.

The Chinese Exclusion Act passed in 1882 stalled the immigration of more Chinese workers.

Steel Industry

Bessemer process: developed by Henry Bessemer made steel cheaper and faster

Led to faster expansion of railroads and more construction

Railroads allowed goods to reach distances faster and contributed to the growth of big business

Impacts of Steel

Thanks to steel buildings could be built taller than ever before.

By building taller buildings in cities such as New York and Chicago, this allowed them to save more room.

“Robber Barons”

Men who got rich developing the railroad industry and other wealthy entrepreneurs

Vanderbilt extended New York Central railroad to Chicago without transferring trains

Andrew Carnegie dominated the steel industry

John D. Rockefeller started Standard Oil Corporation (sells shares of stock) the first trust (many companies united into one system)

Trusts destroyed competition and created monopolies (market with only one supplier)

Carnegie & Vertical Integration

Owns the company that produces the finished product and the companies that provide materials necessary for production

Mines where coal and iron is found

Ships to transport

Ovens to bake

Manufacturing Plant

Controlling Big Business

Congress passed the Interstate Commerce Act to protect trade and commerce calling for “reasonable” shipping rates

Showed desire of government to limit the growth and abuse of monopolies and trusts

Sherman Antitrust Act: trust is illegal if it interferes with free trade and competition

Inventions in Electricity

Thomas Edison - made widest use of electricity - Light bulb, motion picture camera, phonograph (sound) most famous inventions

Light bulb transformed how people lived and conducted business (could work after dark)

Came up with idea of central power companies to supply cities

Review - TOD

1. What role did railroads play in opening the West and contributing to the rise of big business?

2. Chinese and Irish immigrants are remembered for…

3. John D. Rockefeller dominated the oil industry by…

4. Describe the impact of Thomas Edison’s light bulb.

Impact on Native Americans

Settlers killed buffalo to make way for cattle

Plains Indians could no longer continue way of life

Forced on reservations and removed each time gold was discovered

Violent confrontations broke out

Fighting begins

Little Bighorn (most famous battle of the Indian wars)

The Black Hills of South Dakota had been set aside for the Sioux and Northern Cheyenne

1874 - U.S. Army exploring party found gold

- Gov. tried to buy the Black Hills (Sioux considered land sacred) - 1875 and 1876 - Sioux warriors left their reservations and united under the leadership of two Sioux Chiefs (Red Cloud and Crazy Horse)

Fighting begins

June 25, 1876 - George Armstrong Custer and several hundred army soldiers attempted to surprise and defeat Sioux at Battle of Little Big Horn

Custer underestimated size of his enemy

Custer and all of his men were killed - Became known as "Custer's Last Stand“

This was the last great victory for Native Americans

Chief Joseph

Led the Nez Perce people in attempt to escape to Canada after being forced from Oregon territory

Were stopped 30 miles from border and forced to settle in Oklahoma

Almost became extinct "Hear me, my chiefs. I

am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands I will fight no more, forever."

Massacre at Wounded Knee

Ghost Dance ritual was developed to bring back the buffalo- It taught that the spirits of the dead Indians would return to help the Indians reclaim their land from white men

Many whites were fearful that Chief Sitting Bull was using this to start an uprising

US Army was sent to arrest Sitting Bull Gunfight resulted in 14 deaths (including Sitting

Bull) Soldiers pursued Sioux to Wounded Knee Creek

and massacred 150 Native American men, women, and children

Considered last notable armed conflict between US troops and Native Americans

Wounded Knee Massacre

Assimilation

Dawes Act (1887) – intended to encourage Natives to give up their traditions and accept White customs- Reservation lands were divided into farm plots for families of 160 acres- Any remaining land was sold to white settlers

Dawes Act failed- Many western Indians didn't want to settle down as farmers

TOD

1. How did the U.S. government deal with Native Americans on the western frontier?

2. Why do you think the Natives were treated this way?

Western Growth

Reasons for moving West: The three Gs – God, glory, gold

Oklahoma was declared open in 1889 About 50,000 people gathered at the

Oklahoma border waiting for the gunshot that would officially declare the territory available (they traveled by horseback, bicycles, wagons, and on foot)

Some “jumped the gun” to get there sooner; hence Oklahoma became the “sooner” state

Cattle Ranching & Mining

Became big industries in West

Learned techniques, dress, and “cowboy culture” from Mexicans living in Texas

Growth of cattle industry contributed to slaughter of buffalo

“Cowtowns” and mining towns gained reputation for being wild and full of vice (gambling, prostitution, drinking)

Women and African Americans

Women enjoyed greater freedom and flexibility out West, took on roles traditionally only open to men

African Americans made way west following Civil Was as part of the Black Exodus (liberation from slavery) and often served as cowhands

Many African Americans also served as soldiers in the US army – Buffalo Soldiers (all-black regiments well known for bravery in battle)

A NEW INDUSTRIAL AGE

Natural resources and new ideas create a boom for industry and railroads.

Government addresses corruption in business, and laborers organize for

better working conditions

Ellis Island

Most immigrants arrived in New York City After 1886 - they were greeted by the Ellis Island became 1st stop for most

immigrants

Ellis Island Had to have medical check up Had to answer questions

- Name - Occupation - Who paid your fare? - Can you read or write - Have you ever been in prison?

Many immigrants received new names (Inspectors had difficulty pronouncing their real names)- Buchenroth = Roth - Stephanopoulos = Stevens

Most immigrants were allowed to stay - Only 2% sent home

Angel Island

Angel Island -immigrant processing station in San Francisco Bay, most Asian immigrants came through here

Growth of Cities

Cities grew by 15 million people (esp. in NE)

Immigrants came seeking better life, others fled hardships or escaped political persecution

Irish Potato Famine: as a result more than 1 million Irish immigrate to America and settled in Northeast for factory jobs

25 million immigrants from southern and eastern Europe come through Ellis Island and face discrimination, poor housing, poor health, and poverty

Young Miners, South Pittston Pa., January 6, 1911

"Breaker boys, Hughestown Borough Coal Co. Pittston, Pa."

9 PM in an Indiana glass factory

Labor and Working Conditions

Whole families worked because no one person could earn enough to support a household

12-14 hour workdays, 6 days a week Women given little opportunity for

advancement Child labor was common: children as

young as 5 left school to work (missed out on education leaving them in a cycle of poverty)

Work was monotonous Factories dangerous

Sweatshop Labor

By 1890 - Most Jewish immigrants were garment workers

Many worked in sweatshops - factories set up in small apartments or unused buildings

Were poorly lit, poorly ventilated, unsafe, paid very little, employed women and children

Sweatshop Labor 1911 - Fire at the

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory killed 146 employees - believed that the doors on the top three stories were locked to keep union leaders out and prevent stealing - Many jumped to their death

http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/vtl07.la.rv.text.triangle/the-triangle-shirtwaist-factory-disaster/

Living Conditions

Ethnic Ghettos located in inner cities where immigrants from certain region lived together due to common culture

Urban Slums (poor inner-city neighborhoods) consisted of tenements (overcrowded apartments that housed several immigrant families)

Infested by rats and other disease-spreading pests

Full of fire hazards, poorly ventilated

Anti-Asian Sentiment

Religious Differences were a source of tension (esp. among Catholics)

Immigrants from eastern and southern Europe were often discriminated against due to their ethnic differences

Nativism (opposing immigration) meant immigrants were often victims of violence and discrimination

Chinese Exclusion Act was passed as a result (fear immigrants worked for less money)

New Urban Lifestyle

Transportation evolved – electric trolleys, trains, and later subways allowed people to live outside the city

Development of suburbs - middle and upper class families moved farther out leaving inner city to poor and immigrants

Factory work and the clock helped change leisure activities (saloons, dance halls, movie pictures, spectator sports, city parks)

Impact of Railroads

Schedules became a part of American life especially with railroads- November 18, 1883 - standard time went into effect (divided U.S. into 4 zones) - Today we have six (4 original plus the Alaska time and Hawaii- Aleutian time)

Rise of Labor Unions

Labor unions: organizations of workers formed to protect interests of its members

American Federation of Labor (AFL): led by Samuel Gompers focused on issues such as wages, working hours, and working conditions

Used pressure of strikes (refusal of employees to work until employers meet certain demands)

Boycotts (refusal to buy or pay for products) Collective Bargaining: employees negotiate

as a united group Mediation: neutral third party helps negotiate

settlement between two sides

Strikes and Confrontations Employers hated unions, threatened to fire employees

who joined them Pullman owned town in Illinois, cut wages, laid off

workers, but refused to lower rent or prices in town Pullman Strike: George Pullman fired three labor

representatives, local union went on strike, Pullman closed the plant rather than negotiating

Nationwide boycott of Pullman cars led by Eugene V. Debs

Strike and boycott affected shipment of US mail so government responded with court injunction against union

President Cleveland sent in federal troops to make sure it was enforced

Set precedence for factory owners appealing to courts to end strikes; government backed business owners over workers

TOD

How did industrialization change the way of life in the United States? (Give 3) New inventions made life easier and brought

new leisure activities Immigration Growth of cities (poor housing, pollution, poor

sanitation) Impact on Natives Middle class moved to suburbs

(transportation) Labor unions and strikes Big business and Factories