Building Modern America 1865-1901 Industrialization Building Modern America 1865-1901

Industry Natural Resources Large Workforce Timber, iron, copper, coal, oil No dependence on foreign resources Keeps jobs in US Large Workforce Immigration Larger Families (better living conditions support bigger families)

Industry New Inventions/Technology Free Enterprise Telephone=better communications Light bulb=cheap lighting, easier Automatic Loom=Made cloth faster Free Enterprise “Laissez-faire” policies: “Let people do as they choose,” or hands-off economic policies Few restrictions and interference from government Allowed industries to grow

Railroads Settlement in the Plains and the West Brought settlers and goods West Transported goods, ideas, and people between East and West faster and cheaper Impact on Native Americans Brought disease (small pox or “white scabs disease”) Affected buffalo migration patterns Depleted food sources Violence against Natives protecting their lands Alcohol Forced Natives from their homelands

Railroads Financing Boosting Industry in the US Bribery Land Grants Private Investment Gifts of Public Land Money generated from running railroads Boosting Industry in the US Increased markets by expanding West Increased money spent on resources Bribery Government helped fund RR, officials made money Investors wanted more land grants from government

Big Business Control of Big Business Eliminating Competition Monopoly- Single company controls an entire market (no option but to use that company) Trusts- Legal arrangement that allows one person to manage another person’s property Eliminating Competition Pools (kept prices at certain levels) Trusts (controlling property of someone else) Monopolies (control of entire market) Vertical and Horizontal Integration (owning and controlling all aspects of a business)

Big Business Expanding Business Want to control all aspects of their businesses Keep costs low and profits high Want to eliminate competition Impact on Local Businesses and Communities Forces small businesses to either shut down or sell out to larger businesses Creates job for community Changes the fabric of the community by eliminating local business

Unions Goals of Unions Unite workers from different industries/companies Only tool available to create change when others failed Want to improve: Working Conditions Wages Job Security Tensions between workers and employers caused by deflation

Unions Unsuccessful Strikes Opposition to immigrants Confrontations led to violence Courts ruled against unions Frequent strikes (stops production) Unfocused goals (too many demands at once) Blacklisting Opposition to immigrants Many union members were immigrants Unions associated with violence/fear of anarchy and revolution Thought un-American because of Marxism (class struggle between workers and owners, popular in Europe)

Unions Women Paid less than men (assumption of male financial support) Domestic Work (given “women’s work,” which paid less) Excluded from unions- women thought to have no voice (assumed fathers and husbands would express women’s concerns)

Impact of Industrialization on American Lifestyle Urbanization- people moving to cities Immigration – people coming to work from other countries Increased standard of living/better living conditions Advanced technology US becomes more powerful world power Cheaper goods Faster transportation