Chapter 7
AL History Ch. 7 Vocabulary hub export import urban reform segregate prejudice
After the war, AL had everything it needed to develop industry, or the production of goods. Raw materials, such as coal, limestone, and iron ore were found in what is now Birmingham. In the late 1800s, the manufacturing of textiles, or cloth, began to boom. By 1900, there were over 30 textile mills which employed thousands of people.
Railroad construction also began to boom at this time Railroad construction also began to boom at this time. This helped with travel and trade. By 1900, the entire state was connected by railways and was also linked to larger systems throughout the US. Goods were shipped to the Port of Mobile Bay by railroad. Birmingham became AL’s transportation hub. Pig iron (used to make steel) and wheat were two important exports for AL. The cotton trade began to slow since Europeans were buying from Egypt and India.
Industry caused the growth of many urban areas. Birmingham had more than 26,000 people in 1890. Woodstock Iron Company started the town of Anniston. Henry DeBardeleben founded the town of Bessemer, which became a major area for steel production.
In the late 1800s, many people were moving to cities to work in factories, coal mines, or areas such as banking, medicine, or law. African American women found domestic (home-related) work, while African American men worked in coal mines. Women became active working for reform, such as women’s right to vote.
Because of public schools, more people were able to get an education at this time. In 1893 women were able to attend the University of Alabama for the first time. Many women attended normal schools, which trained elementary teachers. Julia Tutweiler and Maria Fearing were two women educators. Students at Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama (now Auburn University) learned about agriculture and science.
Maria Fearing Julia Tutwiler
Booker T. Washington opened the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute where African American men and women were able to train for jobs in industry and farming. Other Alabamians were schooled in art, music, and writing.
Jim Crow laws segregated African Americans and whites. The Supreme Court decided segregation was okay as long as it was “separate but equal.” Homer Plessy was arrested when he sat down in a section of a train that was for white people only. W.E.B. Du Bois and others started the Niagara Movement which formed the NAACP. They fought for racial equality.