Industrialization
America forever changed
Modernizing America
• America was on a new horizon
– Before this time America was vastly different than today's society
Life before industrialization
• There were no phones• Cars• No indoor electricity • No refrigeration • Communication was slow• Standard of living was ok
– It was fairly low in some areas
Industrialization
• However, times begin to change in America– With new inventions and increase in technology,
America would change from a good place to live, to the best place to live in terms of GDP • (Gross domestic product)
Things that changed peoples lives
• Transcontinental railroad
• Telegraph (communication)– Phone
• Electricity (light bulb ETC.)
• Steel
• Use of Oil
Newest revolution technology
• In 1860 – Only 36K patents issued
to invent, use and sell an item
– In 65-70 the standard of living in many places (SOUTH) was very low
• By 1890 and 1900– Over 500K patents
issued
– The standard of life in the United States was higher than any place in the world
Compare and contrast 1900 2012
Tech. –Railroad
• Transcontinental railroad
• Increased the standard of living for the people of the west
• Speedy travel
Railroad negatives
• Dangerous • terrible construction practices
– Iron and wood
• Early trial and error—uncomfortable rides• Trains caused America to develop their time
zones (Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific)
Tech – Communication
• Telegraph – perfected by Samuel Morse– Was first way to send electrical messages (20th
century texts!)
– Companies like Western Union laid 100,000’s of telegraph cable. • Almost a million by 1900
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_J8YcQETyTw&feature=fvwrel
Tech – Communication
• Telephone – (The most important thing a majority of you!!)
• Created by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876
• Founded AT&T• First words spoken on a phone
– “Come here, Watson, I want you”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdIXoceFgk8
Thomas Edison
• The man of a thousand of inventions – Know for the inventions of the phonograph and
motion capturing device
– Most known however for the Light bulb• He improved a design for the light bulb • In 1880 the bulb changed the modern world
• Why?
Steel
• Andrew Carnegie – owner and contributor to steel in America– Met a English man named Henry Bessemer– Had developed a new strategy for making cheap
good steel – Called the Bessemer process
Process..
• Air burns out carbon from steel
http://videos.howstuffworks.com/discovery/35890-howstuffworks-show-episode-12-creating-steel-video.htm
Impact of steel
• Trains were improved
• Cities changed forever – Brought rise to the vertical cities
– Sky scrapers
Electricity
• By 1885, electricity had become more accessible – Street lamps
– Refrigerators
– Machine lines – mass production of things such as clothing
Beginning of Big Business
• With the expansion of electricity and steel business practices in America began to change
– Combinations of all the small businesses combined to form large companies
Two views
• 1st – Robber Barons – these businessmen were viewed as “robbers” – They stole from the public by eliminating
competition so they could jack up the prices
• - 2nd –Captains of Industry – These were the positive business leaders
– Viewed as someone who helped their country in a very positive fashion
– Creating new ways to improve quantity of goods
Money makers
• Carnegie, Rockefeller, Vanderbilt
• Steel, Oil, railroad
• Three of the richest men in American history
Andrew Carnegie
• Lived in Pittsburg• Worked for the rail road in 65 – made 50K
• Started his own steel company four years later
• Created a monopoly on the steel company – Would be worth nearly 300 billion in 2007 – Bill gates is worth 59 billion…
Continued
• Gospel of wealth – People should give away some wealth
– Gave away 350 million by his death
Rockefeller
• He created a monopoly on standard Oil – Formed his own company in 1863
– Was a cut throat businessman
– Created a trust• What do you think a trust is?
Continued
• He has a net worth around 310 billion dollars
• Tiger woods earnings X 310
Cornelius Vanderbilt
• He had a major hand in the rail road– He gained considerable wealth from the rail roads
– He is the namesake of Vanderbilt University
Continued
• His net worth today would be around 178 billion dollars
• 3X as much as bill gates
The big three
• Between the three men, their value today would be a staggering – 788 billion dollars
– Fifteen times as much money as Bill gates has today
http://www.pagetutor.com/trillion/index.html
Creation of new jobs
• With all these innovations, thousands of jobs were created – Between the end of the civil war and 1900..
• 14 million immigrants came to America looking for jobs
• More than half of these moved into cities – Why the cities?
Sherman anti-trust act
• outlawed any combination of company or business act that would in return –create a monopoly – Was never enforced however
Child Labor
• There were no restrictions on who could work at this time…– 10-14 hour shifts – Tiny hands could fit into hard to reach places
– Awful working conditions• Toxic fumes and smoke
The work place
• Description of your new job!– Working hours – 12 to 14 hours– Paid by production
• You DO NOT get paid by the hour
– To Women – you have 0% chance to advance to higher paying jobs
» Would you take this job?
Work conditions
• During the late 1800’s there were more than 600 deaths a week at the work place
• NO – Sick days– Vacation– Overtime– Unemployment
• 1899- women's wages were around 260 dollars a year, a mans would be around 490 dollars.
Labor Strikes
• What is a Labor Union?– Late 1800’s –wanted better conditions for the
workers, as well as a higher wage– Wanted to reduce the work day– Knights of Labor – formed in 1869, planned to
Unite all workers –failure
Labor unions
American Federation• Founded in 1886
• Organized for only skilled workers
Industrial workers of the world • “Wobblies”
• Opposed the AF
• Was put together for the unskilled workers
The strikes
• Railroad strike of 1877
• Haymarket Riot
• Homestead Strike
• Pullman Strike
Railroad strike
• 1st major work strike in America
• Railroad companies cut wages
• Violence occurs
• Army brought in to end the riot – In 20 years there are over 24K strikes
Haymarket Strike
• Workers wanted an 8 hour work day• Fight broke out between workers and scabs
– Scabs are workers who are brought in during a strike
• Bomb was thrown – 7 killed– Lead to a huge riot
Strikes
• Homestead Strike– Caused from Carnegie
steel cutting prices • People die as a result of
riots
• Pullman strikes – Last of the great strikes
– George pullman cuts wages by 25%
Strikes
• 120K railroad workers eventually joined the strike
• Fed government had to intervene and get involved on strikes and working conditions
Employers views of strikes
• Hate unions and the strikes– Forbid union meetings – Wouldn’t recognize unions– Forced new workers to promise not to join a union– Firing anyone involved in a union