Lets make a s.s test on the intdustrial era a night before the test RIP MY SLEEP

Improvements to the railroad

they created a network of connected lines; set up standard time zones; invention of air brakes increased safety and faster trains.

Cornelius Vanderbilt

a powerful railroad baron. Combining railroad companies allowed him to control the major railroads of the nation

Offering discounts

to their biggest customers forced small companies out of business.

Steelworkers

turned steel into tracks

 lumberjacks

upplied wood for railroad ties

miners

used the coal to fuel the trains.

Steel was needed to make

stronger rails as well as nails, screws, needles  and girders for the skyscrapers

Andrew Carnegie

made a fortune in the steel industry. He controlled all phases of the steel industry. He used money from his profits to buy out his rivals.  He used vertical integration.  He believed in the Gospel of Wealth.

Gospel of Wealth

The belief that the wealthy had a duty to help the poor.

J.P. Morgan

 leader in the banking industry. He used his profits from banking to gain control of major corporations allowing him to reduce competition.

John D. Rockefeller

 a leader in the oil industry. He used profits from his refineries to buy up other refineries then combined the companies into one big company eliminating competition.

Monopolies

controls all or nearly all the business of an industry.

Monopolies – opposed-

felt that competition was reduced which means that prices won’t go low for buyers; leaders of big business could make political contributions that may impact decision-making.

Monopolies  supporters

felt too much competition ruined businesses and put people out of work; giant corporations bring lower production costs, lower prices, higher wages and a better life.

Sherman Anti-Trust Act

passed in 1890 and forbade the formation of trusts and monopolies.   It was too weak to make a major impact.

Thomas Alva Edison

an inventor. He invented the light bulb, the phonograph, the movies, picture projector, electric power plant.

George Eastman

invented the Kodak light weight camera.

Assembly line

created by Henry Ford for use with cars. It allowed for mass production of cars…creating more cars for a cheaper price.

what did people think of the car at first what changed

People laughed at the idea of a car at first. Prices dropping and the freedom offered by easier travel helped spread the idea of people wanting cars.

Orville and Wilbur Wright

created the airplane. The first flight lasted 12 seconds and flew 120 feet.

Conditions of factories

noisy, crowded, hazardous, and unsafe. Children and adults were forced to work in bad conditions for many hours and low pay.

 Goals of early labor unions

to increase wages, better working conditions, end child labor and reduce working hours.

Knights of labor

 a union led by Terrence Powderly that wanted to make the world a better place for both workers and employers. Membership included immigrants, blacks, women and unskilled workers. They did not believe in strikes. They held rallies and meetings to try and win support.

Haymarket Riot

 On the first day of a protest there was a clash between people on strike and strike breakers.  Police fired into the crowd killing four.  The next day, an incident happened, in which a bomb went off killing one police officer and injuring many that led police to attack the workers who were protesting. Police again fired into the crowd.  This riot created a feeling of anti-labor throughout the country.

AFL

(American Federation of Labor) a union formed by Samuel Gompers for only skilled workers. Workers joined a trade union. They stressed practical goals such as higher wages, shorter hours and improved working conditions. 

AFL vs. Knights of Labor

AFL did not try to change the world, but stressed practical goals such as higher wages, shorter hours and improved working conditions. AFL also supported strikes unlike the Knights of Labor.

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

 a 150 people, mostly young women, were killed in a fire at the factory they worked because the doors were kept locked during working hours to keep them at their job. As a result of the deaths, New York State approved new safety laws for factory workers.

Violent strikes

riots, people burned rail yards and ripped track from the ground.

The US Government would side with

the Factory owners During the labor strikes, the U.S. government court ordered that all the Pullman workers had to stop their strike

Consolidate

to combine

Rebates

discounts

 Pooling

to divide business in an area among companies and to set a high price. 

Vertical Integration

acquiring control of All you heard that lady’s and gents ALLsteps required to change raw material into finished products. ex. iron ore into steel

Corporation

a business owned by investors.

Stock

shares in a business (buy part of the business)

 Standard Oil Company of Ohio

 Rockefeller’s combined oil companies

 Trust

a group of corporations run by one board of directors

Alexander Graham Bell

invented the telephone. It improved communication.

Mass production

making large quantities of a product quickly and cheaply.

Sweatshop

a workplace where people often work long hours in poor conditions for very low pay

Samuel Gompers

formed the AFL union 

Collective Bargaining

the right of unions to negotiate with management for workers as a group. 

 Mother Jones

a woman who devoted her life to the cause of workers and tried to make a difference. She spoke up about the abuses of children.