From Farm to Factory
Industrial America
The Gilded AgeTerm applied to this
era by Mark TwainGilded: Covered
thinly with gold paint
Twain viewAmerican prosperity
during this era was the gold layer
American social ills was what the gold layer was hiding
AdvantagesAmerica had certain
advantages that propelled it to be the worlds leading industrial powerThe gov’t supported the
expansion of businessAmerica had vast
resourcesA growing labor supply
and expansion of markets
The emergence of new technology
The “Big Switch”Nation goes from the
farm to the cityAgrarian to
IndustryNot good for the
farmerThe worker
Becomes part of the cog rather than an individual
Black GoldEdwin L. Drake
Used steam engine to drill for oilMade process
easierOil Boom
ImportanceIt lubricated the
new machines of industryWill later take on
new importance as a fuel source
Bessemer ProcessHenry Bessemer
1856: Invents a process to turn Iron into SteelWanna know how?
Ask a scientistInvention will
revolutionize America
SteelIron was the metal
Rust and breaks easily
Remove carbon from Iron = Steel
Stronger, rust resistant
UsesRailroad is the
biggest- rails, engines, cars
Barbed wire for farmsStructures- bridges,
buildings
RevolutionariesInventions that
make life easierThomas Alva Edison
Electricity- 1876Christopher Sholes
Typewriter- 1867Alexander Graham
BellTelephone- 1876
Coast to Coast in 1915
RailroadTranscontinental
New Towns and Businesses
Between 1870-1880 the RR laid 40,000 miles of new track
FarmersLand grants meant for
farmers go to railroadsDifferent rates for
different customersGranger Laws
Fixed ratesMunn v. Illinois
Supreme Court upholds laws
Robber BaronsAndrew Carnegie
SteelJ.P. Morgan
BankingJohn D. Rockefeller
Standard OilCornelius Vanderbilt
Steam ShipsGeorge M. Pullman
Rail CarsStarted the first
American Company town
Vertical and Horizontal IntegrationVertical
Purchase companies at all levels of production
HorizontalPurchase all
competing companies in same industry
All this equals MONOPOLY
Scientific ManagementAlso named
“Taylorism”The author of the
idea Frederick Winslow Taylor
Principle idea: EfficiencyReduce time an
labor costsEach person has a
specific jobThink assembly line
Social DarwinismFather of the idea as
applied to business is Herbert Spencer
Applies Darwin’s ideas to societyFree competition
promotes human progress
Pits society against itselfStrongest rise to the topWeak perish
Deserve to be poor
The Gospel of WealthWritten by Andrew
Carnegie in 1889Counteracts the ideas of
Social DarwinismPrinciple Idea: The
wealthy have a responsibility to use philanthropy to help less fortunateHospitalsColleges and schoolsLibrariesArts and entertainment
Horatio AlgerSort of a mix of Social
Darwinism and Gospel of Wealth
Very popular during the Gilded AgeEspecially with the
working classesTheme of books:
Rising from humble means to wealthHard work Determination
Never forget where you came fromGive back
UnionsNLU-National Labor Union-
1866 Won 8 hr. work day
Knights of Labor- 1868 Opened to all- race or
gender 8 hour work day and equal
pay for equal workAFL- American Federation
of Labor- 1886 Craftsman Union Collective bargaining-
group negotiations Used strikes as major
tactic
Unions Con’tIndustrial Unions-
ARU & IWW- Led by Eugene V.
DebsLeading American
SocialistWanted to do away
with CapitalismGov’t owned and
operated business1892- won strike for
higher wages
Labor Unrest: RailroadsGreat Strike of 1877-
B&O RailroadBegan July 1877-
Stopped rail traffic across country
Ended Aug. 2 1877- Federal troops called inthreatened interstate
commerce
Like most strikes at RR it was caused by anarchists infiltrating unions
Labor Unrest: Haymarket Square RiotHaymarket Affair-
McCormick Harvester Plant- May 4, 1886Rioters gather in
Haymarket Square after striker is killed by police
Police arrive- a bomb is thrown- police open fire
Public turns against labor movement
Leads to go’vt intervention in labor affairs
Labor Unrest: Homestead and PullmanHomestead Strike
1892 and Pullman Strike 1894Strikers clash
with Pinkerton Detectives and Scabs
Both start because of management order pay cuts to some, but not all employees
Labor Unrest: Molly Maguire'sSecret society of
Irish-American Miners in Penn.
Used terrorist tactics to intimidate coal operators
Will later be crushed by the Pinkertons
Labor Unrest: Ludlow, ColoradoLudlow Massacre
Colorado Fuel and Oil Co. Owned by Rockefeller
Strike because of pay and conditionsEvicted from company
townSet up camp outside
LudlowApril 20, 1914
Militia & company guards surround tent city and open fire
11 women an children killed
Breaking the UnionFailure
failed strike would crush a Union
Government Industries used Sherman
Anti-Trust against Unions
strike would interfere with interstate commerce
Public OpinionStrike led to hire prices
for goodsAnarchist conditions