Industry & Immigration

Entrepreneurs

Someone who builds and manages business or enterprises in order to make profit

Protective Tariffs

Taxes that made imported goods cost more than those made in the US

Patent

Grant by federal government giving an inventor the exclusive right to develop, use, and sell an invention for a set period of time

Bessemer Process

A way to purify iron into steel

Suspension Bridges

Bridges in which the roadway is suspended by steel cables

Time Zones

1884 - Delegates from 27 countries divided the globe into 24 time zones, one hour per day

Why were time zones set up?

Because time differences made it hard to set up schedules when trains started regular passenger service between towns

Mass Production

Producing a large quantity of something

Free Enterprise

The right to run a business for profit with little regulation over what’s necessary to protect the public interest

Pool or Trade Associations

Informal agreements to work together in fixing prices that distribute business so all members make a profit

Samuel Morse

Perfected telegraph technology in 1844

Alexander Graham Bell

Patented the telephone in 1876

Monopoly

The exclusive possession or control of a supply

President McKinley

President support by the titans during the election because he promised little regulation to big businesses

Whistle Stop Tour (William Jennings Bryan)

William Jennings Bryan, a candidate for the presidential election, did a whistle stop press tour in his campaign. Which was never done before.

Trust

A business deal that formary makes a single holding company for the stocks of several leasing business of a company

Interstate Commerce Commission

An act that targets railroad rebates by banning rate discrimination and was generally supported by the railroads because they  thought it would rationalize the industry and were relieved from competitive pressures that lowered prices and the businesses that demanded that they provide rebates.

Sherman Antitrust Act

A law that banned any trust that restrained interstate trade or commerce

Gospel of Wealth

A principle that states that being rich means you have the duty to create a better society

Robber Barons

Monopolies who became very wealthy through corruption and mistreating workers, competitors and the public

The Jungle

Upton Sinclair’s book that exposes the working conditions of the meat packing industry

Meat Inspection Act

A law that ensures that meat is packaged in sanitary conditions

Yellow Dog Contract

Didn’t let employees join a labor union and supported an open-shop where workers were not forced to join unions

Eugene V. Debs

Leader of the American Railway Union and supported Chicago pullman workers on strike

Hepburn Act

Established a commission that set reasonable rates instead of the market

U.S. v E.C. Knight

The Supreme Court ruled that the “sugar trust” that controlled 90% of the industry doesn’t violate the Sherman Antitrust Act because there wasn’t any evidence that the trust controlled prices

Clayton Act

Lists illegal antitrust actions and gave power to the Federal Trade Commission

Closed Shop vs. Open Shop

A closed shop forced employees into unions if they wanted to work and an open shop made it optional for employees to join

Progressivism

Reformers who believed that the industrialized, urbanized America of the 19th century is too mature/futurized compared to the eighteenth century Constitution.

Muller v Oregon

The majority enforced limited working hours for women

Welfare Capitalism

Employees give their employees an increase in pay and benefits to prevent them from joining a labor union

Pullman Porters

A black worker on the train that tends to the needs of white passengers

Henry Ford & Model T

Model T was a high quality and affordable car

Ludlow Massacre

A gun battle in Colorado involving the United Mine Workers of America and guards sent and hired by the Rockefeller family resulted in 19 men, women, and children of the strikers dead.

Pull vs. Push factors

Push: famine, war, fear of persecution

Pull: economic opportunity and religious freedom

Chinese Exclusion Act

law that bans Chinese laborers from immigrating into America

Alien Contract Labor Laws (1885, 1887)

Didn’t allow certain laborers to come to the U.S.

Americanization

Programs that help immigrants learn English, and typical American diets and fashion

Nativist Movement

The habit of preferring native-born white Americans over immigrants

Assimilation

The process of resembling another culture as a minority.

Why is this period in U.S. history (1870-1900) referred to as the “Gilded Age”? To what degree does the name fit or not fit?

Because it meant that this time period was beautiful on the outside but corrupt and ugly on the inside. It fits well because it aligns with how the economy and science thrived with the rise of big businesses but the laborers suffered from the poor working conditions and more.

What is meant by a “laissez-faire” economic policy?

Laissez-faire allowed businesses to grow and expand with little government regulation. This helped businesses become corporations and use business strategies such as trusts, monopolies, and more.

What is the concept of Social Darwinism?

Social Darwinism was a ranking system for ethnic groups and races. It declared which group was the most superior, which was white, and which was inferior, which were Southeastern Europeans, Jews, Asians, Hispanics, and Africans.

What were horizontal and vertical integration, and how did they lead to the rise of the corporation during the Gilded Age?

Horizontal integration was buying out competitors and vertical integration was buying supplies, transportation, and more. These business strategies provided control over the industry, allowing corporations to rise.

What famous invention of the Gilded Age threatened the oil industry and transformed American society?

Steel because the steel industry was more powerful than the oil industry.

Who were Andrew Carnegie, J.P. Morgan, and John D. Rockefeller and what industries did they control?

They were the titans of the industry. Carnegie controlled steel, Rockefeller controlled oil, and Morgan controlled electricity.

What is a labor union?

A labor union was a worker organization in which workers would bargain with management together. They often focused on better wages, working conditions, etc

During the Gilded Age, what are at least 2 specific examples of labor strikes in the late 1800s? In addition, how did the federal government respond to the labor strikes?

In 1877, the Great Railroad Strike occurred when the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad cut their workers’ wages by 10%. The workers went on strike and the president sent in federal troops to break it up. In the Pullman Strike, an attorney general named Richard Olney filed an injunction against the strikers and the president sent out federal troops against them. 

What were the similarities and differences between the Knights of Labor and the American Federation of Labor (AFL)? Which one was more successful and why? 

The Knights of Labor wanted the capitalist wage system to be abolished and replaced with a system where workers shared ownership of factories and the profits of those factories. Meanwhile, the American Federation of Labor worked towards lower hours and higher wages instead of visionary social reform. The AFl was most successful because it had long-term survival. The KOL pales in comparison since their unskilled members couldn’t pay dues while recessions occurred since they were fired. 

Describe what happened during the Haymarket Riot of 1886 and the Homestead Strike of 1892.

The haymarket Riot transformed the peaceful protest into an event of police brutality. Someone threw a bomb at the police too, resulting in the officers firing into the crowd of strikers. During the Homestead Strike, Andre Carneige’s manager, Henry Clay Frick, hired guards from an agency to stop the strike. There was shooting between both sides, causing nine steel company workers and seven of the guards to die. A Russian anarchist named Alexander Berkman tried to assassinate Frick.

According to Upton Sinclair’s book called, “the Jungle,” in what condition(s) did the employees work or interact with the meat-processing process in factories?

The workplace was extremely unsanitary. There were rats crawling around and dirt, sandust, and meat on the floor. 

Explain at least 3 unique characteristics of “New Immigration” (1880-1920) which made America into a “melting pot.”

New immigration led to culture diversity, an increase in laborers, and competition for housing. This caused tensions between different ethnic groups due to Social Darwinism and the fear of the unknown.

Where did most European immigrants at the start of the 20th century first go to get processed before entering the United States? Describe in detail what that processing experience was like.

At the start of the 20th century, most European immigrants arrived at Ellis Island. There, they would get medical examinations, document inspection, and more. 

What was one argument in favor of restricting immigration and one argument against restricting immigration at the end of the 19th century. 

At the end of the 19th century, many nativists argued that immigrants prevented a united culture and social order since they brought different cultures with them. Meanwhile, corporations favored immigration because immigrants were willing to do labor for low wages. 

What were three new inventions that came out during the Gilded Age that changed society dramatically? 

During the Gilded Age, inventions such as telephones, widespread electricity, and a stock reporting machine. Electricity extended working hours since workers could see what they’re doing even during the night. The stock reporting machine kept corporations up to date about what the state of their profits are. The telephones allowed for quicker communication between business managers and other important workers of business.

What were the positive and negative effects of rapid urbanization in the U.S. during the Gilded Age?

Rapid urbanization shows signs of more efficient technology arising, which could solve inconvenient issues such as writing letters as communication. But it also caused workers to suffer from long hours and low wages to support the production of those inventions.

According to the New South, what were the barriers or challenges that the South faced in regards to modernization, industrialization, and urban development? 

The south was troubled with economic and social issues. This includes a small middle class system and how the south is agricultural based. 

How did Theodore Roosevelt transform the office of the presidency?

He became known as the trustbuster through his efforts of regulating trusts. HE looked for many agencies that could control trusts too.

What was “trust-busting” and how did Teddy Roosevelt's and Woodrow Wilson’s beliefs about trust-busting differ?

Trust busting was regulating trusts. Roosevelt was known as a trust buster and was against them. However, Wilson was against antitrust activities, particularly illegal ones. 

How did Teddy Roosevelt deal with the 1902 Coal Strike, and how was his response different from that of presidents during the Gilded Age?

Roosevelt called a meeting with representatives of management and labor to discuss the possible coal famine that’s caused by the coal strike. In this meeting, he urged the representatives to prevent the coal mine in a peaceful manner that meets the needs of the workers. This marked a change in responses towards strikes, where these responses have become peaceful rather than violent. 

Select at least 3 examples of federal regulation or policies that diminished the power and wealth of monopolies in the late 1800s. 

The Sherman Antitrust Act was able to diminish monopolies later on, the elkins act, and the interstate commerce act. These all solved problems such as rates or rebates and trusts, diminishing monopolies. 

What problem did the Pure Food and Drug Act attempt to solve?