Industrialization and Labor Unions

Iron Colt

Nickname for the railroad network in the late 1800s

Iron Horse

Term used to describe the rapid expansion of the railroad network

Congress

Legislative body that subsidized railroad construction projects and granted public land to railroad companies

Transcontinental Railroad

Railroad that connected the East and West coasts of the United States, completed in 1869

Union Pacific Railroad

Company selected by Congress to construct the western portion of the transcontinental railroad, starting in Omaha, Nebraska

Central Pacific Railroad

Company responsible for laying track on the California side of the transcontinental railroad

Big Four

Refers to the four chief financial backers of the Central Pacific Railroad

Northern Pacific Railroad

Transcontinental railroad running from Lake Superior to Puget Sound, completed in 1883

Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe

Transcontinental railroad running from Topeka to California, completed in 1884

Southern Pacific

Transcontinental railroad stretching from New Orleans to San Francisco, completed in 1884

Great Northern

Transcontinental railroad running from Duluth to Seattle, completed in 1893

Cornelius Vanderbilt

Businessman who amassed wealth by improving the Eastern railroads

Steel Rail

Innovation that revolutionized the development of railroads

Standard Gauge

Advancement that standardized the width of railroad tracks, enabling efficient transportation

Industrialization

Stimulation of the country's industrial growth facilitated by the railroad

Immigration

Increased influx of people stimulated by the expansion of the railroad network

Time Zones

Creation of standardized time divisions to ensure accurate scheduling and prevent accidents on rail lines

Stock Watering

Practice of inflating claims about a railroad company's assets and profits to deceive investors when selling stocks and bonds

Bribery

Unethical practice of railroad titans bribing judges and legislatures to gain unfair advantages

Monopoly

Situation where railroad kings manipulate a huge natural monopoly, exerting excessive control over people's lives

Pools

Agreements between railroad companies to divide business in a given area and share profits

Government Regulation

Response to protests by farmers and the depression of the 1870s, leading to the enactment of the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887

Interstate Commerce Act

Legislation that prohibited rebates and pools, required railroads to publish rates openly, and established the Interstate Commerce Commission

Telephone

Invention by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876, revolutionizing communication

Electric Light Bulb

Invention by Thomas Alva Edison in 1879, transforming the way people illuminate their surroundings

Andrew Carnegie

Steel tycoon who employed vertical integration and founded the United States Steel Corporation

John D. Rockefeller

Oil magnate who established the Standard Oil Company and utilized horizontal integration

J. Pierpont Morgan

Banker who implemented interlocking directorates and played a key role in the formation of the United States Steel Corporation

Bessemer Process

Simplified steel production process that significantly reduced the cost of steel

James Buchanan Duke

Entrepreneur who founded the American Tobacco Company in 1890

Trusts

Monopolistic organizations that emerged in various industries, consolidating power and stifling competition

Gospel of Wealth

Ideology used by the wealthy to justify their financial success and argue for philanthropy

Sherman Anti-Trust Act

Legislation passed in 1890 to prohibit anti-competitive business activities and investigate trusts

Southern Industrialization

Challenges and obstacles faced by the South in the process of industrialization

Impact of Industrial Revolution

Transformation of the workforce and the replacement of agriculture with manufacturing as a result of the Industrial Revolution

Labor Unions

Organizations formed to protect the rights and interests of workers in the face of industrialization

Knights of Labor

Labor union that succeeded the National Labor Union but lost public support after the Haymarket Square incident

American Federation of Labor

Federation of self-governing unions, led by Samuel Gompers, that aimed to secure better wages and working conditions

Labor Day

National holiday created by Congress in 1894 to honor the contributions of workers