Unit 6
The Post Civil War Years
U.S. HISTORY
The Post Civil War Years
 SSUSH11: Describe the growth of big
business and technological innovations after
Reconstruction.
Industrial Growth
 Railroads and the West
 Railroads played a major role in this industrial growth
and expansion west
???????HOW???????
 Farmers, ranchers had easier access to eastern
markets
 Union Pacific (eastern company) and Central Pacific
(Sacramento, CA company) built the transcontinental
railroad
 The two companies joined their tracks at Promontory, Utah in
1869
 Large numbers of Irish and Chinese immigrants helped build
the railroad – very dangerous, many died or were injured
Industrial Growth
 Railroads and Big Business
 Railroads contributed to rise of the steel industry
and big business
 Henry Bessemer developed a method for making
steel known as the Bessemer process
 Steel could be made cheaper, became more
affordable – leading to faster expansion of railroads
and constructions
 Buildings became taller (skyscrapers)
Industrial Growth
 Giants of Big Business
 A few men got rich developing the railroad industry –
known as “robber barons”
 Crooked in their dealings
 Cornelius Vanderbilt: extended his New York Central
railroad to reach Chicago in 1869
 Andrew Carnegie dominated the steel industry
 Sold his business to J.P. Morgan for $500 million – Carnegie
became the richest man in the world
Industrial Growth
 Giants of Big Business Continued…
 John D. Rockefeller established the
nation’s first trust, Standard Oil (a trust
is a business arrangement under which a
number of companies unite into one
system)
 Trusts destroy competition by creating
monopolies (only one supplier of a
product)
 Used vertical integration – one corporation
owns the company that produced the
finished product and that provides the
necessary materials
Industrial Growth
 Thomas Edison
 Most impactful inventor
 Phonograph recorded sound
 Motion picture camera eventually made movies
possible
 most remembered for the Electric light bulb
 Transformed people’s lives; could work at night in
factories, homes, offices
 Came up with the idea for central power companies
Review
 Please put all text books under the desks (not on
the floor) and put EOCT books back on the table
by the door.
 1. What role did railroads play in opening the
West and contributing to the rise of big business?
 2. Chinese and Irish immigrants are remembered
for




A. their contributions to the steel industry.
B. their contributions to building the nation’s railroads.
C. their refusal to work for giant’s of big business.
D. working together to found the nation’s first trust.
Review
 3. John D. Rockefeller dominated the oil industry
by
 A. refusing to use railroads to ship his products.
 B. focusing only on oil production and allowing other
people’s companies to supply him with the materials
he needed for production.
 C. establishing a trust.
 D. hiring large numbers of Chinese workers.
 4. Describe the impact of Thomas Edison’s light
bulb.
Western Growth
 SSUSH12: Analyze important consequences
of American industrial growth.
 c. Describe the growth of the western
population and its impact on Native
Americans with reference to Sitting Bull and
Wounded Knee.
Western Growth
 Reasons for Moving West
 Religious faith – Christian missionaries
attempted to spread their message to Native
Americans
 Mormons moved west to escape persecution
 Gold motivated others (California Gold Rush of
1849)
 Became the leading reason for conflict
between white settlers and Native
Americans
 Available land also drew people west
California Gold Rush
Western Growth
 Farming, Ranching, and Mining
 Settlers had to live in sod houses
 John Deere’s steel plow allowed farmers to
plant crops in the Midwest and plains by
enabling them to cut through the tough prairie
sod
 Windmills allowed farmers to harness the
wind’s power to pump water to the surface
 Railroads allowed farmers to import needed
equipment from the East and shipping
products
Western Growth
 Farming, Ranching, and Mining Continued…
 Cattle ranching techniques were learned from the
Mexicans – also taught settlers how to herd, raise, and
drive cattle to market
 Imitated Mexican dress (cowboy hats, chaps)
 “Cow towns” popped up as settlements where
ranchers could herd their cattle onto trains to be
shipped east to market
 Mining industry became important because of the
discovery of gold
 Mining camps/towns famous for gambling,
prostitution, drinking
 Corporations eventually dominated industry
Western Growth
 Women, Immigrants, and African
Americans out West
 Women experienced greater freedom; took on
nontraditional roles
 Chinese and Irish immigrants came to work on
the railroad
 African Americans moved west after the Civil War
(Black Exodus)
 Served as cowhands and soldiers (Buffalo Soldiers)
Buffalo Soldiers
Impact on Native Americans
 Buffalo and Reservations
 Plains Indians depended on the buffalo for food,
clothing, and shelter
 Settlers and fur-trappers killed great numbers of
buffalo
 By 1889, 1,000 buffalo were left on the
continent
 Native Americans were forced onto reservations
(land set aside by the government)
 Constantly moved whenever gold was
discovered
Impact on Native Americans
 Violent Confrontations
 Sometimes Native Americans resisted white
settlement
 Cheyenne warriors launched several raids on mining
camps in 1861
 US forces killed 270 Native American women and
children
 Sioux Indians, under chiefs Red Cloud and Crazy
Horse, and US general George Custer engaged in
the Battle of Little Bighorn
 Sioux killed Custer and 200 of his men (“Custer’s
Last Stand”) – last great victory for Native
Americans
Impact on Native Americans
 Violent Confrontations Continued…
 Nez Perce tribe killed several white settlers
when the US government attempted to
remove them from the Oregon Territory
 Chief Joseph attempted to escape with his
tribe to Canada but was stopped 30 miles from
the border
 Forced to settle on reservations in Oklahoma
 Many died from sickness and malnutrition
Impact on Native Americans
 Wounded Knee
 The last notable armed conflict between US troops
and Native Americans occurred in 1890 at Wounded
Knee
 Sioux believed the Ghost Dance would bring back
the buffalo, get back lost land, and banish the
white man from earth
 Sioux leader Sitting Bull was accused of
mounting an uprising
 U.S. soldiers tried to arrest Sitting Bull and killed
him in a gunfight
 During a pursuit of the Sioux to Wounded Knee
Creek 150 Native Americans were killed (most
unarmed; included women and children)
Review
 1. Which of the following would be the best way to
describe the US government’s approach to dealing with
Native Americans on the frontier?
 A. Negotiations, in which the aim was to share land
peacefully with the tribes that had lived there for
generations.
 B. Compensation, in which the US government paid
tribal leaders whatever amount of money the two
sides agreed the land was worth.
 C. Barter, in which Native Americans surrendered land
in exchange for citizenship rights and the guarantee of
being given land for families to own and farm.
 D. Conquest, in which the United States used its
military to take Native American lands and relocate
tribes to areas designated by the US government.
Review
 2. Describe what occurred at Wounded Knee
and tell why it is significant.
 3. What role did African Americans and
women play in western expansion?
 SSUSH12 The student will analyze
important consequences of American
industrial growth.
 a. Describe Ellis Island, the change in
immigrants’ origins to southern and eastern
Europe and the impact of this change on
urban America.
James A. Garfield: 1881
 Republican
 Assassinated by a
lawyer who was mad
about not getting a
government job
Urban Growth and Immigration
 Urban Growth (Growth of US Cities)
 When cities increase in size it is called
urban growth
 Out west, new towns grew out of
nothing because of railroads and
western settlements
 In the East, population increased due to
industrialization and job opportunities
 New York City saw the biggest growth
Urban Growth and Immigration
 Most immigrants in the East came
from Europe
 Immigrants on the West coast came
largely from China
 Some came seeking a better life,
others to escape political
persecutions
 By 1880, 80% of New Yorkers were
foreign born
Immigration
 Ellis Island
 Opened in 1892 to handle large numbers of
immigrants
 Located on a tiny island near the Statue of
Liberty
 Cultural pluralism is the presence of many
different cultures within one society
 Angel Island
 Located in San Francisco
 Accepted Asian (mostly Chinese immigrants)
Immigration
 Problems and Concerns Caused by Immigration
 Many Americans looked at immigrants
negatively – felt they were taking jobs
 Ethnic ghettos – neighborhoods where
immigrants from a certain region or country
tended to live together (seen as a sign of
disloyalty by natives)
 Religious differences – most US citizens were
Protestants, arriving immigrants were Catholics
 Before the Civil War most immigrants came from
western Europe – Protestant whites
 At the end of 19th century/early 20th century immigrants
came from eastern and southern Europe – Catholic,
Jewish
Immigration
 Nativism and Restrictions on Immigration
 Nativism – opposition to immigration
 As nativism grew, anti-immigrant groups formed;
immigrants became victims of violence and
discrimination
 Chinese Exclusion Act 1882
 Prohibited Chinese immigrants from legally coming
to the US; repealed in 1943
Living and Working Conditions
 Whole families had to work because of low
wages
 Men, women, children worked in mills and factories –
12 hrs. a day, six days a week
 Child labor became a common practice
 Children as young as five worked in factories
 Work hours were long, wages low, conditions
dangerous
 Private contractors set up sweatshops (makeshift
factories-poorly lit, poorly ventilated, unsafe)
Living and Working Conditions
 Living conditions were hard
 Many migrants and immigrants lived in urban
slums (poor, inner-city neighborhoods) in housing
called tenements (overcrowded apartments that
housed several families)
 There were open sewers that attracted rats
 Air was dark and polluted from steam engines and
boilers
 Fire hazards
The New Urban Lifestyle and
Entertainment
 Transportation changed
 Electric trolleys followed by subways and trains
allowed people to live outside the inner city
 Development of suburbs – middle and upper
class moved further out
 Urban factory workers worked by the clock and
had time for leisure and entertainment
 Men frequented saloons; women enjoyed dance halls and
cabarets; families went to amusement parks and vaudeville
shows
 Movie industry and spectator sports became
popular (boxing, horse racing, baseball)
Review
 1. Which of the following statements would a nativist
most support?
 A. “Since the US is supposed to be the land of the free
and the country of opportunity, then let all those who
desire freedom and a better life come to the U.S.”
 B. “immigration is bad for this country. Immigrants
take jobs that otherwise would go to those born here,
and their ways pollute and corrupt our way of life. We
need laws to prevent immigration.”
 C. “Cultural diversity is a good thing. It is our
differences and the way foreigners hold on to their
traditional ways that make our nation great.”
 D. “God bless the Irish, the Polish, and the Jewish
immigrant. Give ‘em a home here, I say. But blast the
Chinese. Keep ‘em out by all means.
Review
 2. What were some of the living and working
conditions faced by poor laborers and
immigrants to the US in the big cities?
 3. How did industrialization and urban growth
affect lifestyle in the late nineteenth and
early twentieth centuries?
Sponge: Friday, March 23
1. What kind of working conditions existed in the
late 1800s?
2. Do those conditions exist now in the U.S.? If
not, why do you think we have better working
conditions?
3. What major sports leagues have dealt with
strikes in the last few years?
 If you weren’t in my ELT or Mr. Frazier’s yesterday
afternoon, you need to get notes from me.
Check Point!!
Chester A. Arthur: 1881-1885
 Republican
The Rise of Labor Unions
 Samuel Gompers and the AFL
 Labor unions – organizations of workers
formed to protect the interests of its members
 Grew out of poor working conditions
 American Federation of Labor (AFL) was the most
influential – led by Samuel Gompers
 Focused on wages, working hours, working conditions
– used strikes, boycotts
 Also believed in collective bargaining (negotiate as a
group), mediation (use a neutral third party- decisions
legally binding), arbitration (mediating third party’s
decision is legally binding)
The Rise of Labor Unions
 American Federation of Labor (AFL) was the
most influential – led by Samuel Gompers
 Focused on wages, working hours, working
conditions – used strikes, boycotts
 Also believed in collective bargaining (negotiate as
a group), mediation (use a neutral third partydecisions legally binding), arbitration (mediating
third party’s decision is legally binding)
The Rise of Labor Unions
 Strikes and Confrontations
 Employers hated unions and took measures
against them
 Some threatened to fire workers who were
members
 Turned to courts to intervene in strikes
The Rise of Labor Unions
 Pullman Strike 1894: railcar factory near
Chicago
 George Pullman laid off of workers and reduced
wages by 25-50%; employees went on strike to
protest these actions and the company fired them
 Eugene V. Debs led a boycott of Pullman cars
nationwide
 Other railway workers refused to switch Pullman
cars on or off trains
 Pres. Cleveland sent in federal troops to end strike
and restore peace because it affected US mail
 Set a precedent for factories to involve courts to end
strikes
 Big business and the US govt feared that labor
unions would negatively impact capitalist economy
 The Pullman Strike
was important
because it was the
first time a federal
injunction had ever
been used to break
up a strike.
 George Pullman was
no longer regarded as
an enlightened
employer who took
care of his workers,
but as a greedy and
intolerant man.
Grover Cleveland: 1885-1889
 1st Democrat president after
the Civil War
 Left office after first term,
then was elected again four
years later
 Angered railroads by ordering
an investigation of western
lands they held by
Government grant; forced
them to return 81,000,000
acres.
 Also signed Interstate
Commerce Act, the first law
attempting Federal
regulation of the railroads.
SSUSH14 Explain America’s evolving
relationship with the world at the turn of
the twentieth century.
a. Explain the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and
anti-Asian immigration sentiment on the
west coast.
b. Describe the Spanish-American War, the war
in the Philippines, and the debate over
American expansionism.
c. Explain U.S. involvement in Latin America, as
reflected by the Roosevelt Corollary to the
Monroe Doctrine and the creation of the
Panama Canal.
Reasons for Expansion
 Imperialism: When a country looks beyond




it’s borders to acquire more land.
??????????Why???????????
Access to more markets= ECONOMIC
GROWTH!
National Security
National Pride (Part of our destiny)
Toward the end of the 1800s, many
Americans believed we should expand
Reasons for Expansion
 Isolationism versus Imperialism
 Some Americans advocated Isolationism,
that is, that we should not acquire and
control foreign territories
 Isolationists felt that acquisition of foreign
territories would pull America into foreign
conflicts.
 Are Americans being Hypocrites???
The Pacific
 Both political leaders and businessmen in the
US wanted to trade with China and other
nations in Southeast Asia.
 To promote unthreatened access to
Southeast Asia, Secretary of State William
Seward negotiated the purchase of Alaska
from Russia in 1867.
 The U.S. annexed Hawaii in 1898
Chinese Exclusion Act-1882
 In 1870 an economic depression hit the west coast
and people in places like San Francisco began
resenting the cheap labor Chinese people offered
and the fact that they were competition for jobs.
 Racism and violence increased against Chinese immigrants
 In the 1880s the need for railroad labor lessened and
gov’t felt increased pressure to regulate Chinese
immigration
 1882 Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act
which prohibited further immigration from China for
ten years
*Extended until 1943*
Work Period
 Work with your study partner to complete the
standard break-down sheet for Standard 14
 This is a high-value assignment: do a thorough job
with complete definitions and explanations for 50
points
Sponge: Monday, March 26
 Read the following sections in the textbook
on pages 552-553: (1) Cubans Rebel Against
Spain and (2) War Fever Escalates.
 Answer the following questions based on
your reading:
How did Spain treat Cuba as a colony?
2. How did American media contribute to the call
for America to go to war against Spain?
1.
 SSUSH14 The student will explain
America’s evolving relationship with the
world at the turn of the twentieth century.
 b. Describe the Spanish-American War, the
war in the Philippines, and the debate over
American expansionism.
 c. Explain U.S. involvement in Latin America,
as reflected by the Roosevelt Corollary to the
Monroe Doctrine and the creation of the
Panama Canal.
President McKinley 1897-1901
His second term, which had begun auspiciously,
came to a tragic end in September 1901. He was
standing in a receiving line at the Buffalo PanAmerican Exposition when a deranged anarchist
shot him twice. He died eight days later.
The Spanish-American War
 In the late 1800s, Cuba was still under the
control of the Spanish who ruled with military
troops and with brutality in response to
rebellions
 The use of propaganda had many Americans
urging the United States to declare war on
the Spanish and help free Cuba from Spanish
rule.
The Spanish-American War
 February 15th 1898: A
US battleship, the USS
Maine, exploded while
anchored in a Cuban
Harbor.
 Immediately,
newspapers blamed
the Spanish for the
explosion.
The Spanish-American War
 Congress declared war
on Spain in April 1898
 Theodore Roosevelt
commanded the
volunteer group known
as the “ROUGH
RIDERS” who fought in
Cuba
The Spanish-American War
 Upon hearing of
declaration of war, US
Commodore George
Dewey set sail for
another Spanish
colony…….
 THE PHILIPPINES
Where are the Philippines?
The Spanish-American War
 U.S. Navy destroyed
the Spanish Fleet in the
Philippines and quickly
seized control there.
 Meanwhile in Cuba,
Roosevelt won praise
for leading the Rough
Riders in charges at
Kettle and San Juan
which gave the United
States victory in Cuba
against the Spanish.
The Spanish-American War
 In three short months, the United States had
easily defeated the Spanish in both Cuba and
the Philippines.
“A SPLENDID LITTLE WAR”
CUBA, PUERTO RICO, GUAM
 The Spanish-American War officially ended
with the Treaty of Paris 1898
 The Teller Amendment promised the United
States would allow Cuba to stay independent and
not annex the territory.
 However, to protect U.S. business interests in
Cuba, President William McKinley installed a US
military government for 3 years to restore
stability.
CUBA, PUERTO RICO, GUAM
 In the 1900s, when Cubans began drafting their
own constitution, the United States continued to
exercise its influence by insisting that the
document include the PLATT AMENDMENT
 Put limits on what the Cuban government could do
 Gave the US two naval bases in Cuba
 Allowed for US intervention in the region whenever
the US thought it was necessary.
 Stayed in effect until the early 1930s
CUBA, PUERTO RICO, GUAM
 Puerto Rico and Guam both became US
territories as part of the Treat of Paris of 1898.
Where is Guam?
Where is Puerto Rico?
THE PHILIPPINES
 Isolationist thoughts: We understood CUBA,
but why THE PHILIPPINES????
 Roosevelt, and others saw the Philippines as
crucial for protecting US economic interest in
Southeast.
Where are the Philippines?
THE PHILIPPINES
 Meanwhile, Filipinos under the leadership of
Emilio Aguinaldo launched a resistance
movement against any U.S. occupation.
 Filipinos used Guerilla warfare to fight the US.
 In 1902 the Philippines became an unorganized
territory of the US. It gained its independence in
1946.
Work Period: March 26
 Correct your checkpoint from Friday—peer
tutoring for the questions that you missed;
write out the questions that you missed and
the correct answer, plus an explanation for
why the correct answer is the right one.
(Don’t say “I messed up” or “Because C is
right.”)
 Notebook checks while you work on quiz
corrections.
Sponge: Tuesday, March 27
1. Who was John D. Rockefeller, what was his
company’s name, and what was significant
about his company?
2. What is vertical integration?
3. How would a nativist view people who came
through Ellis Island and Angel Island?
US INVOLVEMENT IN LATIN AMERICA
 Following the
assassination of
President William
McKinley, Theodore
Roosevelt became the
26th President of the
United States at the
young, young age of
43.
US INVOLVEMENT IN LATIN AMERICA
 Roosevelt envisioned a canal across the
isthmus of Panama.
???WHY???
 1.) Canal would serve US economic and military
interests by allowing ships to travel back and forth
between US territories in the Pacific and US
territories in the Atlantic without having to go
around South America.
US INVOLVEMENT IN LATIN AMERICA
 PROBLEM: the Columbian government which
controlled the territory would not sell or lease
the land necessary for the canal.
 In 1903 the Panamanians launched a rebellion
against the Columbians
US INVOLVEMENT IN LATIN AMERICA
 SOLUTION: Roosevelt responded by
providing US naval support that helped the
Panamanians win their independence.
 In return the Panamanians allowed the US
to lease the land that was needed for the
canal
 Construction lasted from 1905-1914 and was
controlled by the US until 1977 when President Jimmy
Carter return control of the canal back to Panama.
They took full control in 1999.
US INVOLVEMENT IN LATIN AMERICA
 By the 1900s, America was becoming a
WORLD player.
 Roosevelt issued the ROOSEVELT
COROLLARY.
 Expanded the Monroe Doctrine which said that
the US would not tolerate European powers to
colonize independent nations on the Western
Hemisphere, nor would the US interfere in those
nations.
 Corollary: US had the right to intervene if a nation
had trouble paying its debts. WHY???
US INVOLVEMENT IN LATIN AMERICA
 Roosevelt wanted to make sure that
imperialist nations would not use debt
collection as an excuse to occupy the
Caribbean or Latin America.
 NICKNAMED: Roosevelt’s “BIG STICK
DIPLOMACY”
 The United States would not be a threat in
the Western Hemisphere, but we would not
hesitate to protect our interest.
Work Period: Thursday, Nov.10
 Work with your study partner to complete the
standard break-down sheet for Standard 14
 This is a high-value assignment: do a thorough job with
complete definitions and explanations for 50 points
 Be prepared to discuss the essential questions at
the end of the work period:
 Why did American expansionism during the turn of the
century result in the Spanish-American War and the war
in the Philippines?
 Why did the creation of the Panama Canal lead to the
Roosevelt Corollary?
 Earn 20 points for turning in a well-written paragraph
answering each EQ at the beginning of class tomorrow