Gilded Age and Progressive Era Notes

Gilded Age

1870s - 1920ish; time period looked good on the outside, despite the corrupt politics & growing gap between the rich & poor. Exploited workers, many of whom were immigrants.

-This age saw dramatic improvement of nearly ALL industries & a significant drop in quality of life.

New Inventions

Between the years of 1880-1900, what will fundamentally change the American way of life?

The telephone

This revolutionizes the world. It was practically a miracle invention. Initially, it was just a wooden box with a receiver. An operator would connect calls to another line

Alexander Graham Bell

Inventor of the Telephone

Typewriter

Replaces writing; Revolutionizes communication again.

Writing has been greatly improved and creates more secretary jobs

Shorthand

To work a typewriter, what will many secretaries need to learn?

Chris Sholes

Inventor of the Typewriter

Telephone operators and Secretaries

What will many women get jobs as?

The Light bulb

New light/Replaces gas lights. Saves money in terms of the purchase of oil, things become much more efficient, and it is much safer to use

Phonograph (Record player)

Replaces live music. First records were aluminum (durable but light enough to be used). A peddle would be used to spin the disk and the needle would produce sound.

Motion Picture camera

Actually captures a series of pictures and moving them quickly allows for the simulation of motion. The Entertainment industry is created as a result

Microphone

Replaces Shouting (kind of). Amplifies the sound of your voice

Thomas Edison

The greatest inventor of all time (invented the more efficient lightbulb, phonography, motion picture camera, and quick drying concrete, and much more)

Open hearth Steel production

Better and faster way of producing steel. Bridges and greater structures can be created as a result

Henry Bessemer

Englishman who developed the first efficient method for the mass production of steel/open hearth steel production

The right to vote

After getting jobs as operators and secretaries, what will women seek (they have begun to gain some minor political and economic power)

Many considered their spheres of influence as extending only to their households (seen as the Queens of the household)

The original argument against letting women vote

Wyoming

First state to let women vote

The industrialists (Robber Barons)

Who matters in the Gilded age since the presidents don't?

Robber Barons

People who would do anything to get filthy rich.

People who got rich from the work of the poor

Exploit the labor of the working class

Cornelius Vanderbilt

Will get disgustingly rich. Railroad Robert Baron

Took over the American Railroad industry (and standardized it). One of the wealthiest men in history

Shipping (boats)

What business was Vanderbilt originally in?

Railroads/Golden Spike

What was the government investing in that made Vanderbilt change his business?

Every rail line

What will Vanderbilt buy

Every bridge

What does Vanderbilt own in Manhattan?

Bergen County

Where was the only rail line the refused to sell to Vanderbilt (until he forced them to)?

Grand Central Station

Vanderbilt will build this train station in Manhatten like a church (as a tribute to himself)

Bathrooms

What did the Vanderbilts have in their house that most Americans did not?

Golden bathroom

What did Vanderbilt's wife want in their new mansion?

Cut his worker's pay by 20%

After suffering a profit loss, what will Vanderbilt do initially to help cut his losses?

if they don't like the wage cut, they don't have to work for him

What argument does Vanderbilt use to justify pay cuts?

Charge more for shorter rail line trips

Since the pay cuts weren't enough to save his costs, what will Vanderbilt do to raise profits?

Farmers

Since they depended heavily on the railroad industry to transport their goods, who will get screwed over by the increase in railroad trip prices?

Oil Transport

What will Vanderbilt look to invest in to make more money?

John D. Rockefeller

The Wealthiest American in history. Owner and founder of the Standard Oil Company

Standard Oil

Rockefeller's Company

Buy other oil companies

What will Rockefeller do in order to meet Vanderbilt's oil transport quotas

Rebates (lower the cost of what he has to pay him to transport oil)

What will Rockefeller ask Vanderbilt for after he realizes that Vanderbilt is dependent on his oil?

The bloody farmers (don't actually include bloody)

Since Rockefeller asks Vanderbilt to charge him less money, and Vanderbilt agrees, who will get screwed over since Vanderbilt needs to make more money still?

Built a pipeline (Ohio to PA)

After telling Rockefeller he can't use his railroads to transport his oil, what does Rockefeller do?

Andrew Carnegie

A Scottish immigrant, Owner of U.S. steel, and a great philanthropist

U.S. Steel

Carnegie's Company

A "poor, dumb, immigrant"

What did Carnegie use to call himself?

Pay someone $300 to go fight for him in the war

What will Carnegie do to avoid the Civil War draft?

Steel

What industry fascinated Carnegie (and would later make him rich)

St. Louis

Where will Carnegie build the largest steel Suspension bridge ever seen (at the time)?

A toll

What does Carnegie charge people to cross his steel bridge?

He will hire a team of elephants to cross over the bridge

Since no one thought Carnegie's bridge was safe (and they refused to cross it), what would he do to change their minds (and eventually convince America that they needed his bridges)?

Rivals (they try to outgive each other and get the best PR)

What do Rockefeller and Carnegie become?

Cut their salary by 70% and extend their work day by an hour

What did Carnegie do to his workers?

Dying rich (he became very charitable later in his life)

What did Carnegie believe would make his life sinful?

Those who wanted to help themselves should be helped (but not the beggars)

Carnegie's philosophy concerning philanthropy

JP Morgan

The Banking Robber Baron would create the General Electric company

-GE will be one of the largest companies in history

Edison/Edison labs

Who will JP Morgan call up in order to make his own industry?

The lightbulb

What does Morgan own before everyone else?

Direct Current (DC current)

Getting energy from a generator to a light switch

-Invented by Edison

Nikola Tesla

Invented the Alternating Current (AC current) for electricity.

Rent out a theater in NJ and will electrocute an elephant in front of an audience using alternating current

What did Edison do to try to convince the public that AC current was dangerous and that everyone should stick to DC?

Shows AC current is better than DC

What does Tesla do at the World Fair?

Buy out his industry

What will Morgan do with Tesla?

Gasoline

What does Rockefeller discover will be the future (his workers were dumping it in the river)? This will be what makes him the wealthiest man in history

Laissez-Faire

The French term that means "hands-off." The government will leave businesses alone during the Gilded Age

What's good for GE is good for America

Phrase that encapsulates the government's standings during the Gilded age (The American government profited off of the great industries so they left them alone)

Monopoly

When one company dominates business in a given area and eliminates its competition. The large company will blow out the smaller companies to keep them from growing

Trust

When several competing companies are owned by one person.

-The Businesses are not actually competing

Exxon, Texaco, Shell

Since the government decided that Standard Oil was too big of a monopoly, what three brands will Rockefeller split it up into to form a Trust?

Sherman Anti-Trust Act

Outlawed monopolies and Trusts. Not enforced until 1901

-The Senate will not enforce the act

-The law was created as an illusion for the people

Horatio Alger

Wrote Rags to Riches stories about the gilded age.

-All of his stories are the same

-Would appeal to both the Rich and the poor

-author of "Raggedy Dick"

Social Darwinism

The idea that some people are "more fit" to live in society than others (Eugenics)

-People would measure others by their bodies

-Would say people such as Jews were subhuman and were not considered human

Granges

Farmer's Unions

-The Railroads are causing the Farmers to feel economic hardship

-They must join together to gain political power

Populist Party

The Farmer's Party, absorbed by the Democratic party, led by William Jennings Bryan in 1896 and 1900

William McKinley

Who will the Robber Barons support for presidency?

Democrat party

party of the poor farmer in gilded Age

Republican party

the party of big industry in Gilded Age

Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC)

A government agency established to regulate the railroad.

-Similar to the Sherman-Anti Trust act in that it was established but not used

Public Utility

A privately owned business that is government regulated.

-A company gets a monopoly, and everyone else has to use it

-The rates can only be raised by the government (the company can't raise it)

Examples: Electricity, Amtrak, Water, natural gas, etc.

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

The largest skilled labor union in the country. Skilled labor (trades like welding, construction, etc) will ban together.

Samuel Gompers

Led AFL

International Workers of the World (IWW)

The Largest unskilled labor union in the country.

-more members than AFL

-Unskilled whites, immigrants, African-Americans, and women are all pushed into one labor union

-The groups will not get along

Bill Haywood

Led IWW

Strike

When workers walk off the job in protest.

Lockout

When factories won't open because labor costs are too high.

-Owners vs. Union

Scab

Someone who replaces a striking worker (a term used by the Unions).

-Giant inflatable rats would be used to show that a business was doing this

Collective Bargaining

Group negotiations between labor and ownership

-The Union will bargain for the workers

Yellow Dog Contract

When a worker signs a contract agreeing to never join a union.

-The union viewed people who did this as cowards

-Owners would pay workers more if they didn't join

Blacklist

List of Union workers that owners agree to not hire.

-Illegal (Collusion)

Homestead Strike, Pullman Strike, Haymarket affair

Late 19th century strikes where the government favors owners over unions.

Immigrants

Who was used by many factory owners and by Political machines who "owned" many cities.

Unions

The rise of ____________ in this era was inevitable as worker exploitation increased with "No" Gov't intervention-except to help the wealthy.

Irish (Boston), Chinese (San Francisco), Germans (Upper Midwest)

"Old" Immigrants - 1870-1900 (Built the rail road)

Russians, Italians (NJ), Poles/Jews

"New" Immigrants - 1890-1920 (all from NY)

Ethnic Enclaves

Many immigrants crowd into these areas (ex. Chinese went to China Town, as they knew language and culture)

72hr work week, $6 a week (not other benefits)

Average Industry conditions of the era

Progressive Era

Took place near the turn of the century (1890-1920) and was a direct reaction to the excesses of corruption in America. People sought to use government influence to solve societal problems.

Ellis Island

The main port of entry for immigrants on the East Coast until 1920

European

What were most of the immigrants that went to Ellis Island?

Angel island

The main port of entry for immigrants on the West Coast until 1920

Asian

Most immigrants to San Francisco are what?

yEs (The assumption is, if you make it to the U.S., we will let you in unless we find a proper reason for exclusion)

Was immigration free at the turn of the 20th century?

Illness (disease, sickness, poor health), Criminal Record, Contraband,

"Public Burden", & Political "Radical"

The five major reasons for exclusion on Ellis and Angel island: