US History Chapter 17 – Flashcards with Answers
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Natural Resources
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US is almost self-reliant with the exception of Uranium We have coal and is doubled every year from 1840 to 1890 Iron Ore extensive canal systems allowed iron ore to be moved from mining areas to cities for smelting and manufacturing Petroleum western Pennsylvania oil fields begin producing commercially viable amounts of petroleum in 1859 Plenty of water
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Human Resources
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Between 1860--1890 the population of the US rose from 31 million to 75 million Many immigrants adult adult males looking for work No traditional occupations in the US to interfere with people leaving occupations to seek work in cities... AMERICAN DREAM Many jobs open to women providing a new opportunity for wage
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Entrepreneurs
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Organize business, take risks with their own and/or other's resources
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Laissez-faire
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A government doctrine of noninterference in business practices and in the economic affairs of individuals; "let do" Led to pollution problems
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Bessemer Process
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Iron production developed slowly in 19th century US, but soared when railroads were more often used Henry Bessemer and William Kelly created a process that converted iron to steel Steel expensive Bessemer removes carbon from iron to make steel Steel doesn't rust, its harder, stronger Inject air to produce a super burning capability Cut the price in half Great Quantities of steel Helped railroads upgrade from iron to steel Allowed heavier and safer transportation Steel Rails/ girders for buildings Bessemer process relied on on British metallurgist Robert Mushet that ingredients could be added to the iron during conversion to transform it into steel
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Abram Stevens Hewitt
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Iron manufacturer, congressman, and mayor of New York City. Introduced open-hearth process for manufacturing steel into the US to make more steel Ultimately largely supplanted the Bessemer process
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Anthracite Coal
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Anthracite is the purest/rare/hardest. Burns hotter than other coal types, due to high carbon content Anthracite is the cleanest Abundant in PA
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Bituminous coal
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Much messier than Anthracite More pollution Easily mined in western PA Converted to coke
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Coke
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Baked coal so it burns much hotter and cleaner. Putting carbon back in Fueled steel furnaces
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Pittsburg
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Center of the steel industry because it was abundant within western PA along with eastern Ohio Pitt was already a flourishing iron city New forms of steel production created a demand for new kinds of fuel-- particularly anthracite coal which was plentiful in PA Later, new techniques made is possible to use soft bituminous coal
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Steel Industry
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Rapidly spread New transportation systems emerged Great Lakes made is possible to allow the freighters to carry ores across the great lakes Larger and heavier freighters were needed in order to support the high demand of steel New steam engines to speed the unloading of ore, which was previously done by men on horses Railroads had a close relationship with steel companies because the manufacturers provided steel for their cars and rails while the railroads provided transportation They supported each other
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Oil
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Natural product Decimates when oxidized Before, used as a lubricant Became efficient in this time
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Petroleum
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Steel industry needed lubrication for its machines There were petroleum reserves in West PA, but they hadn't known that the substance can be burned in lamps and can make paraffin, naphtha, and lubricating oil thanks to businessman George Bissel Bissel raised money to drill and hired Edwin L. Drake
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Edwin L. Drake
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Bissel's employee Established first oil well near Titusville, PA, which was soon producing 500 barrels of oil a month while demand was booming fast This lead to promoters starting other fields in PA, OH, and WV By the 1870s oil had advanced to fourth place among nations experts
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Gasoline
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The result of an extraction process developed in the late 19th century in which lubricating oil and fuel oil were removed separately from crude oil
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Nicolaus August Otto
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Created a gas-powered "four stroke" engine in mid-1860s Precursor on to automobile engines Did not develop a way to untether it from the gas lines to be used portably in machines
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Gottfried Daimler
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Employee of Otto Perfected an engine that could be used in automobiles including the famous early car that took Daimler's name
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Charles and Frank Duryea
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Brothers First gasoline-driven motor vehicle in America in 1903
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Henry Ford
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Pioneer the assembly line Lived in Detroit 3 years after Duyeas The first famous cars that would bear his name By 1910, the industry became a major force in the economy, and the automobile was shaping the American social and cultural life 1895- 4 automobiles on highways 1917- 5 million Reduced the work day to eight hours Increase daily pay to $5.00 per day Wanted employees to be able to afford the cars Model T cost $295 Very simple Able to put them together easily A lot of Model T's out there today
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Wilbur and Orville Wright
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Human flight was not new to society such as balloons and gliders/kites Wrights were among those testing gliders with an internal combustion engine (same as automobiles) Owned a biking business Knew how to work with metal images Fly the first powered, controlled, heavir-than-air airplane at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina on December 17, 1903 By 1904 they had improved the plane to the point where they were able to fly 23 miles, and they began to take a few passengers on their flights with them Planes were significant in WWI in Europe They prospects did not appear until 1920s Charles Lindbergh's solo flight from NY to Paris and made aviation a national obsession
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Kitty Hawk
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Place where Orville made a celebrated test flight in which an airplane took off by itself and traveled 120 feet in 12 seconds
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Research and Development
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Rapid development of new industrial technologies and the emergence of large integrated corporations taking advantages of those technologies, persuaded a growing number of business leaders of the need to sponsor their own research to allow them to keep up with rapid changes in industry
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Conflict between engineers and scientists
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The emergence of corporate research and development laboratories coincided with a decline in government support for research. Attracted researches who worked for government agencies looking for employment. Also decentralized the sources of research funding and ensured that inquiry would move in many different directions, and along the paths determined by government Engineers became tied up with research and development agendas of corporations and worked hard to be of practical use to new economy. Scientists scorned this "commercialization" of knowledge and preferred to stick to basic research that had no immediate practical applications. They were more connected to practical challenges and some joined engineers in corporate research and development labs
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Scientific Management
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Many industries were turning to the principles of scientific management Often known as "Taylorism"
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Frederick Winslow Taylor
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The Principles of Scientific Management Studies the work process of average people Urged employers to reorganize the production process by subdividing tasks Sped up production and made workers more interchangeable and diminished a manager's dependence on a particular employee and reduce need for highly skilled workers Develop a "science" for every job, including rules motion, standardized work implements, and proper working conditions Can be changed and every job Taylor claimed workers using modern machines could perform simple tasks at much greater speeds A way to manage human labor to make it compatible with the demands of the machine age Also a way to increase the employer's control of the workplace, to make working people less independent
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Taylorism problems
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People took his rules and made them inflexible but got "fixed" instead of growing Hierarchical leadership-- order of operations in a business due to job entailments Fixed, not fluid Split locations for manufacturing and office work Offices were compartmentalized Work became specialized with divisional labor Office features were a symbol of status Product/outcome focused- not customer focused Demand exceeded supply Manufacturing and industrial companies were the main company types
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Impact of Assembly Line
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Most important change in production technology in industrial era Introduced by Ford in 1914 Cut the time for assembling a chassis from 12 and a half to one and half hours. Enabled Ford to raise wages and reduce the hours of his workers while cutting the base price of his Model T Became standard for many other industries
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Expansion of Railroads/Steel Production
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Principle agent of industrial progress was the railroad Principle form of transportation in US and gave industrialists access to distant markets and sources of raw materials. Helped guide farms and industrial economies When a line ran through a sparsely populated region, new farms sprang up along the route. When it reached forests, lumberers came quickly in its wake and began felling timber to send back to towns and cities for sale When it went through Great Plains, Hunters helped transport cattle into the region and carry back western meat into the cities. Chicago was principle railroad hub EVERYWHERE THE RAILROAD WENT, THE ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, AND PHYSICAL LANDSCAPE OF THE COUNTRY CHANGED AS A RESULT Difficult to keep time Every decade in late 19th century, total railroad trackage increased dramatically Subsides from federal state and investments from abroad were vital Tycoons such as Cornelius Vanderbilt, James J. Hill, Collis P. Huntington, and others-- dominated railroad combinations Had great economic power Less significant than individual barons it created for contribution to the growth of the modern corporation
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Professor C.F. Dowd
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Proposed that the earth's surface be divided into 24 time zones (one for each hour); to fix problem of because of RRs, each city had a somewhat different timezone
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Standard Time
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Trains were not on schedule because they determined time by the position of the sun On Nov. 18, 1883, the railroad companies, working together, agreed to create four time zones across the continent, each an hour apart from its closet neighbor. Although, not until 1918 did the federal government make these time zones standard for all purposes, the action by the railroads very quickly solidified the idea of "standard time" through most of the US
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Sole Proprietorship
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A business owned by one person 80% american business-- 10% activity Advantages-- easy to setup, set your own hours, get benefit money, risk is limited Disadvantages- unlimited liability, life of average small business is 3 years, don't follow paperwork properly, when owner dies business dies,
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Partnership
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A business in which two or more persons combine their assets and skills 4% American Businesses--4% activity Advantages-- Not all the weight is on your shoulders. Different roles for your partners Disadvantages-- unlimited liability, if partner dies, family can sell business, not very smart
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Corporation
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A business owned by stockholders who share in its profits but are not personally responsible for its debts 16% Businesses--85% activity Chartered by state Owners are called stock-holders Corporations emerged when railroads were expanded to finance their great ventures Business organizations could raise money by selling stock to members of the public Became a real thing after Civil War Rich Americans considered the purchase of stock a good investment even if they were not themselves involved in the business whose stock they were purchasing.
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Limited Liability
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A form of business ownership in which the owners are liable only up to the amount of their individual investments.
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Unlimited Liability
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A business owner is responsible for all losses experienced by the business.
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Andrew Carnegie
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Scottish Immigrant 1873 opened his own steelworks in Pitt. Dominated the industry Largest and wealthiest company in the world Making $4 a week as a telegraphr but was tought about investments Claims to borrow $500 from his uncle and his mother but records indicates an IOU to boss He accumulated $200 in dividends. Build assets through dividends while using his securities as collateral to borrow other people's money to make further investments. Reduced wages and put good deals for railroads Bought out rivals Associated with Henry Clay Frick Bought up coal mines Controlled all aspects from mine to market In 1901, sold out for $450 Million to JP Morgan who created US Steel Corp. $1.4 billion enterprise that controlled almost 2/3 of nation steel production
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Henry C. Frick
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Carnegie's "management genius" helped with idea of processing coal; helped break up strikes, ended work at steel mill Had company that converted Bituminous coal to coke Frick museum in NYC and Pitt
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J.P. Morgan
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A highly successful banker who bought out Carnegie. With Carnegie's holdings and some others, he launched U.S Steel and made it the first billion dollar corporation. Morgan controlled more money than the US gov at one point
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United States Steel Corporation
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First billion dollar corporation
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Gustavus Swift
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Started small Chicago meatpacking company into a great nation corporation Profits from selling to military in Civil War Developed refrigerator car Controlled all aspects of business Monopolized meat industry
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Isaac Singer
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American inventor; he patented an improved sewing from Elias Howe machine and by 1860, was the largest manufacturer of sewing machines in the country. I.M. Singer and Co. One of the first modern manufacturing corporations
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New Managerial Techniques
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Large businesses needed more systematic administrative structures than the limited, local ventures of the past Introduced the genesis of modern business administration--which relied on the division of responsibilities Carefully designed hierarchy of control, modern cost-accounting procedure
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Horizontal Integration
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Several firms in the same kind of business join together If combination becomes large enough could become a monopoly Example: Consolidation of many different railroad lines into one company
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Vertical Integration
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The taking over of all the different business on which a company relied for its primary function Control all aspects Example: Carnegie Steel
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John D. Rockefeller
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Started from the bottom Ability to predict what was next Good at saving money Known for being cheap Standard Oil Invests in petroleum business Created through both horizontal and vertical integration Buy out as much as competition as he can Allied himself with other capitalists Horizontally bought many refineries around US Vertically built his own barrel factories, terminal warehouses, and pipelines Paid with standard oil stock By 1880s, he established such dominance with Petroleum he was the leading symbol of a monopoly Worked 6 days a week until he died Competitive Hired best engineers Best equipment Best of everything Good strategist and forecaster Controlled 90% of refined oil in US Saw consolidation as a way to cope with what they believed was the greets curse of modern economy "Cutthroat competition" Business men feared that too many firms can spell instability and ruin business for all A successful enterprise was one that could eliminate or absorb its competitors
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Standard Oil
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Established in 1870 in Ohio, it was a integrated multinational oil corporation lead by Rockefeller Acquired 20 of 25 refineries in Cleveland as well as plants in Pitt, Philly, NYC, and Baltimore. (Horizontal) Owned its own freight cars and developed its marketing organization
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Pool Arrangements
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As movement toward combination accelerated, new vehicles emerged to facilitate it. Railroads began pool arrangements-- informal agreements among various companies to stabilize rates and divide markets -- aka cartels Pools didn't work well If a few firms in an industry were unwilling to cooperate, the pool would collapsed
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Trust Company
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Failure of pools led to new techniques of consolidation resting less on cooperation than on centralized control "Trust" technique--pioneered by Standard Oil in early 1880's and perfect by JP Morgan Word "trust" became a term for any great economic combo Stockholders in individual corporations transferred their stocks to a small group of trustees in exchange for shares in trust itself Owners had no direct control over the decisions of trustees Simply received profits of the combo Trustees be able to own a few companies, but could exercise effective control over many
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Holding Company
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NJ helped produce 3rd form of consolidation by changing laws of incorporation to permit companies to buy up other companies Other states soon followed Trust unnecessary and permitted actual corporate mergers Rockefeller relocated Standard Oil to NJ and became a "holding company"-- central corporate body that would buy up one stock of various members of the Oil trust and establish direct, formal ownership of the corporations in the trust
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Corporate Mergers
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Corporate Consolidation 1% of corps. in US were able to control more than 33% of manufacturing Economic organization was emerging that gave enormous power in the hands of very few men: the great bankers of NY such as JP Morgan, industrial titans such as Rockefeller They were integrating operations, cutting costs, creating a great industrial infrastructure, stimulating new markets, creating jobs for a vast new pool of unskilled workers, and opening the way to large-scale mass production. Creating the basis for some of the greatest public controversies of their era
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Self Made Man
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Modern capitalism rested on the ideology of individualism. The new industrial economy, its defenders argued, was not reducing opportunities for individual advancement, but expanding them. It was providing every individual with a chance to succeed and attain great wealth. THIS IS A MYTH, the wealth is not evenly distributed. Before the Civil War there were few millionaires, after there were more than 4,000. The new business tycoons were beginning their careers from positions of wealth. Carnegie, Rockefeller, and Edison all started from the bottom and rose to supremacy The self made men started from wealth Didn't require hard work Government support Resulted in ruthlessness, arrogance, and rampant corruption sometimes Some industries fell under monopolistic control of a single firm or a small group of large firms Small corps. struggled
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Social Darwinism
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The application of Charles Darwin's laws of evolution and natural selection among species to human society Survival of the fittest--individuals who survived and flourished in the marketplace "God gave me my money" - Rockefeller Riches were a reward of worthiness That there is not a poor person in the US who was not made poor by his own shortcomings" Appealed to businessmen because it seemed to legitimize their success and confirm their virtues Placed their activities within the context of traditional American ideas of freedom and individualism Justified their tactics
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Herbert Spencer
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English Philosopher First and most proponent of this theory "Society benefitted from the elimination of the unfit and the survival of the strong and talented" Books popular in America in the 1870s and 1880s Teachings found prominent supporters including William Graham Wrote Folkways
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William Graham Sumner
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Yale Promoted ideas of lectures and articles Did not agree with all of Spencer's ideas in Folkways But he shared Spencer's belief that individuals must have absolute freedom to struggle, to compete, to succeed, or to fail Many industrialists seized the theory to justify their own power
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Unions
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An association of workers, formed to bargain for better working conditions and higher wages. Social Darwinists insisted that all attempts by labor to raise wages by forming unions and all endeavors by government to regulate economic activities would, because economic life was controlled by a natural law, the law of competition Social Darwinism coincided with Law of Supply and Demand Worked because human beings were essentially economic creatures who understood and pursued their own interests, and because they operated in a free market regulated only by competition
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The Gospel of Wealth
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Book published by Andrew Carnegie - argued the wealthy people have the obligation to give back to poor It was the "duty" of the wealthy to advance social progress Wealthy should consider revenue in excess of their own needs as "trust funds" to be used for the good of the community Carnegie was only great industrialist who devoted large parts of fortunes to philanthropic work-- much to libraries and schools, institutions he believed would help the poor help themselves
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Russell Conwell
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Baptist Minister Spokesman Delivered Lecture "Acres of Diamonds" more than 6000 times between 1880 and 1900 Series of stories which he claimed were true of people who had found opportunities for extraordinary wealth in their own backyards "You have acres of diamonds beneath you right here"
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Horatio Alger
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Minister in a small town in Mass. but was driven from his pulpit from a sex scandal Moved to NY to write novels-- more than 100 which sold for 20 million copies Andy Grant's Pluck, Ragged Dick, The Bootblack, Sink or Swim Stories about rags to riche, meets a mentor Small town to big city Alger grew wealthy Was secretly a homosexual, was scared if people found out it would ruin his rep.
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Lester Frank Ward
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Darwinist, but rejected the idea of laws applied to human society Wrote Dynamic Sociology Argued that civilization was not governed by natural selection but by human intelligence, which was capable of shaping society as it wished Thought that an active government engaged in positive planning was society's best hope, unlike Sumner The people, through their government, could intervene in the economy and adjust it to serve their needs
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Daniel De Leon
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Leader of the socialist labor party during the 1890s. He believed in military labor activities and created an union. Immigrant from West Indies Attracted most a modest following in the industrial cities but the party failed to become a major political force
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Henry George
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Radical from California Wrote Progress and Poverty in 1879 Best-selling nonfiction works in American publishing history Explained why poverty existed amidst the wealth created by modern industry Blamed social problems on the ability of few monopolists to grow wealthy as a result of rising land values. Proposed a single tax to replace all taxes for land would end all poverty and destroy monopolies, distribute wealth more equally Idea became popular in many cities George almost becomes mayor of NYC with the support of labor and socialist
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Edward Bellamy
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Rival to George Wrote utopian novel Looking Backward in 1888 with 1 million copies Describes the experience of a young Bostonian who went into hypnotic sleep in 1887 and awoke in the year 2000 to find a new social order where want, politics, and vice were unknown. The new society emerged from a peaceful, evolutionary process. Socialism will be on top in the end Bellamy inspired the formation of more than 160 Nationalist Clubs to propagate his ides
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Increasing Inequality
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4/5 of the American people lived modestly 10 million people lived below the poverty line Standard of living was rising for everyone, but the gap between rich and poor was rising
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First Wave of Industrial Immigration
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Late 19th century Continuing flow of rural americans into factory towns and cities People disillusioned with or bankrupted by life on the farm and eager for new economic and social opportunities
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Second Wave of Industrial Immigration
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Following Civil War Mexicans, Asians, Canadians, and Europeans Greater influx than previous era
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New Sources of Immigration
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From 1870s-1880s most Europeans came from England/ Ireland However, by end of the century the sources had shifted with large numbers of eastern europeans Italians, Poles, Russians, Greeks, Slavs, and others Merged into industrial work force Mexicans and Asians (until exclusion act) These immigrants were escaping poverty/oppression Came for new opportunities Sometimes expectations were realistic but often they failed Railroads tried to lure immigrants into their western land holdings by distributing misleading ads overseas
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Labor Contract Law
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Permitted industrial employers to pay for the passage of workers in advance and deduct the amount later from their wages Repealed in 1885 Employers still continued to encourage the immigration of unskilled laborers with the assistance of foreign-born labor brokers (Greek/Italian padrones) who recruited work gangs of their fellow nationals
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Ethnic Tensions
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Low paid poles, Greeks, and French Canadians began to displace higher paid British and irish workers in textile factories in NE. Italians, Slavs, and Poles emerged as a major source of labor for mining industry in the East Chinese and Mexicans competed with Anglo-Americans/ blacks in mining/ farm work/ factories in Cali, Colorado, and Texas Workers tended to cluster in certain occupations and income levels by ethnic groups
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Industrial Wages
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At turn of century, average income of American worker was $400 to $500 a year-- below the $600 figure widely considered the minimum for a reasonable level of comfort Job security was not good Boom-and-bust cycle threatened workers along with technical advances and seasonal nature of work Few workers were very far from poverty
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Loss of Control
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Workers losing control over conditions of their work Employers set out to make the factory more efficient in response to the principles of scientific management Centralized control of the workplace in hands of managers Ensured that workers had no authority or control that as much as the low wages and long hours
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Women at Labor
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Decreasing need for skilled work in factories Women/children needed Hired for lower wages than adult males By 1900, women made up 17% of the industrial work force 20% of a women were wage-earners Some were single and took job to support themselves/ family Others worked to help husbands which was required to support a minimal standard of living Worked outside household
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Children at Labor
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1.7 million children under 16 were employed in factories/fields in 1900 10% of girls age 10-15, and 20% of boys held jobs Families needed additional wages that parents and children alike were pressed into service Some families were reluctant to permit wives to work Was not seen as a big social problem from reformers
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National Labor Union
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Had been around well before Civil War Representing small groups of skilled workers Individual unions could not hope to exert significant power in the new corporate economy, and in 1860s some labor leaders began to search for ways to combine the energies of the various labor organizations William H. Sylvis founded National Labor Union which was a claiming 640,000 members, included a variety of reform groups having little direct relationship with labor Federated separate unions into a single national organization Disintegrated and disappeared after Panic of 1873 Excluded women workers Men agreed that women were used to drive down their wages and were hostile Women wanted equal opportunities in the workplace
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Molly Maguires
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Widespread unemployment and middle-class hostility towards unions in 1870s When disputes against workers and employers turned bitter/violent the public blamed workers They believed the radicals/anarchists were influencing workers The Molly Maguires were a militant labor organization in the anthracite coal region of PA (Mollies) Operated within the Ancient Order of Hibernians, an Irish fraternal society, and sometimes used terrorist attacks Attempted to intimidate the coal operators through violence and murder
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Railway Strke of 1877
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July 16 Railroad workers of Baltimore and Ohio Railroad staged a spontaneous strike after another wage cut Strikers disrupted rail service, destroyed equipment, and rioted the streets of Pitt. and other cites State militias were called out President Hayes sent federal troops to West Virginia to save the nation from "insurrection" the strike spread across the nation Miltia open fire in Philly Lasted several weeks First National Strike "Wildcat" strike Claimed hundreds of lives Illustrated how disputes between workers and employers could no longer be localized in the increasingly national economy as well the depth of resentment among many American workers toward their employers and government Weakened the railroad unions and damaged the rep of labor organizations in other industries
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Knights of Labor
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First major effort to create a genuinely national labor organization in 1869 Leader: Uriah S. Stephens--Tailor offered more reasonable approach to solving labor problems Open to those who were workers of most businesses and professional people Only excluded group was lawyers, bankers, liquor dealers, and professional gamblers Welcomed women including domestic servants Secret group Leonora Barry enlisted 50,000 women members of all races while running the Woman's Bureau of Knights in NY Loosely organized without much central direction Met in local assemblies Championed an eight-hour day and abolition of child labor Hoped to replace the wage system with new cooperative system in which the workers themselves control a large part of the economy Managed to get higher wages and a shorter work day Attacked Gould system in 1885 to restore wage cuts and recognize their union In 1886, they attempted to strike the Gould system again but they were crushed and the power of the unions in the Gould system was broken Their failure helped discredit the organization By 1890, the membership of the Knights had shrunk to 100,00 and eventually disappeared altogether
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Terance v. Powderly
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Led Knights of Labor Powerful advocate for the eight-hour day Moved the group to be more open rather than secret Increased group population to 700,000 including some militant elements that the moderate leadership could not always control Period of expansion
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AFL
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In 1881, representatives of a number of existing craft unions formed the Federation of Organized Trade and Labor Unions of the US and Canada Changed name to the American Federation of Labor (AFL) Most important and enduring labor group in the country Rejected the Knights ideas idea of one big union for everybody AFL only supported skilled workers and hostile towards those who were not male leaders of AFL were essentially hostile to female employment because they believe the employers can take advantage of them However, AFL supported equal pay for women workers and hired female organizers to encourage unionization in industries dominated by women By raising pay of women, the AFL could make them less attractive to employers and eventually drive them out of the work force Supported the immediate objectives of most workers: better wages, hours, and working conditions Hoped to attain its goals by collective bargaining Ready to strike when necessary Strike on shorter work days on May 1, 1886 and demonstrations took place all over the country, mostly staged by AFL unions
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Samuel Gompers
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Samuel Gompers was a powerful leader for AFL He believed strongly that a test of a man's worth was his ability to support a family, and that women in the work force would undermine the men's positions as heads of their families Accepted the basic premises of capitalism Goal: to simply secure for the workers he represented a greater share of capitalism's material rewards Rejected idea of fundamental economic reform He opposed the creation of a workers party Generally hostile to any government efforts to protect labor or improve working conditions Convinced that what government could give it could take away AFL concentrated on the relationship between labor and management
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Haymarket Square Riot
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Involved German immigrants in Chicago Workingmen were asked to arm themselves for a mass-meeting Meeting turns into a riot and police decides to end the riot Someone threw a bomb at an officer 7 officer died Officers fired on crowed and killed 4 more Property-concious americans demanded retribution Chicago officials finally rounded up 8 anarchists and charged them of murder All scapegoats were found guilty and seven sentenced to death while 1 committed suicide To middle-class this riot was an alarming symbol of social chaos and radicalism Anarchism became a code word in the public mind for terrorism and violence It became a constant obstacle to the goals of the AFL and other labor organizations
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Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers
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The Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers (commonly known as the AA) was an American labor union formed in 1876 and which represented iron and steel workers. It partnered with the Steel Workers Organizing Committee, CIO, in November, 1935. Both organizations disbanded May 22, 1942, to form new organization, the United Steelworkers.
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Homestead Strike
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New production methods caused the reduction of company's laborers Frick made constant waged cuts A strike at a Carnegie steel plant in Homestead, P.A., that ended in an armed battle between the strikers, three hundred armed "Pinkerton" detectives hired by Carnegie, and federal troops, which killed ten people and wounded more than sixty. Strikers poured oil on water and set it on fire and attacked the the Pinkerton Strikers won PA governor sent the state's entire National Guard to Homestead with strikebreakers now protected by troops Many attempts to assassinate Frick Amalgamated surrendered Every major steel plant in the Northeast had broken with the Amalgamated which now had virtually no power to resist
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Pullman Strike
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1894 Pullman palace car company manufactured sleeping and pallor cars for railroads which had a plant near Chicago 600-acre town of Pullman Employees rented houses Pullman referred to his workers as his children High Rents Cut wages in 1893-94 about 25% which declined revenue the depression was causing Pullman refused to reduce rents Workers went on strike and persuaded the militant American Railway Union Governor of Illinois John Peter Altgeld had sympathy for workers and refused to call out militia to protect employers President Grover Cleveland and Attorney General Richard Olney complied and ordered 2000 troops to Chicago area Strike collapsed
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Eugune Debs
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Leader of American Railway Union Every time the GM's member companies discharged switchmen, Deb's Union instructed its members who worked for the offending companies to walk off their jobs Within a few days thousands of railroad workers in 27 states were on strike and transportation from Chicago to Pacific was paralyzed Debs became a socialist Imprisoned for challenging the army
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Sources of Labor Weakness
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Rapid expanding in industrial economy Wages for workers hardly rose and not enough to live Labor leaders won a few legislative victories Congress abolished Contract Labor Law in 1885; 8 hour day on public works/government Hours set for safely standards Laws were not enforced Most workers with less political power and less control of the workplace than they had 40 years before
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Women's Trade Union League
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Principle labor organizations like the AFL excluded many such as women Women responded in 1903 with the Women's Trade Union League After several years of attempting to unionize women the WTUL turned the bulk of its attention to securing protective legislation for women of labor Tensions between different ethnic and racial groups kept laborers divided
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How was wealth gained (Gospel of Wealth)?
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Manufacturing Invention Talent of for Organization
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According to the Laws of Nature, who gains the wealth (Gospel of Wealth)
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Law of Competition: It is here, we cannot evade it; no substitutes for it have been found; and while the law may be sometimes hard for the individual, it is best for the race, because it insures the survival of the fittest in every department
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What are the three modes of disposing surplus wealth? (Gospel of Wealth)
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Left to the families of the decedents Bequeathed for public purposes Administered during the lives by its possessors
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What is Carnegie's recommendation (G0spel of Wealth)
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Administered during the lives by its possessors
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How did higher education (universities/colleges) help impact industrial and commercial development in the US?
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American Universities transformed themselves in growing numbers in late 19th and early 20th century Universities gave the industrial economy research Faculty and laboratories receive funding from corporations for research of interest Nothing comparable to European universities Led to success in market development in 20th century
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What were objections to the growing power of monopolies in the US?
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People blamed it for creating high prices and producing highly unstable economy because they can change to prices to whatever they wish Railroads were charged with a high price because of absence of competition Costumers had no choice This contributed to the economy's instability as production consistently outpaced demand Rise of large combinations seemed to threaten the ability of individuals to advance in the world What would be left for others? Threatened the the ideal of the wage-earning husband capable supporting a family and prospering, hence, threatening manhood A new class of conspicuous wealthy people who are struggling due to monopolies 1% of families controlled nearly 88% of nations assets Some shared $$$ others used it for greed
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How did industrial work impact workers?
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Many wage cuts Ethnic tensions between new immigrants and whites fighting for jobs Average salary was well below the line of living Workers losing control over conditions of their work Long working days
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What was the impact of women and children entering the industrial workforce?
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WOMEN: Was a social problem Vulnerable to injury People thought it was inappropriate for women to work independently Mostly young/white under 25 Daughters of Immigrants Textile industry was largest job for women Wages as low as $6-$8 a week... well below minimum necessary for survival Average yearly salary for men-- $597 Average yearly salary for women-- $314 Advocates of minimum wage law for women created a sensation when they brought several women to a hearing in Chicago to testify that low wages and desperate poverty had driven them to prostitution CHILDREN: Laws eventually passed at late 19th century Limited impact 60% of child workers were involved in agriculture which was exempt from the laws 12 year olds with workday of 10 hours In south, children working in cotton mills were kept awake by having cold water thrown in their face Canneries had little girls cut fruits and vegetables 16 hours a day Children were susceptible to injury while working at dangerous machines Killed at alarming rate
question
Describe working conditions and challenges for industrial workers
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Workers were accustom of agrarian life experienced the change to modern industrial labor: Performance routine, repetitive tasks, requiring little skill, on strict schedule Factory workers worked 10 hour days, 6 hours a week Steel industry required 12 hour days Work was unsafe and unhealthy in factories Accidents were frequent and severe Compensation to victims were limited until states passed compensation laws in early 20th century
question
What struggles and challenges made unionization of workers difficult prior to 1900?
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Unions didn't accept everyone Individual unions could not hope to exert significant power in the new corporate economy, and in 1860s some labor leaders began to search for ways to combine the energies of the various labor organizations Unions were not very successful most of the time Unions disappeared when they are crushed to militia/army
