Flashcards for US History: Industrialization and Labor (1870-1900)

Fifty Q&A flashcards covering key people, events, inventions, labor movements, and consumer culture from the era of industrialization and urbanization (1870–1900).

Who is Sadie Frown and what memory does she recall about arriving in the United States?

A 13-year-old Polish girl arriving in New York who recalls the Statue of Liberty silhouette and a world of opportunities fraught with dangers.

What event does the 1893 Chicago World's Fair symbolize in the notes?

The electric age and the machine age, highlighting inventions and economic growth amid urbanization.

How many inventions did the US Patent Office record in its first decade (1790s)?

276 inventions.

By 1860, how many patents had the US Patent Office issued?

60,000 patents.

Between 1860 and 1890, approximately how many patents were issued?

Nearly 450,000 patents.

Name three late nineteenth-century inventions mentioned.

Typewriter (1867), cash register (1879), adding machine (1885) (also vacuum cleaner, flush toilet, tin cans, etc.).

What processes enabled the production of steel at lower costs after the Civil War?

The Bessemer process and the open hearth process.

How many tons of steel did the United States produce in 1860?

13,000 tons.

By 1900, approximately how much steel did the U.S. produce annually?

10,000,000 tons.

Around which year did the U.S. become the world’s top steel producer with over 24 million tons annually?

Around 1910.

Who patented the telephone and in what year?

Alexander Graham Bell, 1876.

By 1880, how many telephones were in use in the United States?

50,000 telephones.

By 1900, how many telephones were in use?

1,350,000.

Into what company did Bell's telephone business evolve, and which company helped expand telephone service?

Bell’s company became AT&T (American Telephone and Telegraph); Western Union helped commission improvements that expanded telephone use.

How many patents did Thomas Edison register, and where did he run his laboratory?

1,093 patents; Menlo Park.

Name several Edison inventions listed in the notes.

Phonograph, mimeograph, motion picture projector, dictaphone, storage battery, and the incandescent light bulb.

What power did Westinghouse promote and why was it important?

Alternating current (AC); allowed delivery over greater distances.

How did Edison attempt to smear AC power?

He promoted the electric chair to suggest AC power was dangerous.

By 1900, what share of rail lines did seven major tycoons control?

Over 70% of operating lines.

Who are the three 'giants of wealth' associated with the era?

Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, and J. Pierpont Morgan.

What is horizontal integration?

Mergers and acquisitions of similar companies to form a larger enterprise (as Rockefeller did in oil).

What is vertical integration?

Owning all stages of production and distribution from raw materials to delivery.

What was the purpose of the Standard Oil Trust formed in 1882?

To consolidate oil interests under trustees, creating a monopoly and attracting antitrust attention.

What was US Steel, and why is it notable?

A steel company formed under Morgan and Carnegie leadership; the first billion-dollar firm, capitalized at about $1.4 billion (formed 1901).

How many directorships did Morgan's firm hold in 1912 and what were its assets?

341 directorships in 112 corporations; over $22 billion in assets.

What reforms did the Knights of Labor advocate in 1878?

Eight-hour workday, equal pay for women, abolition of convict labor, worker-owned cooperatives, and one big union welcoming all wage workers.

What was the Haymarket affair and its impact on the Knights of Labor?

A 1886 Chicago protest that led to bombings; public blame on the KOL and Powderly, causing membership to plummet.

What did the American Federation of Labor focus on, and who led it?

Economic gains for workers; craft unions; led by Samuel Gompers.

What was AFL membership by 1900?

About 500,000.

What was AFL membership by 1914?

About 1,000,000.

What was AFL membership by 1920?

About 4,000,000.

Describe the Homestead Strike of 1892.

Frick lockout at Carnegie Steel; Pinkerton detectives; gunfight; militia; strike ended with workers defeated.

Describe the Pullman Strike of 1894 and Debs’s role.

Nationwide railroad strike led by Eugene V. Debs; federal troops intervened; strike ended with no gains for workers.

By 1900, what was the composition of women workers and where did they work?

About 5,000,000 women wage earners; many in clothing/textile factories; some in clerical roles; paid less than men.

What were typical wages and hours for factory workers?

About 20 cents per hour (~$600 annually); a 60-hour work week; longer hours in steel mills.

What were the safety outcomes for workers by 1913?

Approximately 25,000 deaths and 700,000 injuries resulting in missed time.

What was Frederick Taylor’s contribution to factory management?

Scientific management (stopwatch studies) to maximize efficiency by dividing tasks into short, repetitive segments.

Why were women and children employed in factories?

Because they offered cheaper labor and could fit into machines.

What was the Molly Maguire movement?

Irish coal miners’ secret organization using scare tactics; 24 suspects, 10 hanged in 1877.

What impact did the Haymarket affair have on public opinion?

Labor movement faced strong public opposition; perception of violence damaged credibility.

What does 'one big union' mean in the Knights of Labor, and who did it include?

A union welcoming workers from all trades (except doctors, lawyers, and bankers).

What is the Gospel of Wealth and who advocated it?

Carnegie’s idea that wealth should be used to benefit society; wealth should act as a trust fund to be administered for the public good.

What is Social Darwinism’s role in the era’s 'self-made man' idea?

The belief that society evolves through 'survival of the fittest' and that wealth reflects personal fitness.

What federal law aimed to curb monopolies and when was it enacted?

Sherman Antitrust Act, 1890.

How did mail-order catalogs change shopping for rural Americans?

Catalogs from Sears, Roebuck and Montgomery Ward allowed rural orders; Sears had 300,000 catalogs by 1897 and 1,000,000 by 1907.

What store innovations supported large department stores?

Higher store ceilings, large plate-glass windows, glass countertops and display cases.

Who is credited with promoting the idea of the 'democracy of goods' and what does it mean?

Roland Martian; access to goods became more important than access to production for consumers.

How did credit influence the new consumer culture by the end of the century?

Stores offered credit, enabling purchases without ready cash and fostering debt.

What was Carnegie’s view of his wealth’s duty to society?

Wealth should be used responsibly to benefit the community and set an example for others.

What was the scale of advertising spending by 1900?

Advertising spending reached nearly $100 million annually, with full-page newspaper ads and emerging ad agencies.