The Expansion of American Industry Chapter 13

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“What has God wrought? ” First telegraph message, May 24, 1844 By Annie Ellsworth

America Industrializes  Three factors Abundant natural resources  Coal, oil, gas, agricultural land Inventions  Steel, electricity, telephone, sewing machine Urban population  Consumers of new goods  Source of workers Industry Markets Technology Power Resources Transportation

Inventions Influence Work  Electricity Hours Location Continued specialization  Typewriters  Telephone  Steel Industry Weight, strength, durability Building height Railroads Plows It is all about efficiency and increasing productivity while reducing costs

Railroads  13 Railroads Unify the Nation National network Interdependence Speed of travel Railroad time – time zones  Railroads and Farmers Price fixing

17. Robber Barons  Amass huge wealth  Used ruthless tactics in business Vertical consolidation Horizontal consolidation Trusts Economies of scale Selling at a loss  What’s good about them? Creating national wealth Charity

6. Sherman Antitrust Act  Target monopolies  Outlawed efforts to interfere with interstate or international trade  Mostly ineffective Unclear - makes it difficult to enforce Lacked Supreme Court support  Used against unions

Unions  Working Conditions 12+ hour days 6 or 7 days a week Dangerous – 675 workers killed each week Low wages – everyone works  Workers Form Unions Strength in numbers Improve pay and working conditions Organize by trade or industry  Limited Success Government support of management Violence Scabs Internal dissent Lack of popular support Concerns about socialism

16. Horatio Alger  Series of books/stories  Rise from poverty to success  Supported the cult of the individual and work ethic

5. Social Darwinism  Biological evolution – Darwinism  Social Darwinism Free competition –laissez faire Survival of the fittest companies