Industrial Revolution Notes

Industrialization

The transition of America from agriculture to manufacturing, characterized by powered machinery and factories for mass production.

Invention

A new idea or product that contributes to technological advancement.

Innovation

Improvements made to an existing invention, enhancing its functionality or efficiency.

Labor

The workforce that significantly increased due to immigration, providing cheap labor to drive industrialization.

Raw Materials

Essential resources like coal, oil, and iron that fueled factories and were crucial for industrial growth.

Laissez-faire

An economic principle advocating minimal government regulation of businesses.

Patent

A legal protection for ideas and inventions that encourages innovation and progress.

Assembly Line

A production method where each worker performs a specific task, leading to mass production and increased efficiency.

Monopoly

Complete control over a service or product within a specific market area.

Trust

A business arrangement that merges smaller companies to eliminate competition.

Vertical Integration

A business strategy where a company controls all aspects of production from raw materials to finished products.

Horizontal Integration

A strategy where a company controls all operations at one stage of production, such as all steel mills.

Corporations

Business entities where investors purchase stock to raise capital for expansion.

Andrew Carnegie

A Scottish steel magnate who led the American steel industry and founded Carnegie Steel Corporation.

Social Darwinism

A theory opposed by Carnegie, suggesting that success comes from hard work without the need for intervention by the wealthy.

John D Rockefeller

America's first billionaire who revolutionized the oil refining industry through horizontal integration and trusts.

JP Morgan

A wealthy banker who invested in promising companies and played a key role in the success of Carnegie and Rockefeller.

New American Consumer Culture

The rise of chain stores and mail order catalogs that increased consumer options and advertising.

Railroad Company Corruption

Practices like pools and bribery that manipulated shipping rates and harmed competition.

Central Pacific and Union Pacific

Companies that built the Transcontinental Railroad, employing diverse immigrant labor.

Improvements of Railroads

Innovations such as air brakes and dining cars that enhanced railroad travel.

Bessemer Process

A method that allowed for mass production of steel, lowering costs and spurring industrial growth.

Gilded Age

A period marked by a superficial layer of wealth concealing widespread poverty.

Captains of Industry

Business leaders who positively transformed the economy through innovation and job creation.

Robber Barons

Ruthless businessmen who exploited workers and ignored poor working conditions for profit.

Innovations that Shaped Urbanization

Developments like electric lighting and intra-city transportation that transformed urban life.

Immediate Challenges of Urban Life

Issues such as congestion, pollution, crime, and disease in rapidly growing cities.

Where Immigrants Came From

Immigrants from Northern and Western Europe during the old immigration and Southern and Eastern Europe during the new immigration.

Immigrant Travel

Difficult conditions faced by immigrants, including cramped spaces and unsanitary environments on ships.

Arriving Immigrants

The rigorous checks faced by third-class passengers upon arrival, with 2% of people being sent back.

Immigrant Experience

Challenges like economic instability, low wages, and unsafe living conditions faced by immigrants in America.

KOL (Knights of Labor)

An organization advocating for workers' rights, including an eight-hour workday and equal pay.

AFL (American Federation of Labor)

A labor organization focused on economic gains without political involvement.

Collective Bargaining

Negotiation between employers and labor unions regarding wages and working conditions.

Scab/Strikebreaker

A person who works in place of striking employees, undermining labor actions.

Sherman Antitrust Act

Legislation aimed at investigating trusts and outlawing monopolies.

Effect of Rise of Corporations

The promotion of scientific advancements and increased capital investment in the economy.