Railroads, Labor, and Social Reform Notes

Railroads

• Railroads in the West:

  • Positives: Transportation, opening up the West, economic opportunities, jobs, moving goods and people, expanding the West, and immigration.
  • Negatives: Impact on natives (loss of lands, called railroads the "iron horse"), treatment of farmers.
  • Destruction of the buffalo.

• Farmers and Railroads:

  • Farmers were often negatively impacted by railroads.
  • James J. Hill was an exception, offering discounts and rebates to farmers.

• Populist Party:

  • The mistreatment of farmers by railroads contributed to the establishment of the Populist Party.
  • The Grange: The social aspect of the Populist movement.
  • The Gullahs: The economic aspect of the Populist movement.

• Range Wars:

  • Conflicts arose between different economic ventures in the West (e.g., farmers putting up fences vs. cattle drives).
  • Opportunity and money attracted people to the West, but it was often a "wild West" environment.

• Standardized Time:

  • Railroads led to the creation of time zones and standardized time.

• Interstate Commerce Act (ICA) and Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC):

  • The ICC was created to control the railroads when they crossed state lines.
  • The ICC still exists today.
  • The effectiveness of government control was limited.

Industrialization and Labor

• Sherman Antitrust Act:

  • Initially ineffective and backfired, being used against labor unions.
  • Later strengthened by the Clayton Antitrust Act and Truman Antitrust Act.
  • If you're big, you're bad.

• Positives of Industrialization:

  • Increased standards of living, comforts, jobs, immigration, and standardized time.

• Negatives of Industrialization.

• National Labor Unions:

  • NLU (National Labor Union):
    • Included skilled, unskilled, and farmers.
    • Excluded immigrants, people of color, Southern Black farmers, women, and Chinese immigrants.
    • Did not last long due to exclusivity.
  • Knights of Labor:
    • Initially a secret club, but became more inclusive.
    • Excluded managers, owners, wealthy people, and nonproducers (e.g., gamblers).
  • American Federation of Labor (AFL):
    • More enduring and effective because of its focus on "bread and butter" issues.
    • Sought better wages, hours, and working conditions.
    • Less radical and focused on small changes within the existing system.

• Labor vs. Capital:

  • A cartoon depicts laborers holding up "fat cats" who are profiting from their work.

Booker T. Washington

• Advocated for self-help through developing skills and trades.
• Founded Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.
• Economic independence relies on the ability to be valuable economically.
• Focused on self-respect and skills rather than immediate integration.
• Similar to Malcolm X in advocating for separation and self-reliance.

W.E.B. Du Bois

• Advocated for immediate freedoms for the "talented tenth".
• Formed the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People).
• Earned a PhD at Harvard.
• Criticized Booker T. Washington as an "Uncle Tom" for accommodating segregation.

Women's Suffrage

• Seneca Falls Convention (1848): A kickoff event for the women's rights movement.
• National American Women's Suffrage Association:
  • Carrie Chapman Catt: A more pragmatic leader who argued for women's suffrage based on their impact on healthcare and education.
  • Focused on women's roles in social reforms, healthcare, and education to gain support.
• Western States:
  • First states to allow women to vote in federal elections.
  • Reasons: Fewer people, more women business owners, and more opportunities.

Temperance and Prohibition

• Temperance movement led to Prohibition.
• Eighteenth Amendment: Established Prohibition.
• Twenty-first Amendment: Repealed Prohibition, notably during FDR's New Deal.

Other Topics

• Abuse myths, Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West show, and circuses were popular forms of entertainment.
• Natives participated in these shows to earn money for their communities.