Corliss Engine, 1876
Its cylinders spun a flywheel 30 feet in diameter, weighing 56 tons, producing 2500 HP.
The Birth of Modern America
Industrialization:
Transformation of an economy from
an agricultural base to an industrial
base built on the mechanization of
labor, and the production of a new
product: steel.
“Genius is 1 percent inspiration, 99 percent perspiration.”
Thomas Alva Edison, 1847-1931:
During the 1790s, the U.S. Patent Office issued 276 patents for
inventions. In the 1890s, it issued 234,956. The late nineteenth
century was an era of invention. The most brilliant inventor
was “The Wizard of Menlo Park.” From his “invention
factory,” Edison patented more than a thousand inventions,
(e.g. incandescent light, phonograph, and kinetoscope). A
brilliant businessman, he started Edison Film Studio and one
of the world’s largest corporations, General Electric.
Thomas Edison Job Quiz
1. What city in the United States is noted for its laundry-machine making?
2. Who was Leonidas?
3. Who invented logarithms?
4. Where is Magdalena Bay?
5. What is the first line in the Aeneid?
6. What is the weight of air in a room 10 by 20 by 30 feet?
7. Who composed Il Trovatore?
8. What voltage is used on streetcars?
9. Which countries supply the most mahogany?
10. Who was the Roman emperor when Jesus Christ was born?
11. How many cubic yards of concrete in a wall 12 by 20 by 2 feet?
12. Who assassinated President Lincoln?
ANSWERS: 1. Newton, Iowa 2. Spartan general who died at Thermopylae 3. John Napier 4. Baja
California 5. Arma virumque cano, Troiae qui primus ab oris 6. Air at 0.075 pounds per cubic foot x
6,000= 450 pounds 7. Giuseppe Verdi 8. 600 volts, at the time 9. Brazil, Bolivia 10. Augustus 11. 17.78
cubic yards 12. John Wilkes Booth
Wright Brothers: Orville and Wilbur, inventors who ran a bicycle shop in Dayton,
Ohio, and develop the first successful aircraft, flying it in Kitty Hawk, NC, in 1903
Monopoly: One company or one person controlling an industry: Vertical Integration
involves control of entire production and distribution process of a good; Horizontal
Integration involves control of a sector or part of an industry through several companies
Cornelius Vanderbilt, 1794-1877: First gaining
wealth through government contracts after the War of
1812, he turned to railroads as a source for wealth.
He consolidated independent railroad lines to create
the New York Central Railroad. He gave $1 million to
Central University in Nashville which was renamed
Vanderbilt University.
At the time of his death, he was the richest man in
America.
His grandson, George Washington Vanderbilt, used
some family money to build the Biltmore Estate in
Asheville, NC
Andrew Carnegie, 1835-1919
Born poor in Scotland, he came to the U.S at the age of thirteen
and began work in a textile mill. At 14, he started as a telegraph
messenger, earning $2.50 per week. Within a few years, he was a
telegrapher, then secretary to district superintendent of the
Pennsylvania Railroad, then district superintendent himself.
During the Civil War, he developed a military telegraph system.
Later, he moved into steel. He bought Homestead Steel in 1882.
Over the next 20 years, he monopolized the industry, controlling
60% of nation’s steel business. In 1901, he formed U.S. Steel, the
largest corporation in the world at the time.
He proclaimed the wealthy are more fit, but argued that they
had to help the poor through philanthropy, charitable giving to
educational and cultural institutions. Among other efforts, he
donated some $55 million to build libraries around the world.
John D. Rockefeller, 1839-1937
In 1862, he invested in a kerosene refinery. By 1870, he
formed Standard Oil Co. of Ohio. Over the next two years,
the oil business grew and competition caused prices to
crash. Rockefeller brought order to the chaos by creating
state trusts. By 1880, he controlled 90% of oil refining and
distribution in the U.S., creating a monopoly through
vertical integration. The U.S. Supreme Court in 1911 broke
up Standard Oil for violating the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.
Hegave away enormous amounts of his wealth ($540
million) in philanthropy, especially to the University of
Chicago and the Rockefeller Foundation.
Urbanization: Transformation of American society from a rural base to an urban base.
Although it occurs at the same time as the next wave of immigration occurs, urbanization
is not caused by immigration.
Population of Largest Twenty-five Cities, 1860-1920
Rank
Year
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
10th
1860
813,669
565,529
266,661
212,418
177,840
81,129
1870
942,292
674,022
396,099
310,864
298,977
149,473
1880
1,206,299
847,170
566,663
503,185
362,839
216,090
1890
1,515,301
1,099,850
1,046,964
806,343
451,770
261,353
1900
3,437,202
1,698,575
1,293,697
575,238
560,892
325,902
1910
4,766,883
2,185,283
1,549,008
687,029
670,585
423,715
1920
5,620,048
2,701,705
1,823,779
993,078
796,841
576,673
Ellis Island:
Between 1870 and 1910, roughly 20 million
people immigrated to the U.S., nine million of
them between 1900 and 1910. Unlike earlier
waves of immigration, the “New Immigration”
came mostly from Eastern and Southern
Europe (Russian Jews, Poles, Czechs, Slovaks,
Serbs, Hungarians, Greeks, and Italians). The
tremendous numbers profoundly affected
American society, politics, and culture.
Most of the immigrants entered through the
Ellis Island Immigrant Station in New York
City. Opened in 1892, Ellis Island processed some 12
million people before it closed in 1954. In its busiest
year, 1907, more than a million people were processed;
on its busiest day, immigration officials processed
nearly 12,000 new arrivals.
Immigrants from Asia were processed through Angel
Island in San Francisco Bay.
“Give me your tired, your
poor, Your huddled masses
yearning to breathe free.”
A Gift From France, 1886
Politics in the Gilded Age
Political Machines: Political party organization
that controlled local or state government. Led by Party
“bosses, ” machines served the needs of immigrants,
providing them with jobs and contracts in return for
political support, but their means were often unethical
or illegal – using bribes, graft, and intimidation. The
most noted machines include: Tammany Hall in NYC.
Thomas Nast: Probably the most famous political
cartoonist in U.S. history. His drawings of Boss Tweed
illustrated the corruption of political machines. His
drawings, however, went beyond New York politics,
including this famous early rendition of Santa Claus.
Effects of Industrialization
Economic Crises and the Growth of Labor
Great Railroad Strike of 1877: 1st interstate labor strike. In all, 100,000 workers struck
from Pennsylvania to San Francisco. The strikes failed because they lacked coordination, but
scared big business and government, which sought to block labor organization and unions
Haymarket Riot: Amid the recession of the 1880s, strikers protested at the International
Harvester Co. in Haymarket Square, Chicago. Someone threw a bomb, killing a policeman.
The violence turned public opinion against the strikers.
“Sixteen Tons”
by Merle Travis as sung by
Tennessee Ernie Ford
Some people say a man is made out of mud
A poor man's made out of muscle and blood
Muscle and blood, skin and bones...
A mind that's weak and a back that's strong
Chorus:
You load sixteen tons, and what do you get?
another day older and deeper in debt
St. Peter, don't you call me, 'cause I can't go
I owe my soul to the company store
I was born one mornin' and the sun didn't shine
I picked up my shovel and I walked to the mine
I loaded sixteen tons of number nine coal and
the straw boss said, "well bless my soul!"
.....you loaded...
Chorus:
I was born one mornin' it was drizzlin' rain
fightin' and trouble are my middle name
I was raised in a cane-brake by an old mama lion
can't no high-toned woman make me walk no line
Chorus:
If you see me comin', better step aside
A lot of men didn't, a lot of men died
One fist of iron, the other of steel
If the right one don't get you, then the left one will
Chorus:
The Farmer’s Revolt
EVENTS
•Farmers overproduce crops
•Shipping prices increase
•Farmers borrow more money from banks
CAUSES
•New inventions and more efficient techniques are introduced
•A lack of competition exists among railroads
•Machines are needed
•Money is in short supply (Government tight-money policy)
EFFECTS
•Prices of farm products decline
•Farmers earnings decrease
•Farmers are unable to pay back loans
•Banks lend money to fewer farmers
The Rise and Fall of Populism
Populism, the Peoples’ Party: Political movement uniting Farmers and Labor. Meeting
in 1892, it created “the Omaha Platform,” calling for legal protection for industrial workers;
nationalization of railroads; “free” coinage of silver to inflate the economy; direct election of
U.S. Senators; and government control of telephone and telegraph industries. Populists
nominated James B. Weaver for POTUS in 1892.
Interstate Commerce Commission: Created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887,
it is the first federal government regulatory agency. Its mandate was to regulate interstate
trade, commerce, railroad rates, etc.
“The Consolidation Train”
Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890: Law banning monopolies in interstate commerce.
Supreme Court rulings in the 1890s weakened the law. It was not actively enforced until
the early 1900s, notably in the case of U.S. v. American Tobacco Co. (1911), which broke up
James Buchanan Duke’s monopoly on cigarette production.
Coxey's Army: The Depression of the 1890s devastated the whole country, but farmers
and unskilled workers, in particular; millions were unemployed. In 1894, Jacob S. Coxey
led a march of unemployed people to Washington to demand bimetalism and other relief
in the Populist platform. When they arrived in Washington, Coxey was arrested.
The march may have been the inspiration for the children's book The Wizard of Oz.
Progressivism (1890s-1920):
The Progressive Era marked the coming together of various reform movements designed to
increase democratic participation, to clean up government, to increase the standard of living
of the poor, to improve industrial output and working conditions, and to make the U.S. a
more moral and healthful nation.
The policies began the transformation of federalism in America. The changes expanded the
responsibilities and power of the national government, particularly its economic power. The
national government began regulating the economy to create a more level playing field for
workers and competing businesses. It included reform of voting practices: direct election of
Senators (17th Amendment); suffrage for women (19th Amendment); etc.
Social reforms included: Prohibition, banning the sale and manufacture of alcoholic
beverages (18th Amendment); government aid to the poor; public works, such as sewers and
water treatment, to improve health and hygiene in cities.
Economic and business reforms included: Taylorism; reorganization of the banking system
(Federal Reserve System); trust-busting; child labor laws; consumer protection laws; and a
federal income tax (after ratification of the 16th Amendment) to pay for it all.
African Americans were left out of reforms; indeed, for many blacks conditions got worse.
Henry Ford: Inventor of the Assembly Line.
Ford Motor Co. revolutionized the automobile
industry by bringing the auto to the worker
rather than the worker to the auto. In 1908, Ford
began selling a low-priced peoples' car, the
Model T (a.k.a. “Tin Lizzie”), for $850. Because
of improvements in production, it profitably for
$290 in 1924
Muckraking: An aggressive type of investigative journalism to expose flaws in American
society.
Noted muckrakers included: Upton Sinclair -- The Jungle (meat-packing industry); John
Spargo -- The Bitter Cry of Children (child labor ); and Jacob Riis -- How the Other Half Lives
(urban poverty and health issues).
5¢ Lodging, New York (1890s)
The Breakers Mansion,
Vanderbilt Family
Newport (1890s)
Theodore Roosevelt (T.R.): A larger
than life figure: born to wealth in New York
City (1858), a sickly boy, he built himself into
a robust physical dynamo.
He gained national celebrity as hero of the
Spanish-American War in Cuba, leading the
Rough Riders up San Juan Hill, and won the
Republican Vice-POTUS nomination in 1900.
When William McKinley was assassinated,
TR became the youngest ever to be POTUS
(1901-1909). He advanced a conservative
Progressive agenda, dramatically enlarging
the powers of the president. He became a
beloved symbol of national power and unity.
He promised a reform agenda: regulating trusts,; consumer protection laws, such as the Pure
Food and Drug Act; and conservation, creating more national parks system and setting up
the U.S. Forest Service.
Following precedent, TR retired after his second term. His hand-picked successor, William Howard Taft,
won election and TR went on safari. In 1910, he returned and found that Taft had not lived up to his
expectations. So he set out to return to the White House in 1912. With Republicans divided, Woodrow
Wilson won. He remained in the public eye, particularly as a critic of Wilson. Weakened by recurring bouts
of malaria (from Panama), and the death of his son in the war, he died in his sleep on January 5, 1919.
As “trust-buster,” writer, conservationist, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, and more, TR is considered one
of the top five Presidents in U.S. history – his face is on Mt. Rushmore.
The Jungle
A full hour before the party reached the city they had begun to note the perplexing changes in the
atmosphere. It grew darker all the time, and upon the earth the grass seemed to grow less green. . . .
And along with the thickening smoke they began to notice another circumstance, a strange, pungent
odor. . . . The new emigrants were still tasting it, lost in wonder, when suddenly the car came to a halt,
and the door was flung open, and a voice shouted--"Stockyards!" . . .
There is over a square mile of space in the yards, and
more than half of it is occupied by cattle pens . . .
"And what will become of all these creatures?" cried
Teta Elzbieta. "By tonight," Jokubas answered, "they
will all be killed and cut up; and over there on the
other side of the packing houses are more railroad
tracks, where the cars come to take them away. . . .
They don't waste anything here," said the guide, and
then he laughed and added a witticism, "They use
everything about the hog except the squeal."
It was a long, narrow room . . . At the head there was a great iron
wheel, about twenty feet in circumference, with rings here and
there along its edge. . . . It began slowly to revolve, and then the
men upon each side of it sprang to work. They had chains which
they fastened about the leg of the nearest hog, and the other end
of the chain they hooked into one of the rings upon the wheel.
So, as the wheel turned, a hog was suddenly jerked off his feet
and borne aloft. At the same instant the car was assailed by a
most terrifying shriek. . . . The shriek was followed by another,
louder and yet more agonizing-- for once started upon that
journey, the hog never came back; at the top of the wheel he was
shunted off upon a trolley, and went sailing down the room.
Durham advertised "potted chicken,“ . . . Perhaps they had a secret
process for making chickens chemically. . . . The things that went into
the mixture were tripe, and the fat of pork, and beef suet, and hearts of
beef, and finally the waste ends of veal, when they had any. They put
these up in several grades, and sold them at several prices . . . All this
ingenious mixture was ground up and flavored with spices to make it
taste like something. . . .
Of the butchers and floorsmen, the beef-boners and trimmers, and all those who used knives, you could
scarcely find a person who had the use of his thumb; time and time again the base of it had been slashed,
till it was a mere lump of flesh against which the man pressed the knife to hold it. . . . There were the
wool-pluckers, whose hands went to pieces even sooner than the hands of the pickle men; for the pelts
of the sheep had to be painted with acid to loosen the wool, and then the pluckers had to pull out this
wool with their bare hands, till the acid had eaten their fingers off. . .
Worst of any, however, were men who worked in tank rooms full of steam, and in some of which there
were open vats near the level of the floor, their peculiar trouble was that they fell into the vats; and when
they were fished out, there was never enough of them left to be worth exhibiting,--sometimes they
would be overlooked for days, till all but the bones of them had gone out to the world as Durham's Pure
Leaf Lard!
Meat Inspection Act of 1906: Sinclair had hoped to reform conditions for workers in
meatpacking plants, but his muckraking led to the first consumer protection laws.
Woodrow Wilson: Democrat, POTUS 1913-1921.
Born in Staunton, Virginia, raised in Georgia and South Carolina, he
was the first southerner to become POTUS since before the
Civil War, having benefited from the split in the Republican
vote between TR and William H. Taft in the 1912 election.
He was a liberal Progressive reformer. He proved to be a
stronger trustbuster than TR. He also lowered tariffs,
replacing revenue with an income tax; and oversaw creation
of the Federal Reserve System, and passage of federal
highway and child labor laws.
On the downside, he racially segregated government offices.
Child Labor Laws: In the early 1900s, about 1.5 million workers in the U.S. were under
the age of 16. Progressives wanted to end child labor because it not only hurt children, but
also older workers because young workers kept wages down for all. In 1904, reformers
established the National Child Labor Committee to lobby governments. In 1916, Congress
enacted the Keating-Owen Child Labor Act, banning interstate commerce of any item made
by laborers under 14 years old. That law was ruled unconstitutional in 1918 in the case of
Hammer v. Dagenhart where a Charlotte, NC, father sued to have his two sons work with him
in the mill.
Women’s Suffrage Movement
The women’s fight for the suffrage began at the Seneca Falls Convention.
Wyoming became the first state to grant women the vote, in 1869.
The women’s suffrage movement remained stagnant until Progressivism caused many
middle-class women to realize that they needed the vote to influence reform legislation.
As WWI threatened the U.S., women pressured the Democratic Party to add a suffrage plank
to the party’s platform in 1916. After the U.S. entered the war in 1917, the fact that more
women were now working in war industries finally tipped the balance. In 1918, Congress
passed the 19th Amendment and in 1920 women finally got the vote nationwide