Industrialization and the Gilded Age of Politics

I. Industrialization

1. Industrialization 2. Urbanization3. Immigration

II. Technology

1. Edison2. Ford

Technology (cont’d)

3. Other inventions1. Refrigeration

III. Labor

1. Work like robots.2. Employers take control3. Women and kids4. Unsafe5. No benefits

6. Strikes!—Great RR Strike of 1877

IV. Unions

1. Better pay, conditions, hours2. Knights of Labor

1. Blacks2. Immigrants3. Women4. Skilled/Unskilled

3. Too general

Unions (cont’d)

4. Haymarket Riot 18865. American Federationof Labor (AFL)6. Skilled; org. by craft7. No women, blacks,Immigrants, unskilled

V. Women, Blacks, Immigrants

1. Women’s Trade Union League2. Knights of Laboronly all inclusive union

VI. Corporate Giants

1. Supreme Court defends corporations as “citizens”!!

2. John D. Rockefeller 3. Horizontal Integration—One aspect of

production4. Monopoly

Corporate Giants (cont’d)

5. Andrew Carnegie6. Vertical Integration—all aspects of an

industry7. U.S. Steel Corp.8. JP Morgan9. Financed such corporations

VII. Social Views

1. Darwin’s theory of “natural selection” is applied to humansSocial Darwinism

2. Survival of the fittest3. Competition is good!4. Wealthy used this as justification for their

wealth

Social Views (cont’d)

5. Gospel of Wealth—Andrew Carnegie6. Pursuit of wealth like a religion7. Wealth means responsibility to give to

the poor.8. Money/Wealth is how success was

measured9. Many disagreed, of course

Social Views (cont’d)

10. Poor were viewed negatively11. “You get what you deserve!”

VIII. Increase in Standard of Living

1. Mass goods2. Mass ads3. Luxury items4. Rising incomesstatus symbols

Increase in Standard of Living (cont’d)

5. More Leisure Time!The GreatFrysinger Team1900-1901

VaudvilleForerunner to film

YellowJournalism

IX. Urbanization

1. 1880—U.S. Urban2. Many moved to citybetter life

opportunity3. Natural

resources+RR+Industrialization=Urban growth

4. Suburbsfor the wealthy5. Indoor plumbing, street lights, sewers,

etc.

Urbanization (cont’d)

6. Inner cities= slums

7. Dumbbell Tenements8. Cheap brick 9. 4-6 stories10.Very small11.No water, no RR12. RR in basement for whole building!!