If you had your own business, what kind of boss do you think you would be? Tell me what kind of business, what kind of boss, and why?
Social Darwinism- “survival of the fittest” ◦ Government should not be involved in business affairs Laissez-faire attitude ◦ Leave it alone ◦ Very friendly towards business ◦ Big industrialists practically controlled government Then unfair business practices caused government regulation in the Gilded Age Sherman Anti-Trust Act promoted fair industrial competition
Wealth concentrated in the hands of a few industrialists—uneven distribution of wealth Rockefeller and Carnegie did not practice fair industrial competition ◦ Railroad rebates-monetary kickbacks ◦ Corporations & Monopolies-killed competition ◦ Abused natural resources ◦ Corrupted politicians ◦ Usurped and abused labor Critics called them “robber barons”
In 1860, 900,000 factory workers; in 1890, 3.2 million workers; 1900, 20 million Working conditions grew increasingly worse Factory conditions were unhealthy and dangerous Children were regularly employed; the family structure was changed dramatically More and more women entered the work force but in menial jobs Workers faced constant threats of pay cuts and lay offs Led to the rise of labor unions
Knights of Labor: ◦ Accepted skilled and unskilled workers ◦ Became identified with violence and radicalism ◦ Led by Terence Powderly American Federation of Labor (AFL) ◦ Accepted only skilled workers ◦ Led by Samuel Gompers Fought for safer working conditions, shorter work days, better wages
Railroad Strike of 1877 Haymarket Riot of 1886 Homestead Strike of 1892 The Pullman Strike of 1894 ◦ Led to government compromise with creation of Labor Day, first Monday in September
Look up the 4 strikes in the textbook and answer the following questions about each strike: 1) Who was part of the strike? 2) Why did they strike? 3) Where did they strike? 4) What did the achieve? 5) How did the government or the owner respond to the strike?