Robber Baron/Captain of Industry debate and essay – Flashcards

economist, wrote Theory of the Leisure Class, condemned conspicuous consumerism, where status is displayed and conveyed through consumption.

Journalist-author of the day. He was an original thinker who left a mark. He was poor in schooling but rich in idealism and human kindness. After seeing poverty in India and greed in the U.S. he wanted to do something so he wrote. He wrote Progress and Poverty in order to solve "the great enigma of our times." According to his work, he believed that the pressure of a growing population on a fixed supply of land unjustifiably pushed up property values. A single 100% tax on the unearned profits of the land would solve this issue. After this he became a controversial figure. His single tax ideas were horrifying to propertied classes so his manuscript was rejected often. His book was finally brought out in 1879 and sold 3 million copies. He lectured all over America and England expressing his ideals of distribution of wealth and socialism.

Late 19th century movement Protestant movement preaching that all true Christians should be concerned with the plight of immigrants and other poor residents of American cities and should financially support efforts to improve lives of these poor urban dwellers. Settlement houses were often financed by funds raised by ministers of this movement.

The belief that, as the guardians of society's wealth, the rich have a duty to serve society; promoted by Andrew Carnegie; Carnegie donated more than $350 million to libraries, school, peace initiatives, and the arts

was a leading American Congregational pastor and early leader in the Social Gospel movement. He was a leading member of the Progressive Movement Gladden was probably the first leading U.S. religious figure to support unionization of the workforce; he also opposed racial segregation

was Carnegie's supplier of coke to fuel his steel mills as well as his right hand man. He was very anti-union. He was in charge of the mills when the Homestead Strike occurred. His decision to use strike breakers ignited the riot, and helped stain the image of unions.

1892 steelworker strike near Pittsburgh against the Carnegie Steel Company. Ten workers were killed in a riot when "scab" labor was brought in to force an end to the strike.

July, 1877 - A large number of railroad workers went on strike because of wage cuts. After a month of strikes, President Hayes sent troops to stop the rioting. The worst railroad violence was in Pittsburgh, with over 40 people killed by militia men.

This was a nonviolent strike which brought about a shut down of western railroads, which took place against the Pullman Palace Car Company in Chicago in 1894, because of the poor wages of the Pullman workers. It was ended by the president due to the interference with the mail system.

photographer who showed the harsh conditions in America's big cities during the Gilded Age. Published a book titled How the Other Half Lives.

United States journalist who exposes in 1906 started an era of muckraking journalism (1866-1936), Writing for McClure's Magazine, he criticized the trend of urbanization with a series of articles under the title Shame of the Cities.

Forbade the manufacture or sale of mislabeled or adulterated food or drugs, it gave the government broad powers to ensure the safety and efficacy of drugs in order to abolish the "patent" drug trade. Still in existence as the FDA.

is a United States Congress Act that works to prevent adulterated or misbranded meat and meat products from being sold as food and to ensure that meat and meat products are slaughtered and processed under sanitary conditions.

(1891) Papal encyclical of Leo XIII (1878-1903) that upheld the right of private property but criticized the inequities of capitalism. It recommended that Catholics form political parties and trade unions to redress the poverty and insecurity fostered under capitalism.

founded by William Sylvis (1866); supported 8-hour workday, convict labor, federal department of labor, banking reform, immigration restrictions to increase wages, women; excluded blacks

Led by Terence V. Powderly; open-membership policy extending to unskilled, semiskilled, women, African-Americans, immigrants; goal was to create a cooperative society between in which labors owned the industries in which they worked

A tenement is, in most English-speaking areas, a substandard multi-family dwelling in the urban core, usually old and occupied by the poor. Had terrible living condition and were overpopulated.

1886; founded by Samuel Gompers; sought better wages, hrs, working conditions; skilled laborers, arose out of dissatisfaction with the Knights of Labor, rejected socialist and communist ideas, non-violent.

A federation of labor union for all unskilled workers. It provided a national labor union for unskilled workers, unlike the AFL, which limited itself to skilled workers.

A social theory which states that the level a person rises to in society and wealth is determined by their genetic background.

(1820-1903) English philosopher who argued that in the difficult economic struggle for existence, only the "fittest" would survive.

He was an advocate of Social Darwinism claiming that the rich were a result of natural selection and benefits society. He, like many others promoted the belief of Social Darwinism which justified the rich being rich, and poor being poor.

A name for the late 1800s, coined by Mark Twain to describe the tremendous increase in wealth caused by the industrial age and the ostentatious lifestyles it allowed the very rich. The great industrial success of the U.S. and the fabulous lifestyles of the wealthy hid the many social problems of the time, including a high poverty rate, a high crime rate, and corruption in the government.

A technique used by John D. Rockefeller. Horizontal integration is an act of joining or consolidating with ones competitors to create a monopoly. Rockefeller was excellent with using this technique to monopolize certain markets. It is responsible for the majority of his wealth.

Practice in which a single manufacturer controls all of the steps used to change raw materials into finished products.

Domination of an industry by a single company that fixes prices and discourages competition; also, the company that dominates the industry by these means.

an economic method that had other companies assigns their stocks to the board of trust who would manage them. This made the head of the board, or the corporate leader wealthy, and at the same time killed off competitors not in the trust. This method was used/developed by Rockefeller, and helped him become extremely wealthy. It was also used in creating monopolies.

Established the ICC (Interstate Commerce Commission) - monitors the business operation of carriers transporting goods and people between states - created to regulate railroad prices

1890 congressional legislation designed to break up industrial trusts such as the one created by John D. Rockefeller and Standard Oil. The bill stated that any combination of businesses that was "in the restraint of trade" was illegal. Because of the vagueness of the legislation and the lack of enforcements tools in the hands of the federal government, few trusts were actually prosecuted as a result of this bill.

Corrected the problems of the Sherman Antitrust Act; outlawed certain practices that restricted competition; unions on strike could no longer be considered violating the antitrust acts

ruled that companies engaged in manufacturing rather than interstate commerce were to be regulated by state and not federal law, and could not be dismantled by the federal government

Supreme court ruled that the workday of any woman employed in a laundry or factory could be limited to 10 hours that led to Brandeis Brief which argued that women health is damaged after working long hours, which leads to working efficiency of the community impaired and leads to several other problems (infant mortality, neglect etc, bad for welfare)

Declared unconstitutional a minimum wage law for women on the grounds that it denied women freedom of contract

report filed by Louis Brandeis that detailed the terrible working conditions faced by women; it was so compelling that the Supreme Court finally upheld a law that protected workers instead of businesses

Members of the Chicago police force headed by Alan Pinkerton, they were often used as strike breakers.

An active, militant Irish organization of farmers based in the Pennsylvania anthracite coal fields who are believed responsible for much violence

an industrial process for making steel using a Bessemer converter to blast air through through molten iron and thus burning the excess carbon and impurities

One of the most famous inventors of the Industrialization time. Within his 84 years he had 1,093 patents a couple of these patents were for the light bulb, the phonograph, and the motion picture camera.

In a labor disagreement, people who interfere with workers efforts to protest against management.

Roosevelt's legal attack on the Northern Securities Company, which was a railroad holding company owned by James Hill and J.P. Morgan. In the end, the company was "trust-busted" and paved the way for future trust-busts of bad trusts.

An influential banker and businessman who bought and reorganized companies. His US Steel company would buy Carnegie steel and become the largest business in the world in 1901

At this location, in May of 1886, a series of events took place that resulted in four dead laborers and a bomb is thrown at the police and one dies then they start firing and six more die. After this, the Knights of Labor were no longer because they were considered to be involved with anarchy. Four are convicted and three are executed.