Effects of
Industrial Expansion
LAST SECTION of Chapter 16!!!!!
Effects of Industrial Expansion
 Changing American Life
 A Focus on Capitalism
 Government Regulation of Business
 The Interstate Commerce Act of 1887
 The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890
 The Development of Labor Unions
 The Knights of Labor
 The American Federation of Labor
 Responses to Unions
 Wealth and the Dangers of Materialism
Changing American Life
 First, America’s trade increased greatly.
 Second, the population in cities increased greatly.
 Third, industrialization magnified urban problems.
 Fourth, industrialism meant that Americans had more leisure time.
 Fifth, industrialism affected American family life.
A Focus on Capitalism
 Capitalism is an economic system in which people are free to
invest and make profits on their investments.
 Anyone can go into business and compete with others to make a
profit.
 Because the Fall has corrupted human nature, no human
endeavor escapes the effects of sin.
 People used Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution to defend the
idea that people can pile up wealth by any means they want.
 Applied socially, this thinking was called social Darwinism.
 In industry, social Darwinism held that driving weaker
competitors out of business was just a part of the struggle for
survival.
 Closely tied to capitalism is laissez-faire economics.
 Supporters of laissez-faire policies argued that government
regulation would disturb the fine balance between supply of
products and the public’s demand for those products.