Problems with Industrialization

The Growth of Big Business – In the 19 th century, a small number of business grew to dominate the economy – Companies sought to create monopolies Monopoly: one company or group controlling an entire industry Vertical integration: expanding a company by taking control of every stage of a process – Ex: A steel company buying iron and coal mines, transportation companies, and distributers Horizontal integration: expanding a company by taking over competitors – Ex: An oil company buying up all the refineries in the country Question: What is one good thing and one bad thing about the growth of big business?

Labor conditions – In the 19 th century, the government played no role in regulating business and the economy – In many cases, people worked in dangerous conditions for little reward 6 and 7 day workweeks were common, as were workdays of 12 hours or more No vocation days, no sick leave, no compensation for injuries Low wages meant that every family member had to work Child labor was common

Primary Source – Helen Campbell Guiding question: what was life like for children at the end of the 19 th century? Step 1: Read the source and highlight or underline anything that might help you answer the guiding question, then write a short summary of what the source has to say about the guiding question

Primary Source – Helen Campbell Guiding question: what was life like for children at the end of the 19 th century? Step 1: Read the source and highlight or underline anything that might help you answer the guiding question, then write a short summary of what the source has to say about the guiding question Step 2: Read the source and put a star next to anything that might indicate the author’s bias, then write a short summary of the author’s bias

Workers get organized – Labor union: A group of people cooperating to improve working conditions – First labor unions were local and based on a specific job – National, general labor unions were formed in the 1860’s but were still divided Some unions were only open to specific races Some unions focused on either skilled or unskilled labor Some unions advocated socialism – A political system in which the government controls business and property and distributes wealth equally – Unions used a variety of tactics Strikes Walkouts Slowdowns Arbitration

Video – The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Disaster Guiding Question: What role did unions have at the end of the 19 th century? Watch the video and take notes on anything that would help you answer the question a.rv.text.triangle/the-triangle-shirtwaist-factory- disaster/

Management and government respond to unionization – Managers refused to negotiate with unions – Managers fired union members – The US government broke strikes