US History 1 - Chapter 14 Study Guide (The Americans)

Andrew Carnegie

Used vertical and horizontal integration to dominate the steel industry

John D. Rockefeller

Used horizontal integration and trust agreements to control the oil industry

George M. Pullman

Built a company town with strict rules; cut wages but not rent, leading to a major strike

Edwin L. Drake

First to successfully drill for oil using a steam engine

Alexander Graham Bell

Invented the telephone in 1876

Christopher Sholes

Invented the typewriter and helped expand clerical jobs for women

Thomas Alva Edison

Perfected the light bulb and created a system to distribute electricity

Henry Bessemer

Developed an efficient steel-making method known as the Bessemer Process

Vertical Integration

Buying out suppliers to control raw materials and distribution

Horizontal Integration

Merging with or buying out competitors in the same industry

Samuel Gompers

Leader of the AFL; focused on craft unionism and collective bargaining

Eugene V. Debs

Leader of the American Railway Union; supported industrial unionism and socialism

Mary Harris Jones

"Mother Jones," labor organizer who led coal miners and protested child labor

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

Union of skilled workers that used strikes to win better wages and hours

Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)

Radical union open to all workers, founded by socialists

Knights of Labor

Union open to all workers that supported arbitration and equal pay

National Labor Union (NLU)

First national labor union; pushed for an 8-hour day for federal workers

Colored National Labor Union (CNLU)

Black labor organization formed in response to racial exclusion from the NLU

Craft Unionism

Union approach for skilled workers from different trades

Industrial Unionism

Union model including both skilled and unskilled workers in one industry

Great Railroad Strike of 1877

First major national strike, started over wage cuts and was ended by federal troops

Haymarket Affair

1886 protest in Chicago where a bomb killed police; turned public opinion against unions

Homestead Strike

1892 steelworker strike at Carnegie's plant over wage cuts; ended by National Guard

Pullman Strike

1894 rail strike led by Debs after wage cuts and high rents; broken by federal troops

Ludlow Massacre

Colorado coal strike in 1914 where National Guard killed striking workers and families

Triangle Shirtwaist Fire

1911 factory fire that killed 146; revealed unsafe working conditions and led to reforms

Munn v. Illinois

Supreme Court case upholding states' right to regulate railroads

Interstate Commerce Act

1887 law that created the ICC to regulate railroads and prevent abuse

Sherman Antitrust Act

1890 law banning trusts that interfered with free trade; poorly enforced early on

Crédit Mobilier Scandal

Union Pacific execs created fake construction company to steal profits and bribe Congress

Time Zones

Created by railroads in 1883 to standardize train schedules across the country

Social Darwinism

Economic theory that justified wealth inequality as natural selection in business

Laissez-Faire

Idea that government should not interfere with business practices

Monopoly

Complete control of an industry by a single company

Trust

Several companies run as one corporation to eliminate competition

Holding Company

A corporation that buys out other companies to form a monopoly

J.P. Morgan

Banker who formed U.S. Steel and used holding companies to consolidate industries

Blacklists

Lists of union members that employers refused to hire

Yellow-Dog Contracts

Agreements where workers pledged not to join unions

Scabs

Workers hired to replace strikers

Sweatshops

Poorly ventilated and dangerous workplaces with very low wages

Child Labor

Children worked long hours in unsafe conditions for little pay

Collective Bargaining

Negotiation between unions and employers over wages and conditions

Strike

Organized work stoppage to pressure employers for change

Employer Tactics

Lockouts, hiring scabs, blacklisting, and court injunctions

Union Tactics

Strikes, boycotts, protests, and collective bargaining

Panic of 1893

Economic depression caused by overbuilding and corporate debt; led to wage cuts and strikes

Impact of Railroads

Boosted industry, created time zones, and led to labor exploitation

Railroad Workers

Faced dangerous conditions and discrimination, especially Chinese immigrants

Company Town

Town owned by an employer where workers lived and paid rent to the company

Pullman, Illinois

Model company town that turned into a symbol of labor oppression

Women in Labor

Worked in factories and clerical jobs; joined unions and led protests

Pauline Newman

First female organizer for International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU); led 1909 garment workers' strike

Uprising of the 20,000

1909 strike of female garment workers demanding better pay and safety

Labor Reform

Unions led to laws limiting hours, improving safety, and restricting child labor

Haymarket Result

Labor movement lost public support after violence

Pullman Result

Strike crushed by troops; Debs imprisoned; workers blacklisted

Homestead Result

Union crushed after violent conflict; steel unions weakened for decades

1877 Strike Result

Military force ended strike; sparked national labor awareness

Why Pullman Was Unusual

A company town that strictly controlled workers' lives and behavior

Goal of Interstate Commerce Act

Federal oversight of railroad practices and fair pricing

Who Organized IWW

Founded by socialists and labor radicals including Big Bill Haywood

Purpose of Crédit Mobilier

Scam to defraud taxpayers and enrich railroad execs

What Trusts and Consolidation Reduced

Competition and consumer choice

Why Rockefeller Was a Robber Baron

Crushed competitors and exploited workers for profit

Why Carnegie Was a Captain of Industry

Gave away fortune and improved infrastructure

Why ICC Was Created

To regulate railroad abuses and protect consumers and farmers

How Carnegie Gained Steel Control

Bought out suppliers and competitors; vertical and horizontal integration

How Industrialists Used Sherman Act

Applied it against labor unions rather than big trusts

What Triangle Fire Revealed

Terrible factory conditions and lack of safety regulations