US History II
Unit 1: American Economic & Industrial Growth (1870-1920)
Day 1:
Essential Question: Have developments in transportation, communication, urbanization,
and industry had positive or negative effects on American culture and society?
Assignment: Answer Unit Questions # 1-9
Do Now!! Define economic well-being. Compare rich countries to poor countries.
Factors of Production:
A. raw materials, B. labor force, C. education, research, and technology, D. equipment,
machinery, and factories, E. entrepreneurs, F. mass markets
After the Civil War, we say that the country rapidly became “industrialized”… What
does that mean? What is needed to get to that point?
Day 2:
Essential Question: Have developments in transportation, communication, urbanization,
and industry had positive or negative effects on American culture and society?
Assignment: Answer Unit Questions # 10-12
Coal--- was used to make steel, fuel for heating, and to run steam engines (rail and boat)
Oil--1840, distill kerosene from oil… What effect might this have on whaling industry?
(2007 found a grey whale with harpoon from 1880s) Moby Dick & Herman Melville
1851 New England Whaling Industry 1820-1860
1859, Edwin Drake first used a steam engine to drill for oil. Western Pennsylvania (In
those days they used to throw gasoline away as a volatile byproduct)
1859, John D. Rockefeller (about 20 years old) set up his first oil refinery in
Cleveland, Ohio (a railroad and canal hub)
1870, Rockefeller founded Standard Oil Company (He was the first American
billionaire and after adjusting for inflation was probably the richest man to have ever
lived) pollution levels very high.. air and water… Cuyahoga River on fire 1936, ’52, ‘69
(Standard Oil with 70% of refineries was determined to be a monopoly in 1911 broken
up- Conoco, Amoco, Chevron, Exxon, Mobil, Pennzoil… he was worth 5X more after)
Iron/Steel--1709, Abraham Darby, iron worker in England, found a way to smelt (burn off
impurities using coke and forced air) iron in order to produce cast iron… this allowed for
consistency in iron parts for improvements on the steam engine. (James Watt)
1850, Henry Bessemer created the Bessemer Steel Process… injecting air into molten
iron… burned off just the right amount of carbon and allowed for adding other metals
New Uses: railroads, barbed wire, John Deere farm equip., construction- Brooklyn
Bridge 1883 (PT Barnum elephants) 1884 William Le Barron Jenny Chicago Home Ins
Build skyscraper.. 10 stories high—before this, the tallest was brick, 17 stories, 6ft thick,
it sank… steel 1/3 the weight
Concrete--1824, Joseph Aspdin, a British Bricklayer from Leeds, first manufactures Portland
Cement (extremely high compressive strength)
Day 3:
Essential Question: Have developments in transportation, communication, urbanization,
and industry had positive or negative effects on American culture and society?
Assignment: Answer handout Industry questions.
Telegraph (electric)--1837, Samuel Morse… 1861, cross country… 1866, transatlantic
Telephone--1876, telephone invented by Alexander Graham Bell (William Orton of Western
Union Telegraph refused to buy the patent for $100,000- said it was a useless toy… Bell
Telephone grew into AT&T)
Compare to modern communications breakthroughs (effects on markets).
1876, Thomas Edison set up a laboratory in Menlo Park, NJ
Shortly after, improved the generator to produce DC electric (but needed power stations
every 2 miles or so) competed with Tesla (worked for Edison but quit) who wanted to
use the less cumbersome AC; Edison began electrocuting animals with AC to “prove”
how dangerous it was
1880, he invented the light bulb (helps finally destroy the whaling industry, and puts a
dent in kerosene)… but Tesla, with George Westinghouse, developed a safe, cheap way
to produce and distribute AC electric power (made good use of the steam engine)
1890, Edison forms General Electric… the uses of electricity are countless today, but
by the 1890s there were already many uses: fans, appliances, streetcars, also affected
where businesses could locate (away from water)
Day 4:
Essential Question: Have developments in transportation, communication, urbanization,
and industry had positive or negative effects on American culture and society?
Assignment: Answer handout Industry questions.
Steam Engine--- 1765-1776, James Watt, Scottish engineer (idea of horsepower and
watt) had an efficient working model (using consistently made cast iron parts)
Boats…
1787, Robert Fulton was running commercial steamers on the Hudson River.
1819, the SS Savannah went across the Atlantic, Georgia to Liverpool, England
Trains…
1830s, Horatio Allen imported the first steam locomotive from Britain, by 1856 rails
extended to the Mississippi R.
1869, First transcontinental railroad Central Pacific and Union Pacific met at
Promontory, Utah (by 1860, there were 30,000 miles of track, by 1890 there was 7 times
as much)
Who laid the track? Chinese in the west, Irish in the east, died by the thousands (whites
10 hour days $50/month; Chinese dawn to dusk $35/month… sometimes in 40 ft. snow)
What time was it??? Maine to California, change your watch more than 20 times; every
community had its own time (Wisconsin had 38 times)
1870, Professor C.F. Dowd proposed 24 time zones… railroad companies adopted on
Nov. 18, 1883… Congress didn’t adopt until 1918… How do railroads promote trade and
interdependence?
1880, George Pullman, sleeper and luxury cars
How did developments in communication and transportation affect the unity of America?
How did they help create mass markets?
Day 5:
Essential Question: Have developments in transportation, communication, urbanization,
and industry had positive or negative effects on American culture and society?
Assignment: Answer handout industry questions # 13-18.
In 1862, Homestead Act granted 160 acres free to anyone that would farm. But??
Needed a way to get their grain to markets in the cities, so… 1862, Pacific Railroad Act
gave huge loans and land giveaways to the railroads…. By 1900, 500,000 families set up
farms, after Civil War US turned its attention to killing Native Americans and bison
Beneficial effects of Industry on Ranchers and Farmers…
--- Farmers…
Railroad (transportation to market), barbed wire, plows, reapers, steel windmills, urban
populations needed food
--- Ranchers…
Industrialization had mostly a positive effect on cattle ranching. Growing cities
demanded more and more beef. Ranchers would round up free grazing longhorn cattle in
South Texas, and drive herds north on the Chisholm Trail from San Antonio to Abilene,
Kansas. In Kansas, Joseph McCoy set up stockyards and worked with railroads heading
to places like K.C., St. Louis, Chicago, etc. Later, they used barbed wire to fence off
large ranches, buy grazing lands, and raise meatier breeds of cattle.
Day 6:
Essential Question: Have developments in transportation, communication, urbanization,
and industry had positive or negative effects on American culture and society?
Assignment: Students use textbook to answer handout questions # 19-24
Between 1870 and 1920, about 20 million Europeans came to the US… Why do you
think the US allowed so many immigrants to come during this time period?
Before 1890- most from Northern and Western Europe (England, Ireland, Germany)
After 1890- most from Southern and Eastern Europe (Italy, Austria-Hungary Slavs,
Russian Jews fleeing pogroms)
On the West Coast… many came from China, Japan, and Mexico
How did they get here? Cheap steamship. The US exported bulky raw materials to
Europe in return for luxury goods like china, linens, and wines—this left plenty of room
for passengers. Crossing the Atlantic took 1 week; crossing the Pacific took 3 weeks. It
was crowded, uncomfortable, and below deck there was a lot of disease.
Ellis Island—more than 5 hours of physical exams, literacy tests, mental tests, and had to
have at least $25
Angel Island—San Francisco was a bit more like a prison
Problems faced: culture shock, con men and thieves, nativism, generation gap
All looking for the “American Dream”… to better deal with problems, immigrants
formed ethnic communities, and little by little America became known as a melting pot
From 1870-1920, the US urban population jumped from 10 to 54 million… Why?
People looking for industrial jobs—not as much farm labor needed due to farm machines
such as the McCormick Reaper; many farm workers were African Americans from the
South looking for jobs AND to escape discrimination (The Great Migration 1910-1920);
immigrants came by the millions (by 1890 there were twice as many Irish in NY as
Dublin; the largest Polish population was not Warsaw but Chicago)
…Transportation—walking and horses evolved into mass transit; horse-drawn streetcar
led to electric streetcar (about 1888)… this allowed for suburbs
…Steel and concrete allowed for vertical increases in cities
The Importance of Education
Ex. US Commissioner of Education (1889-1906), William Harris, pointed out that public
school was the training ground for citizenship and democracy, and preparation for
jobs in an industrialized world. He pushed states to require more mandatory education
laws, and longer school years. By 1895, most states required education until 14 years
old, and a 12-16 week school year. By 1900, almost 75% of kids went to school.
…Thousands of cities began to open public libraries… they provided the land and tax
revenue to pay for books and librarians.
More Innovations in Fuel and Transportation
Oil--Refining gave us fuel for lamps and furnaces, ultimately gasoline and diesel for the
internal combustion engine.
Internal Combustion Engine…
late 1870s, Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz made improved engines
1885, Benz made the first automobile
1892, Rudolf Diesel designs the diesel engine,
early 1900s, Americans begin mass producing- first Ransom Olds then Henry Ford
…gasoline and diesel fuel become extremely important, huge boost to refinery industry
Ex. Taylor’s management ideas were used by Henry Ford. In 1913, he brought in the
assembly line to Ford Motor Co. in Michigan… it was boring and a bit dangerous, but the
workday was cut to 8 hours, and pay was $5/day- twice as much as other industrial
workers… production of the Model T went from 14 man-hours to 2 man-hours (Ford’s
first car built in a shed in 1896 wouldn’t fit out the door… to buy a Ford in 1914 it cost
$850, in 1926 it cost $350) Most Ford workers could finally buy a Ford.
Airplanes—first flight by the Wright Brothers in 1903 for 59 seconds… no one cared or
believed it when it happened; by 1918 it was carrying mail, and used in WWI
Day 7:
Essential Question: Have developments in transportation, communication, urbanization,
and industry had positive or negative effects on American culture and society?
Assignment: Study for unit test. Answer handout questions #25-29.
Big Business: Its Structure & Ideology….
Andrew Carnegie- came from Scotland in 1848 at age 13, he worked for the
Pennsylvania Railroad and was able to leave in 1865 because of good stock investments.
He got involved with steel rail production, and invested in Bessemer Converters in
massive plants outside of Pittsburgh. By 1899, Carnegie Steel produced more than all of
the UK. He used vertical integration (coal, rail, towns) and horizontal consolidation He
became the 2nd wealthiest person in history, sold to US Steel in 1901 (JP Morgan)
1859, John D. Rockefeller (about 20 years old) set up his first oil refinery in
Cleveland, Ohio (a railroad and canal hub)
1870, Rockefeller founded Standard Oil Company (He was the first American
billionaire and after adjusting for inflation was probably the richest man to have ever
lived) pollution levels very high.. air and water… Cuyahoga River on fire 1936, ’52, ‘69
(Standard Oil with 70% of refineries was determined to be a monopoly in 1911 broken
up- Conoco, Amoco, Chevron, Exxon, Mobil, Pennzoil… he was worth 5X more after)
… actually one reason for the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 was to make sure
monopolies didn’t stifle competition… this law was largely ignored
*** Concerns with wealth and big business include: monopoly and price control;
treatment of workers; influence over government and politics
Day 8:
Essential Question: Have developments in transportation, communication, urbanization,
and industry had positive or negative effects on American culture and society?
Assignment: Study for unit test.
Ideas and Influences Behind American Imperialism…
Imperialism- the policy in which a stronger country extends its economic, political, or
military control over weaker territory and its people. This was a European trend
throughout the 1700s, 1800s, and early 1900s.
By the late 1800s, as the US became more developed economically, the idea of outward
expansion became more popular. At the time, the Europeans were essentially dividing up
control over Asia and Africa. A popular phrase was, “The Sun never sets on the British
Empire.” --- under Queen Victoria (r. 1837-1901) ¼ of the world’s land.
Influences in the late 1800s:
1. Thirst For New Markets—
By 1876, US became a net exporter. The development of foreign markets loomed
large in business thinking. The need for an outlet for US surplus was urgent, and it
seemed like future consumers were not Europeans, but undeveloped parts of the world…
especially China. From 1870 to 1900, US GDP increased 4X, Industrial Output 5X.
2. Desire For Strategic Military Holdings--Admiral Alfred T. Mahan wrote an important book The Influence of Sea Power Upon
History (1890)… he taught that the oceans should not be seen as a barrier, but as a “great
highway”. He argued for a strong Navy to protect commercial shipping lanes. Rather
than having colonies, he suggested that bases for refueling and repair would be more
efficient for protecting US trade. He called for a canal across Panama so East Coast
industry could compete w/ Europe for East Asia markets. To protect the canal, the US
would need bases in the Caribbean Sea. For Pacific control, he wanted to annex Hawaii.
Politicians like Teddy Roosevelt loved Mahan’s ideas. US began building the 3rd largest
navy, including 9 steel-hulled battleships that’d eventually (under Roosevelt) be part of
the “Great White Fleet”.
American Imperialism in Practice- The Case of Hawaii…
“Discovered” by Captain Cook in 1778, merchants stopped on the way to China and
India since the 1790s. It was quickly realized how perfect the natural conditions were for
growing sugar cane and other fruits. This soon attracted many American planters, and
investors… there was a lot of money wrapped up in Hawaii.
Important Events:
…1875- treaty setting up trade partnership with the US
…1887- treaty gives the US naval rights to Pearl Harbor
…1891- Queen Liliuokalani. Her main goal was to abolish the property requirement
for voting. (Essentially she wanted to expand democracy in her country… Why was
this seen as a bad thing by businessmen?)
…1893- Businessmen organized a revolt against the Queen. The Marines were
brought in to maintain order. Sanford Dole was set up as president.
American Imperialism In Practice—The Case of The Spanish-American War…
By 1825, Spain had lost most of its power, and colonies often pushed for independence.
Cuba was particularly rebellious with frequent uprisings. The Spanish attempted to crush
these uprisings with brutality. Often, American citizens were arrested in the process, and
American-owned property was often destroyed. These Americans were in Cuba to run
sugar business in which American businesses had long been invested.
In 1897, the US threatened Spain that if it could not restore stability quickly, the US
would intervene to create peace. This made the rebels even bolder, and they demanded
nothing less than independence.
April 20, 1898, America went to war with Spain
This all ended by 1902. Spain had ceded Puerto Rico, Guam, Philippines, and Cuban
independence with the US having a permanent lease on Guantanamo Bay… and Hawaii
was finally annexed at the same time.
American Imperialism In Practice----The Case of Central America…
Panama was part of Colombia, but in the early 1900s, the US decided it wanted to dig a
canal there, so it attempted to negotiate w/ Colombia… this didn’t work, so President
Roosevelt organized a rebellion in Panama (in the presence of 12 US warships) Panama
got its independence and the US got control over a 10-mile wide “canal zone” (in 1921,
the US paid Colombia $25 million) How did this fit with the goals of Admiral Mahan??
It took 10 years, $400 million, 5600 workers (4500 African American) died, but August
1914, the Canal was ready.
Teddy Roosevelt— The Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine—“Speak softly
and carry a big stick”… he said it was the duty of “all civilized and orderly powers
to insist on the proper policing of the world.”