The Industrial Revolution Continued America Transformed Part 3 The Industrial Revolution Continued

John Deere He was a blacksmith. During his life most plows used for tilling were made for the light, sandy soil of New England. He invented a lightweight plow that had a steel cutting edge. Deere’s plows were able to break through the rich, heavy mid-western soil. This allowed the Great Plains to be opened up for farming.

Cyrus McCormick He invented a reaper which was used to cut ripe grain. This was valuable because it made it much easier to harvest grain, a crop that is used daily by most people. Later, threshing machines were used to separate wheat from the husks. This allowed farms to become larger and more productive, because harvesting was easier.

Henry Ford He invented the assembly line approach to manufacturing. He was in the automobile industry. Instead of having one person assemble something on their own, that one person just assembled part of the car as it moved down a conveyor. Cars would take weeks or months to assemble before Ford’s idea. With Ford’s assembly working full force, cars could be completed in a matter of minutes.

J.P. Morgan He was a financier and a banker. He was arguably the most powerful man in the United States for a decade or so. Because he financed so many businesses, he forced businesses to follow his ideas, which made them more efficient. He was criticized for having a monopoly over the finance industry, and controlling the American economy.

Joseph Pulitzer He started a newspaper called the New York World. He had to produce revenue to pay for the printing of the newspaper, so advertising to the masses was introduced by him. He was also a member of the House of Representatives, and a leading member of the Democratic Party. The Pulitzer Prize is named after him.

William Randolph Hearst He was in competition with Pulitzer’s paper. His newspaper was called the New York Journal. This competition created something called yellow journalism. He started publishing magazines that had a huge influence on the country as well. He was also a member of the House of Representatives.

Jane Addams As more and more people moved into the cities, there was a huge problem with poverty, slums, and child labor. She established a settlement house which provided daycare, education, and health care to the poor who lived in Chicago. Her house was called Hull House and became a model for other settlement houses.

Booker T. Washington He was an early leader in trying to gain equality for African-Americans. He became a teacher after the Civil War, and founded the Tuskegee institute in Alabama. At the Tuskegee Institute he tried to help African-Americans learn trades and gain economic strength. He did not challenge segregation, but believed that blacks and whites could be separate but equal.

W.E.B. Du Bois He encouraged African-Americans to end segregation. He founded the N.A.A.C.P. which played a key role in ending segregation many years later. He wanted to train the “talented tenth” to be scholars. He believed that African-Americans, not whites, had to lead the fight to end segregation.

Ellis Island This is an island in the harbor of New York City. This was the first stop for many immigrants on their way into the U.S. from Europe. This served as a processing station for immigrants into the U.S. Immigrants were checked for good health, and asked about their background. Millions and millions passed through here. Ellis Island

Angel Island Was on the west coast of the United States in San Francisco Bay. This was where many Asian- Americans first entered the United States. They were often held there for weeks because of racism towards them. There were not as many who came through here when compared to Ellis Island.

Jim Crow Laws These laws were meant to enforce segregation. Segregation was the separation of black and white people in public areas. Separate schools, trolley seats, and restrooms were common in the south. The court case Plessy v. Ferguson said “separate but equal” was fair, and did not violate the 14th amendment.

The Chinese Exclusion Act The Chinese were not well- received when they came in for the Gold Rush and the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. When the economy went bad in the 1870’s there was resentment towards the Chinese because it was thought that they were driving wages down. When this act was passed, no Chinese immigration was allowed for ten years.

Ragtime This was a new type of music that emerged in the late 1800’s. It was a blend of European & African-American music. This genre of music eventually became popular across many cultures in the U.S. Scott Joplin’s tune “Maple Leaf Rag” became the most popular song of the era. Scott Joplin-a famous Ragtime composer

Vaudeville These were shows that were a mixture of song, dance, and comedy. These shows would feature a mixture of acts, leading up to what was called an “exciting finish”. This type of entertainment was less formal than a play, and it appealed to many people.