Chapter 19: The Industrial Age
Section 1, 2 & 3
Second Industrial Revolution
Period of rapid growth in the U.S. manufacturing in the late 1800s US had become the worlds industrial leader
Steel Industry
Steel = Iron that has been made stronger by heat and the addition of other metals
Bessemer Process
Invented by Henry Bessemer A way to manufacture steel quickly and cheaply by blasting hot air through melted iron to quickly remove impurities Use to take a day or more. Now takes 10-20 mins
Riding the Rails
As steel decreased in price, so did cost of building railroads Increased western growth
Oil
Important technological breakthrough
Using petroleum (oil) as a power source Convert crude (unprocessed) oil into kerosene
Could be used for cooking, heating and lighting
Electricity
Became a critical source of light and power Thomas Edison
Became interested in inventing uses of electricity Held more than 1,000 patents
Exclusive rights to make or sell inventions
1879 Light bulb
Few houses could get electricity
Built power plant to supply
Communication
1861 Telegraph wires connected east/west 1876 Alexander Graham Bell
Patented the telephone
Automobiles
1893 Gasoline engine to build first practical motorcar in US 1900s Thousands of cars being built in US 1908 - Henry Ford
Model T First to implement the moving assembly line in manufacturing
Greatly reduced the cost of building a product, making cars more affordable
Planes
Wilbur & Orville Wright
Built lightweight airplane that used small, gas-powered engine December 17, 1903
Kitty Hawk, NC Orville Wright made the first piloted flight in a gas-powered plane
Big Business
Corporations formed
Businesses that sell portions of ownership called stock shares Stockholders arent responsible for company debt, only for the stock they have invested in the company
Business Leaders
Andrew Carnegie
One of the most admired businesspeople Great success in steel industry
John D. Rockefeller
Successful in combining businesses Owned the countrys largest oil refinery
Leland Stanford
Sold equipment to miners Founder of Stanford University & Central Pacific railroad
Social Darwinism
View of society based on scientist Charles Darwins theory of natural selection
Thought that survival of the fittest theory decided which human beings would succeed in business and in life in general
Many business leaders believed that the rich had a duty to aid poor
Became philanthropists
Gave money to charities
Antitrust Movement
Sherman Antitrust Act
Law that made it illegal to create monopolies or trusts that restrained trade
Total ownership of a product or service
Industrial Workers
Working conditions declined
Low paid workers could be replaced easily
Lower skilled workers can man machines
Injuries increased Workers looked for change
Organizations
Formed labor unions to get better wages and working conditions 1870s - Knights of Labor
First national labor union Pushed for:
8 hour work day
Equal pay for equal work
End to child labor
Organizations
American Federation of Labor (AFL)
Led by Samuel Gompers Limited membership to skilled workers Tried to get:
Better wages, hours and working conditions
Collective Bargaining
All workers acting together, they had a better chance to negotiate
Labor Strikes
May 1886 - Haymarket Riot
Protestors and Police in Chicago Resulted in the decline of Knights of Labor
1892 Homestead Strike
Pennsylvania
Left workers and Pinkerton guards dead
Labor Strikes
1893 Colorado Miners Strike
Went on strike for higher wages and shorter workday
1894 Pullman Strike
Stopped traffic on railroads
1894 California Railroad Strike
Halted passenger, freight, and mail trains for months
