The Industrial Era (1865-1900)

What significant infrastructure expanded in the late 1800s?

The railroad network.

How did Congress support railroad construction?

By subsidizing costs and granting unused public land to railroad companies.

Which railroad company was selected to build the transcontinental railroad in 1862?

The Union Pacific Railroad company.

Who were the chief financial backers of the Central Pacific Railroad?

The Big Four, including Leland Stanford and Collis P. Huntington.

When was the transcontinental railroad completed?

In 1869.

Name one of the five transcontinental railroads built.

The Northern Pacific Railroad, completed in 1883.

What advancements contributed to the development of railroads?

The steel rail and a standard gauge of track width.

How did railroads stimulate industrialization?

By creating a domestic market for raw materials and manufactured goods.

What was the purpose of dividing America into four time zones in 1883?

To keep schedules and avoid wrecks.

What unethical practice involved inflating claims about railroad companies?

Stock watering.

What was the Supreme Court's ruling in Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Railroad Company vs. Illinois?

Individual states could not regulate interstate commerce.

What did the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 prohibit?

Rebates and pools, and required railroads to publish their rates openly.

Who invented the telephone and in what year?

Alexander Graham Bell in 1876.

What major invention is Thomas Alva Edison known for?

The electric light bulb, invented in 1879.

What was Andrew Carnegie's strategy for controlling production?

Vertical integration.

What does horizontal integration mean?

Allying with competitors to monopolize a market.

What process simplified steel production in the late 1800s?

The Bessemer process.

What percentage of the world's steel supply was produced by the U.S. by the late 1800s?

One-third.

How much of the nation's Bessemer steel was Carnegie producing by 1900?

One-fourth.

Who bought out Andrew Carnegie for $400 million?

J. P. Morgan.

What was the first billion-dollar corporation in America?

The United States Steel Corporation, created by J. P. Morgan in 1901.

What was the first major product of the oil industry?

Kerosene.

What invention made kerosene obsolete?

The electric light bulb

In what year did John D. Rockefeller create the Standard Oil Company?

1870

By 1877, what percentage of oil refineries did Rockefeller control?

95%

What term describes a government controlled by the wealthy?

Plutocracy

What act did Congress pass in 1890 to combat anti-competitive business practices?

The Sherman Anti-Trust Act

What was a major obstacle to Southern industrialization after the Civil War?

Higher shipping rates for raw materials from the South to the North

Who created the American Tobacco Company in 1890?

James Buchanan Duke

What economic system discriminated against the South in the steel industry?

The 'Pittsburgh plus' pricing system

What did the new industrial age provide for women?

New economic and social opportunities through jobs like typewriting and telephone switchboard operation

What was the purpose of the National Labor Union formed in 1866?

To organize workers across different trades for better working conditions

What was the Knights of Labor's approach to membership?

It sought to include all workers, both skilled and unskilled

What event in 1886 led to a loss of public support for the Knights of Labor?

The Haymarket Square incident

Who led the American Federation of Labor (AF of L)?

Samuel Gompers

What were the main goals of the American Federation of Labor?

Better wages, hours, and working conditions

What is a 'closed shop'?

An employer can only hire union employees, and all employees must be in a union

When was Labor Day created by Congress?

1894

What was a significant impact of the New Industrial Revolution on the workforce?

The shift from a nation of farmers to a nation of wage earners

What was the effect of low wages on factory workers?

It led to strikes and labor unrest

What did corporations sometimes force workers to sign to prevent union membership?

Ironclad oaths or yellow-dog contracts

What was the role of the 14th Amendment in relation to large trusts?

It was used to argue that corporations were legal 'people' and deserved protections

What was the main weakness of organized labor during this period?

It was accepted by a small minority of working people

What was the economic condition of the South as late as 1900?

It produced fewer goods than before the Civil War

What technological advancement boosted Southern agriculture in the 1880s?

Machine-made cigarettes

What was the impact of the Civil War on labor unions?

It gave a boost to labor unions

What did the Knights of Labor campaign for?

Economic and social reform, including safety and health codes