Chapter 17 The New Industrial Age

Industries Expand New Technology The Electric Telegraph Samuel Morse By 1900 the telegraph network was about 1,000,000 miles long 63 million messages were sent a year

Edison Thomas Alva Edison The phonograph The motion picture camera The microphone The incandescent light bulb 1879 the incandescent light bulb replaced the arc light because it lasted much longer

Communication takes new forms The Telephone Alexander Graham Bell The first switchboard was in New Haven, Connecticut 1878 with 21 subscribers ,000 phones in service million Transcontinental talk was achieved in 1915

The Typewriter Invented by Christopher Sholes in 1867 Saw invention as a kid toy Remington Arms Co bought his patent women made up 5% of office workers women made up 75% of office workers Why?

Steel Industry William Kelly and Henry Bessemer created a process that made steel faster and better Most of the nations steel mills were in Pennsylvania Most steelworkers were Slavs

Other Resources Iron 1855 Soo Canal opened linking Lake Superior and Lake Huron to ship Iron from UP Coal Most coal came from Appalachian Mountains Coal production million tons Coal production million tons Oil Edwin L. Drake drilled for oil in Pen Used primarily for kerosene lamps

Railroads Connect the Nation 1870 railroads employed 163, railroads employed 1 million + Railroads influence time Each RR company had its own time 1883 time zones came to RR in America This allowed RR to run smoother 1918 Congress made 4 time zones official in the United States

The Golden Spike The Transcontinental Railroad Would link coast to coast Lincoln started the plan by signing the Pacific Railroad Act in 1862 It gave 20 million acres of land to lay tracks Also gave 60 million dollars in federal money

Laying Tracks Many hardships met the Union Pacific while laying the tracks west toward California Indian attacks by Sioux and Cheyenne Long waits for supplies of nails, wood, food, and water Pneumonia and other diseases Drunken brawls that killed workers

Laying Tracks Central Pacific had problems as well Chinese Workers Worked hard and long hours Received less pay than white workers Had to buy their own supplies

RR Complete The Union Pacific and Central Pacific met at Promontory Point, Utah on May 10, 1869

Of Course There’s Corruption The Credit Mobilier was a construction company formed by the Union Pacific They overcharged the government on the building of the RR They pocketed the extra cash and gave stock to congressmen, that made them tons of money, so they would not look into their business

The Grange Formed by Oliver Kelley in 1867 Argues RR prices were unfair They claimed that RR’s were public utilities Elected officials that set RR commissions set price rates Munn v. Illinois the Supreme Court said Granger Laws were constitutional because they were for the public good

The Interstate Commerce Act Passed in 1877 Required RR to make rates “reasonable and just” and it established the five member Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) Prohibited RR from charging more for short hauls than for long hauls It could only enforce its rules by suing RR’s, but that could drag on for years

Complex Business Andrew Carnegie Irish immigrant started with a job that paid $1.20 a week 53 years later he sold his business for 500 million Self educated man After a job with the RR, he launched Carnegie Steel Corporation

Carnegie Steel Turned out a better product at a lower price He purchased all aspects of the steel making process to lower the price to the consumer, and to make more money By 1901, he was producing 25% of the nations steel

Robber Barons? John D. Rockefeller Standard Oil Company Sold low to drive others out of business, then raised prices sky high Demanded rebates from RR or threatened to pull his business from them Robber Barons - acted not to improve their own business, but to destroy others

Congress Acts The Sherman Antitrust Act “every contract, combination in the form of trust or otherwise, or conspiracy, in restraint of trade…is hereby declared to be illegal.” Tried to prevent monopolies from forming and hurting the public It failed to do anything

Horatio Alger Jr. and Social Darwinism Social Darwinism - Some people are better suited to survive in business, while others are weaker and will not succeed Alger wrote many books that believed in Social Darwinism His books encouraged people to take advantage of the Industrial Age