From Farm to Factory

The Business of Being Big Railroads, steam ships, telephones, electricity, automobiles. All of these things, combined with the arrival of a huge new labor force from overseas, brought sweeping change to America in the years between 1870 and 1914.

Virginian, Cyrus McCormick’s reaper is a perfect example of how things changed. His first reaper, invented in 1832, could harvest a field 5 times faster than a person with a scythe. (a stick with a curved blade on one end) Virginian, Cyrus McCormick’s reaper is a perfect example of how things changed. His first reaper, invented in 1832, could harvest a field 5 times faster than a person with a scythe. (a stick with a curved blade on one end)

McCormick’s simple reaper reduced labor needs and increased production so fewer farm hands were needed.

How did the McCormick Reaper reduce farm labor needs? The McCormick Reaper could harvest a field five times faster than a person using a scythe.

Mechanization (mek-uh-niz-ay-shun): The use of machines to replace human or animal labor. Words to Know

Mechanization had changed the business of farming forever. Some Americans, now freed from long days of heavy labor, could turn their talents toward engineering and inventing new and even better ways to live. Some Great Inventions Typewriters 1872 Mail-order Catalogs 1885 The internal combustion engine 1885 Skyscrapers

Farwell Farm, Hello Cities During the postwar period, in the years after the end of the Civil War, people flocked to America’s big cities for industrial jobs in Detroit, Chicago, New York, and Pittsburgh.

Sears Roebuck & Company To meet the demands of new national markets, factories churned out clothing, furniture, and all the parts needed to make more machinery. Mail order catalogs, an exciting new “invention,” brought all these wonderful new items aboard speedy trains to people all across America.

What item would a farmer living in rural Nebraska use to order the supplies and machines needed to run his/her farm? The mail order catalogue

What technological advancement in transportation created a national market for consumer goods? The railroad

Big Business Railroads, steel, and oil were three big businesses that totally transformed America in the years between 1870 and 1914.

Why Big Business Prospered -Faster Transportation- Rapid advances in transportation “shrank” the nation. A trip from New York to California that once took several months could now be completed in days. Even small towns had access to the railroads and the goods that it was transporting creating a national market.

How did railroads help big business grow? Railroads made transportation faster by connecting the cities in the United States. This created a national market because goods could be transported anywhere in the country.

Why Big Business Prospered -Lower Cost Production- Machines could now mass produce things that used to be made by hand, such as shoes and furniture. This led to lower production costs since it took less time to produce finished goods.

Why Big Business Prospered -Advertising- “Buy this! Try that! Just 5¢!” As huge printing presses churned out magazines and newspapers cheaply, big businesses discovered that advertising made people spend and buy more.

In order to increase sales, what strategy did manufacturers develop to attract consumers to their products? Advertising

Why Big Business Prospered -Captains of Industry- A generation of smart and daring entrepreneurs who were willing to take risks to succeed, changed the way American businesses worked.

Cornelius Vanderbilt -Shipping & Railroads- An early riser and driven man, Vanderbilt was running a profitable ferry business in New York by the age of 16. Nicknamed the "Commodore" for commanding the largest ship on the Hudson River in New York, Vanderbilt went on to build a huge fleet of steamships servicing ports all along the Atlantic Coast.

Cornelius Vanderbilt -Shipping & Railroads- Later in his life Vanderbilt sold his steamship empire and began buying up struggling railroad companies. By the 1870s he was the largest employer in America and his railroad empire covered the entire Northeast of the United States. Cornelius Vanderbilt died in 1877 and currently ranks 2 nd among the wealthiest people ever in American history.

Andrew Carnegie -Steel- Even as a 13-year old immigrant from Scotland, young Carnegie knew the value of hard work. He got a job at a cotton mill in Pennsylvania, but longed to go to school. Since that was impossible, he located a small library and read everything he could get his hands on. While working as a messenger boy, then a telegraph operator, and eventually, a railroad company clerk, Carnegie saved his money.

Andrew Carnegie -Steel- He began investing in companies that made train cars, built bridges, locomotives, and rails, all of which need great quantities of steel. He figured, “Why not own a steel mill?” Soon he was running the biggest, most profitable steel mill in America. In 1901 he sold his companies.

He would give 90% of his money away to build more than 3,500 public libraries, schools, and colleges throughout the country. To this day Carnegie’s money is still helping needy Organizations. He would give 90% of his money away to build more than 3,500 public libraries, schools, and colleges throughout the country. To this day Carnegie’s money is still helping needy Organizations.

Andrew Carnegie & the Age of Steel Chapter 3: Genius 11:33-17:43 (6 min 10 sec)

America the Story of Us Disc 2: Boom Oil 00:53-11:10 (10 min 17 sec)

John D. Rockefeller -Oil- Rockefeller loved math, so he studied business, and at age 16 he went to work. By the time he was 19 he decided to start his own business. He realized that Cleveland, Ohio, where he lived, was a perfect location for storing and shipping raw industrial materials. The city was midway between the East Coast and Chicago and had both rail and water transportation. Oil was just beginning to be used as a fuel source, but it needed refining and treatment to be usable. Rockefeller decided oil was the perfect product to distribute.

John D. Rockefeller -Oil- Rockefeller was a “control freak” and got involved in every part of the refinement process, from barrel- making, to making the pipes to move oil, to shipping. He began buying up all his competitors. Standard Oil, Rockefeller’s new business, soon became an enormous company, eventually controlling 90% of the oil industry. At that time, oil made life better for Americans, from heating homes, to providing light, to fueling automobiles.

John D. Rockefeller -Oil- Rockefeller was a “control freak” and got involved in every part of the refinement process, from barrel-making, to making the pipes to move oil, to shipping. He began buying up all his competitors. Standard Oil, Rockefeller’s new business, soon became an enormous company, eventually controlling 90% of the oil industry. At that time, oil made life better for Americans, from heating homes, to providing light, to fueling automobiles. Rockefeller’s mother’s lessons of generosity stayed with him. He used his great fortune to fund medical research and public health issues, and left a charitable trust behind that is still a major philanthropy.

Black Gold: The Story of Oil Standard Oil & Rockefeller’s Rise Standard Oil & Rockefeller’s Rise 15:55-18:15 (2 min 20 sec) 15:55-18:15 (2 min 20 sec)

Railroads & Shipping Steel Oil Match each captain of industry with his correct business? Cornelius Vanderbilt Andrew Carnegie John D. Rockefeller

Great Ideas - New Inventions- America in the late 1800s and early 1900s was a fast-paced place. New inventions were being dreamed up almost every day, and with each invention came new industries. New Industries meant new jobs. In the years between 1867 and 1900, America was a land of almost-constant change.

Genius at Work Two inventions in the 1870s had an especially big impact, both positive and negative, on American life. Like most inventions, each owed its success to an earlier invention. The two inventors, Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Alva Edison, tried to improve the telegraph and with it exciting new discoveries were made.

Patent (pah-tint): A government document granting an inventor sole rights to an invention and protecting the invention from being copied by others. Words to Know

Alexander Graham Bell’s Telephone “Mr.Watson! Come here! I want to see you.” With those words, a 29-year-old Scottish immigrant changed the world. Bell's first telephone patent was issued on March 7, Bell’s invention was only a first step. In 1878 he started the first telephone exchange, a place where all the calls were connected. Three years later, there were telephone exchanges in most major cities and towns in the U.S.A.

What is the name of the inventor pictured, and what did he invent? Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone

How did Americans communicate over long distances before the invention of the telephone? Americans communicated over long distances by sending telegraph messages or by writing letters that were delivered through the mail.

How did Alexander Graham Bell’s invention of the telephone impact the life of Americans? Telephones increased communication, people could now talk to each other across great distances.

Phonograph (Fone-uh-graf): An early type of music player. Words to Know

Thomas Edison’s Experiments with Electricity Thomas Edison, who was almost deaf, wondered if telegraph could send other sounds besides clicks and clacks so he began to do many experiments with sound. He eventually invented the first phonograph. But we remember him for one particularly “bright” invention that changed our lives.

Edison did not invent the light bulb, but in 1879, after testing 3,000 different materials, he invented a light bulb that would burn for a very long time, not just a few hours like previous ones. More importantly, because light bulbs need electricity, in 1882 Edison developed the world's first central electric light power station which supplied users with a steady, safe source of electricity.

America the Story of Us Disc 2: Cities Thomas Edison 34:11-38:44 (4 min 55 sec)

In His Own Words -Thomas Edison “I never quit until I get what I'm after. Negative results are just what I'm after. They are just as valuable to me as positive results.”

What is the name of the inventor pictured, and what did he invent? Thomas Edison invented a long lasting light bulb.

What did American’s use to light their homes before Edison’s long lasting light bulb? American’s used whale oil lamps, kerosene lamps, and gas burning lights before the invention of the long lasting electric light bulb.

How did Edison’s invention of the long lasting light bulb impact the life of Americans? Edison’s light bulb changed the way Americans lived by banishing the darkness. No longer were matches, kerosene, or gas needed. A simple flick of a switch brought light. Sporting events, entertainment, sports, and factories could now operate at night thanks to Edison’s long lasting light bulb. Night lights of North America as seen from space.

What helped industries grow -Easy Access to Materials & Energy- New energy sources like electricity ran machines more efficiently, while trains and steamships moved raw materials like cotton and steel quickly to factories for production of textiles and automobiles.

Raw Materials Needed to Produce Steel Iron Ore Limestone Coal

Raw Materials Needed to Produce Textiles Cotton Wool

Raw Materials Needed To Produce Automobiles Steel Rubber Glass Cloth/Leather Oil

Raw Materials Needed For The Meat Packing Industry Cows Pigs

What new energy source changed the way factories operated? Electricity

What advancement in transportation connected resources, products, and markets in the United States allowing rapid industrial growth? Railroads

What helped industries grow -Immigrant Labor- There were plenty of people willing to work for America’s new industries. Anxious for any job, new immigrants willingly worked long hours for low pay.

How did all of the inventions being thought up during the late 19th century such as cars, telephones, light bulbs, typewriters, and sewing machines influence the growth of industry? Factories were built and many workers were hired to produce the new inventions of the late 19 th century.

What helped industries grow -Financial Resources- New ways to borrow money to start businesses led to the rapid growth of all sorts of new companies.

What does the term “financial resources” mean? Money

The Money to Make Money How did people start companies? Where did they get the cash needed to pay salaries and build factories? Some folks borrowed money from banks, but many others sold small “shares” of their business to people willing to take a chance on investing.

How did people start companies? Where did they get the cash needed to pay salaries and build factories? Some people borrowed money from banks to start their business, while others sold small “shares” of their business to people willing invest in their company.

Reasons for the Rise & Prosperity of Big Business 1. National Markets 2. Lower Cost Production 3. Advertising 4. Captains of Industry (Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, & Carnegie)

Factors that Resulted in Growth of Industry 1. Inventions 2. Easy Access to Materials and Energy 3. Immigrant Labor 4. Financial Resources