US History I Set II : The Second Industrial Revolution

Causes of Industrial and Technological Growth

Combination of natural resources (coal, iron, oil), inventions (steel, telegraph, electricity), railroads, growing urban workforce, and pro business government policies.

Who were key figures in the Second Industrial Revolution?

Entrepreneurs (Carnegie, Rockefeller), inventors, government, immigrant workers.

When did the Second Industrial Revolution occur?

Post civil war, 1865-1900.

Where did the Second Industrial Revolution primarily take place?

Industrial hubs in the northeast, midwest and urban centers.

Why did the Second Industrial Revolution happen?

Demand for goods, national economic growth, global competition.

Impact of the Second Industrial Revolution

Rapid industrialization, urban population growth, massive wealth for industrialists, exploitation of workers, rise of monopolies, and set stage for labor movements.

Henry Bessemer and Steel

Developed a cheaper and faster way to make steel through the Bessemer process.

Who adapted the Bessemer process in the US?

Andrew Carnegie.

When was the Bessemer process developed?

1850s → 1870s.

Where was the Bessemer process initially developed?

Initially UK but applied in Pittsburgh steel mills.

Why was the Bessemer process important?

Need stronger and cheaper steel for railroads, bridges, buildings, and industrial expansion.

Impact of the Bessemer process

Enabled skyscrapers, railroads, bridges, fueled the industrial boom, created harsh working conditions.

The Transcontinental Railroad

Railroad connecting Eastern US to West Coast, facilitating transport of goods and people.

When was the Transcontinental Railroad completed?

1869.

Where did the Transcontinental Railroad connect?

Omaha, Nebraska → Sacramento, California.

Why was the Transcontinental Railroad built?

Economic expansion, western settlement, faster transportation.

Impact of the Transcontinental Railroad

Linked markets, encouraged westward expansion, destroyed Native lands, accelerated industrialization.

Robber Barons

Negative aspect/name for business leaders criticized for exploiting workers, forming monopolies and influencing government.

Captains of Industry

Leaders who advanced the US economy and often donated wealth to society.

Andrew Carnegie

Built steel empire, donated wealth to libraries, education, and cultural institutions.

John D. Rockefeller

Created monopoly in oil, controlled refining and distribution.

JP Morgan

Consolidated railroads, lent money to the government, reorganized corporations.

Cornelius Vanderbilt

Built railroad empire, connected major US cities.

Philanthropist

Donated wealth to public projects, education, and social causes.

Capitalism

Economic system with private ownership of businesses and free markets.

Laissez-Faire

Minimal regulation of business, Free market philosophy.

Trust and monopolies

Business structures eliminating competition to control entire industries.

Labor Unions

Groups organizing collective bargaining for wages, hours, and conditions.

Industrial working conditions

Unsafe, long hours (12-16 hrs), low wages, child labor common.

Pullman strike (1894)

Strike over wage cuts, high rents in company town, national rail disruption.

Haymarket Strike (1886)

Protest for 8 hour workday; Bomb killed police during rally.

Homestead strike (1892)

Strike over wage cuts, violent clash at steel plant.