The Industrialization of America

Transcontinental Railroad Begun in 1862, two companies sought to join the West Coast with the Eastern US Union Pacific used Chinese immigrants Central Pacific used Irish immigrants Lines were joined with a golden spike in Promontory, Utah, on May 10, 1869 By 1893 there were 5 transcontinental routes Allowed mass migration and expansion of industry Blame them for daylight savings time

New Inventions Steel Iron and Carbon Electric Generators Light Bulb Thomas Edison Telephone Alexander Graham Bell Ready Made Clothing Department Stores Sears Corporations

The Rise of Corporations A publicly owned company that raises capital by selling stock Allowed for the development of an extensive credit market Led to a rise in entrepreneurs and philanthropists

Andrew Carnegie Born in Scotland, his family were weavers Went to work in the railroads, saved money and began to invest in steel By 1900 he completely controlled the American steel industry Gave most of his money away before he died

John D. Rockefeller Started as a produce merchant before buying his first refinery in 1863 Started the Standard Oil Trust in order to take control of the entire oil industry

Poor Conditions Sweatshops Long hours Little money Little people 6 or 7 days a week Little money # of items produced Fines for distractions Little people 6 yrs. or more No education

The Rise of Unions With the rise of corporations came a rise in sweatshops and other poor conditions No regulation of minimum age, wage, or break times Labor Unions began to organize to protect workers Most Americans sided with industry, saw unions as a socialist plot Despite this, Unions grew increasingly popular in the early 1900s

The Rise of Cities In the late 1800s, immigration exploded Between 1880 and 1920: 24 million immigrants arrived in US (one a minute) Most were from Europe and came through New York Factory and living conditions were very bad

The Rise of Cities Newspapers Joseph Pulitzer championed newspapers for the common man Department Stores Professional Sports Baseball in the 1860s Football in the 1870s Basketball in the 1890s Theater Vaudeville became popular in the 1890s Movies Early 1900s

The Rise of Cities As cities grew, so did corruption Patronage Votes for sale Spoils System Jobs for sale