APUSH Chapter 16: Industrial America, Corporations and Conflicts

management revolution

(1800s) the ‘revolution’ that created internal structures in corporations and companies that allowed them to effectively manage/rank employees and track expenses

predatory pricing

a system in which a company sells below its production costs (taking losses, but losses that large companies can withstand) in order to drive competitors out of business before raising prices again

vertical integration

the system in which a company controls every stage of its product, from raw materials to finished goods

horizontal integration

the process of growing a company and controlling a market in which a company forces its rivals to merge both companies; this process was pioneered by John D. Rockefeller

trust

a group of associates who hold stock in several firms and and manage all the firms as one

“The Gospel of Wealth”

(1889) Andrew Carnegie’s argument in support of corporate titans who amassed great wealth, saying that it was due to “social fitness,” though he also advocated for the wealthy to donate their millions to the support of society and education

Social Darwinism

(late 1800s, early 1900s) applied the idea of ‘survival of the fittest’ to human society, argued that the ‘most fit’ became rich and the ‘least fit’ lived in poverty

robber barons

(late 1800s, early 1900s) an unfavorable term given to the corporate titans that arose in America during the era of industrialization

traveling salesman

(late 1800s, early 1900s) men that were hired to travel and advertise/sell their products to consumers or retailers who could put products in store

The Psychology of Advertising

(1908) Walter Dill Scott’s book that presented principles of selling to customers by using advertising that preyed on their fears, dreams, and perceived identities

deskilling

the system where workers create small, discrete parts of a product that are later assembled into a whole, which makes it easy and quick to mass create products

scientific management

a (somewhat failed) system of management in which all brain work is removed from mental labor, and employees are told what to do (without questions) by an expert who oversees them

New South

(post-Civil War) the effort to industrialize the South after the Civil War

Irish Potato Famine

(1845-1852) the potato crop failed in Ireland, causing millions to starve and more to migrate

Burlingame Treaty

(1868) a treaty between the U.S. and China that eased immigration restrictions and brought an influx of immigrants to the U.S.

Rock Springs massacre

(1885) an act of racial violence in which miners in Wyoming burned their local Chinatown and killed 28 Chinese men

Page Act

(1875) the law officially barred the import of prostitutes, but was used as an excuse to keep Chinese women from entering the country

Chinese Exclusion Act

(1882-1943) prevented Chinese laborers from immigrating/entering the United States

paper sons

(late 1800s, early 1900s) a practice in which Chinese Americans would claim Chinese immigrants as American-born family in order to avoid being deported

Great Railroad Strike of 1877

a nationwide strike comprised of thousands of railroad workers who were protesting wage cuts amid economic depression

Progress and Poverty

(1879) Henry George’s book that warned that Americans were too optimistic about industrialization and that it was driving a wedge through society

Greenback-Labor Party

(late 1800s) a political party that called on the government to protect worker rights and Reconstruction, to regulate corporations, and to increase the money supply to help out borrowers

producerism

(late 1800s) a system that economic wealth is created by workers and farmers, while merchants, bankers, and middlemen unfairly take wealth

Granger laws

(late 1800s) the first labor union that stretched across the nation, it kept membership open to people regardless of race, gender, or occupation (while still excluding Chinese immigrants)

Haymarket Square

(1886) a conflict in Chicago in which policemen and anarchist rebels were injured during a labor demonstration in which someone threw a bomb that killed several cops; this was blamed on the Knights of Labor

Farmers’ Alliance

(late 1800s) a movement founded in the late 1800s that pushed for cooperative stores to circumvent middlemen and advocated for the government to limit the power of railroads

Hatch Act

(1887) a law in response to farmer-laborer pressure that provided federal funding for research and education

Interstate Commerce Act

(1887) counteracted Supreme Court ruling Wabash v. Illinois that had struck down states’ ability to regulate railroads and established the ICC

Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC)

(established 1887) investigating interstate shipping and regulating companies and railroads

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

(established 1886) a union made of relatively skilled workers that sought to keep lower-wage workers out of the job market so that skilled workers kept bargaining power with employers to receive better pay and benefits