Industrialization in the United States

Industrialization begins in Great Britain It Begins Industrialization begins in Great Britain Slow to come to the U.S.

Before Industrialization Life before Industrialization No electricity No running water Most people in the U.S. live on family farms Long distance travel and communication slow or non-existent

2. New inventions and discoveries between 1850-1900 Americans go on an invention and discovery spree Patents (license for an invention) go from 36k to 500k Oil is discovered in 1858 Edison popularizes electricity because of his new invention-the light bulb Wide spread electricity makes all sorts of new inventions possible Sewing machines, refrigerators, radios, telegraph and telephone

Railroads are expanded cross country (transcontinental railroad) and touch almost every small town in the U.S. Time zones are created to make national travel more efficient Displaces the canal system Bessemer Process-more efficient way to make steel-makes mass production possible

4. The growth of Big Business Entrepreneurs(people who start businesses) begin to use new inventions and discoveries to make money Some people thought they were making too much money No income tax at this time

Captains of Industry or Robber Barrons? John D. Rockefeller-created standard oil Andrew Carnegie-U.S. Steel Cornelius Vanderbilt-Railroads Social Darwinism-The belief that survival of the fittest applies to society. The best will succeed, others will fail

Business owners tried to gain the competitive edge by using these techniques Oligopoly-control of the market by a few companies Monopoly-control of the market by one company Trust-Agreement between companies to act like a monopoly The government tries to stop these unfair practices with the Sherman Anti-Trust Act­

Long hours, dangerous conditions, little pay 5. Working conditions Long hours, dangerous conditions, little pay Children are made to work in factories

6. Labor Unions-Groups of Workers Formed to demand better pay and working conditions Strike-When labor unions refuse to work until demands are met

7. LIVING CONDITIONS A. Urbanization: Many people moving to cities to find work in factories Results in overcrowding Disease and squalor run rampant B. Immigration: People move to the U.S.to find jobs in U.S. cities Primarily on the east coast and in certain Mid Western cities Adds to overcrowding Ethnic hamlets (ex. China town) form People tend to settle with other people like them