The Second Industrial Revolution & Rise of Organized Labor

These flashcards review inventions, industrial titans, transportation advances, mail-order retail, labor conditions, major unions, and landmark strikes of the Second Industrial Revolution era.

What four main characteristics defined the Second Industrial Revolution in the United States?

1) National transportation and communications networks, 2) Widespread use of electricity, 3) Application of scientific research to industry, 4) A surge of inventors and inventions.

Which 1876 invention by Alexander Graham Bell revolutionized long-distance voice communication?

The telephone.

What company did Alexander Graham Bell’s technology lead to the founding of in 1885?

The American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T).

Name two seminal inventions produced by Thomas Edison in 1877 and 1879.

The phonograph (1877) and the practical incandescent light bulb (1879).

Which current type did Edison’s early electric company promote—direct current (DC) or alternating current (AC)?

Direct current (DC).

Which inventor and industrialist promoted alternating current and founded his own electric company in 1886?

George Westinghouse, founder of the Westinghouse Electric Company (AC system).

Who is known as the “Father of Modern Electricity” and designed the AC system later commercialized by Westinghouse?

Nikola Tesla.

List two unusual ‘fun facts’ about Nikola Tesla mentioned in the notes.

He knew eight languages and once built an earthquake machine after studying Earth’s resonant frequency.

What 1862 act spurred construction of America’s first transcontinental railroad?

The Pacific Railroads Act.

Where and when was the transcontinental railroad completed?

Promontory, Utah, on May 10, 1869.

By 1893, how many major transcontinental rail lines existed in the U.S.?

Five.

Which tycoon nicknamed the “Commodore” personally controlled more than 13,000 miles of railroad track?

Cornelius Vanderbilt.

What strategy did John D. Rockefeller use to dominate the oil industry by 1879?

He flooded markets with cheap oil to buy out rivals, achieving 90–95% control of U.S. oil refining (horizontal and vertical integration).

Approximately how much money did Rockefeller donate to philanthropic causes during his lifetime?

About $500 million.

Despite limited technical expertise, which industrialist drove U.S. steel production from 13,000 tons (1860) to 1.4 million tons (1880)?

Andrew Carnegie.

Which financier reorganized industries into large trusts, controlled one-sixth of U.S. railroads by the 1890s, and created the first billion-dollar firm?

J. P. Morgan, founder of United States Steel (1901).

How did Aaron Montgomery Ward revolutionize retail sales in the 1870s?

He introduced mail-order catalogs that sold goods ~40 % cheaper by cutting out middlemen and store overhead.

Which duo eclipsed Ward in the 1890s with a 786-page catalog and six million annual copies distributed?

Richard Sears and Alvah Roebuck.

What was the average adjusted hourly wage and workweek length for U.S. workers at the turn of the 20th century?

About $3.50 per hour (adjusted for inflation) and a 60-hour workweek.

By 1900 roughly how many child laborers (age 12–15) were working full-time in the United States?

About 2 million.

Name the first national labor organization founded in 1866 that pushed for an eight-hour workday and equal rights.

The National Labor Union.

Which inclusive labor group founded by Uriah S. Stephens in 1869 welcomed workers of all races and sexes?

The Knights of Labor.

Give two radical reforms advocated by the Knights of Labor.

Creation of a Bureau of Labor Statistics and equal pay for men and women (also an eight-hour workday).

Which craft-union federation founded in 1886 under Samuel Gompers focused on wages, hours, and working conditions?

The American Federation of Labor (AFL).

What 1877 conflict marked the first major nationwide strike in U.S. history?

The Railroad Strike of 1877.

The 1886 Haymarket Affair involved a bomb in Chicago during a labor protest. Which union’s members were blamed?

Members of the Knights of Labor.

Which 1892 strike at Carnegie’s Homestead Works led to a deadly clash with Pinkerton detectives and eventual defeat of the union?

The Homestead Strike.

What role did Eugene V. Debs play in the 1894 Pullman Strike?

He led the American Railway Union, whose boycott of Pullman cars escalated the conflict.

Why did the Pullman Strike prompt federal intervention?

Pullman attached his railcars to U.S. mail cars, making it a federal offense to block them; federal troops were then sent to restore order.