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Industry and Railroads
Chapter 14Section 1
The Second Industrial Revolution
Riddlebarger
Daily Life- 1865/19001865■ No indoor electric
lighting■ No refrigeration■ Mail:East Coast Midwest:10 days; 3 weeks to
reach West Coast
■ By 1900, there is lots of growth in new ideas & inventions
■ Typewriter, phonograph, sewing machine
■ U.S. standard of living becomes one of world’s best
The Start of the Oil Industry
Oil becomes a key commodity in the late 1800’s? Why?
- Fuel source and lubricant for factory machinery
Edwin Drake will drill the 1st commercial oil well in Pennsylvania in 1859
“Wildcatters” (oil prospectors) flock to region
The Bessemer Process
■ Through mid-1800’s, the U.S. depends on iron for railroads & building
■ 1856- Englishman Henry Bessemer receives patent for Bessemer Process
■ Steel-making process is now easier & cheaper■ Advantages of steel: lighter, stronger & more
flexible
Bessemer Process* allows for mass production of steel
By 1880: 1 million tons of steel produced
By 1910: 25 million tons
** Before Bessemer:
Iron to steel: 3-5 tons/day
** After: 3-5 tons in 15 minutes
The Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge■ New York City grows
rapidly after Civil War■ To help Manhatten
workers get to work in Brooklyn easier, a suspension bridge will be built
■ Longest in world (then); symbol of American success
Railroads Improve Transportation
■ Until 1850’s, steamships provided most of transportation
■ Before Civil War, most trains are short lines
■ Many safety issues with trains
Transcontinental Railroad
■ Railroad business will improve greatly after the Civil War■ The key was the building of the Transcontinental
Railroad■ This will allow people to travel from coast to coast
Transcontinental RR■ Built with blood, sweat, politics and thievery■ Government subsidies fund much of project- huge loans
and land grants were given to 2 companies■ Mostly immigrant labor used
Transcontinental RRCentral Pacific RR■ Built east from
Sacramento, CA over Sierra Nevada mountains
■ Chinese labor used-paid less than other workers
Union Pacific RR■ Built west from
Omaha, NE over Rocky Mountains
■ 20,000 workers laid 5 miles of track a day and die by the hundreds
■ Irish & war veterans
Transcontinental RRTranscontinental Railroad
After 7 years, the two crews meet at Promontory Point, UT
Play-by-play is delivered to the nation via telegraph
The owner of Central Pacific RR, Leland Stanford drives the “golden spike”
