Factors of US Industrialization
Name the two sources of US population growth that helped provide the human resources for industrialization.
natural increase and immigration
He's the best example of a "rags-to-riches" story among them because he began as a poor immigrant who used his talents and hard work to build his steel empire.
Andrew Carnegie
What can a business owner control if they vertically integrate their industry?
quality of raw materials; timing and scheduling of delivery; efficiency and flow
The workers of the world are the ones responsible for the extra value in a product that turns a profit. Therefore, workers should share in those profits. It is only fair and just. This is a simple description of whose "Surplus Value Theory of Wages"?
Karl Marx
Name the two processing stations established during the Golden Age of Immigration and their locations.
Ellis Island--NY harbor; Angel Island--San Francisco Bay
Government service was very 'transactional' in the Gilded Age meaning government officials and leaders did not act unless they or their party stood to gain from that action. Provide a specific historical development or SFI example of this fact.
Check the greed, graft, and corruption or broker state sections of your Gilded Age of politics notes.
Explain the timeline of the Grange Movement's short-lived success in limiting railroad abuses.
1870's--Grangers get leaders elected to state govt
1870's--Granger Laws place limits on what railroads can charge farmers
1877--Munn v Illinois decision upholds Granger Laws
1886--Wabash ruling overturns the Granger Laws as unconstitutional
1887--Congress passes Interstate Commerce Act to compensate for the lost Granger Laws (but it did very little)
though he was not personally connected to any evidence of wrong-doing or graft, this President's administration was notorious for its cronyism and corruption involving several scandals
President Grant
Your in line after spending weeks on a ship. As you start to massage your aching back, someone moves your hand and writes something on your coat with chalk. Then a man dressed in a uniform walks towards you with a metal hook and aims for your eye. All hell breaks loose!
Where are you?
Ellis Island
phrase coined by Mark Twain to describe the outward appearance of growth and progress which concealed deep problems of inequality, poverty, and corruption
Gilded Age
Scarecrow
farmers--Littlefield theorized that the Scarecrow's lack of a brain was similar to farmer's who struggled to understand their complex financial plight and didn't understand complex farming techniques; also, Scarecrow is the first character to meet Dorothy in the story and Populism "started" with farmers
The United States was rich in natural resources that fueled industrialization. Name the three industrial resources that went in to making iron and steel.
coal, iron ore, limestone
"Let us prey," and "God gave me my millions," are two quotes that reveal that 19th century industrialists justified their wealth because they believed they were more _____ than the poor.
moral/religious
List three ways the Rockefeller specifically dealt with his belief that "Competition is sin!" (horizontal integration)
answers will vary but must be a specific action taken by Rockefeller to control or eliminate competition in the oil industry
Other than going on strike, list three tactics of labor that were sometimes used to fight for worker rights.
boycotts; sabotage; picketing; slow-downs; forming/joining unions
List three pull factors and three push factors involved in immigration.
Push: war; famine; disease; religous/political persecution; forced military service
Pull: jobs, land, freedom
Voter turnout rarely dropped below 80% during the Gilded Age. Provide two relevant, factual reasons why this was the case.
Look at the Party Loyalty section of the your Gilded Age Politics notes. Any reason why lots of voters would turn out for elections is valid here.
When Mary Elizabeth Lease urger farmers to "raise less corn and more hell," she meant that they should take what two actions to improve their situation?
lower production to raise prices; organize politically to fight for their rights
Leader of Nez Perce who fled with his tribe in an attempt to reach Canada after departing their reservation; pursued by US troops, he fought and lost a battle near the border and was forced to give up and return to their reservation
Chief Joseph
Your standing in rows with your fellow Ghost Dancers as US cavalry soldiers walk up and down the lines looking for weapons and confiscating ceremonial headdresses. Suddenly a shot is fired and all hell breaks loose!
Where are you?
Wounded Knee, South Dakota
typically, those who made the most profit in mining communities were those who engaged in the business of providing services or goods to miners; Chinese immigrants found regular work in service industries and merchants profited from the isolation of mining communities
"mining the miners"
Tin Man (Woodsman)
factory workers--In the book he is described a being more machine than man which is how factory workers felt working on an assembly line for 10-14 hours a day; when it rains, the Tin Man rusts and can't move which is similar to how factories had to shut down during the "rainy days" of recessions like the Panic of 1873 and 1893
Big business owners could count on a mostly laissez-faire attitude regarding the government and the economy. Name three things that the government kept low during this period and the one thing that government kept high.
Low: wages, taxes, regulations on business
High: the tariff
"Let us remember that there is not a person in the United States who was not made poor by his own shortcomings."
This quote serves as evidence of what theory that the wealthy used to justify their wealth?
Social Darwinism
The purchase of failing companies followed by reorganization of their management to bring them back to profitability
"Morganization"
Factory owners had tactics too. List three tactics that owners could use to harm or undercut the power of organized labor.
Factory owners would combat strikes using tactics such as:
"yellow-dog contracts;" lockouts; stint obligations; closed shop agreements, hiring scabs, hiring spies; getting court injunctions; asking for troops; hiring private security (Pinkertons)
List the three types of tests required of immigrants who were processed at entry stations.
intelligence tests, medical exams, financial interviews
Nast's negative depictions of machine leaders like "Boss" Tweed revealed to non-English speaking immigrants that the machines were run by corrupt, greedy politicians.
What issue was Governor Tom Watson arguing against when he complained that "you are kept apart that you may be separately fleeced of your earnings!"? In other words, what did Democrats often exploit in the South to keep farmers from organizing into large political groups?
race
what American author would have looked at the two versions of the Fort Laramie treaty and argued that the United States government was up to its old habits of cheating Native Americans out of their land
Helen Hunt Jackson (author of A Century of Dishonor)
You're listening to a speech by labor leaders who are railing against police brutality, poor working conditions, and low pay. Police arrive, a stand-off occurs, and then someone throws a bomb and all hell breaks loose!
Where are you?
Haymarket Square, Chicago, IL
two sides to the "money question" debate that emerged during the late 19th century; those in favor of the gold standard (wealthy interests, banks, industrialists) vs those who favored inflationary money policies like the free coinage of silver (the debtor class, poor farmers, and small business owners)
Goldbugs and Silverites
Wicked Witch of the West
"mother nature"--a constant source of strife for farmers were the many natural problems that they faced on the Plains; she is vanquished by being doused with water which is similar to how a drought can end with the introduction of water
Edison single-handedly defined the late 19th century era of invention, but he was and is a controversial figure. Provide evidence for both sides to this Edison controversy.
for this one, consult the Edison topic in the shared Debate #3 workspace
Explain David Ricardo's Iron Law of Wages.
If you raise wages arbitrarily, you improve the standard of living for the working class, this encourages the working class to have larger families and creates more workers seeking jobs. Eventually, they labor pool gets too large and companies must reduce wages to stay in business. This leads to the failure of the working class to continue to maintain their lifestyle.
What made Menlo Park significant?
it brought together inventors, engineers, and scientists in one place so that they could collaborate and produce inventions and patents efficiently
What is the difference between and industrial union and a trade union?
one requires a member to have certain skills (trade) while the other simply organizes workers who work in the same industry (industrial)
What was the enabling factor that allowed for more immigrants to enter the country during the Golden Age?
cheaper steamship travel; steerage
Describe the "broker state" concept and give an example of a group who DID have government influence and a group who DIDN'T have government influence.
when the government only acts to help when it stands to gain money or political influence (votes)
Many groups continued to be served b/c they offered something in return to the govt: bankers, business onwers, Union Army vets
Many groups were ignored b/c they offered little incentive: Southern Blacks, laborers, debtors, poor farmers
What are two ways that "soft-money" advocates saw as ways to increase the money supply and relieve the plight of debtors in America?
print greenbacks; back currency in both gold and silver (bimetallism)
"We were told two years ago to go to work and raise a big crop and that was all we needed. We went to work and plowed and planted; the rains fell, the sun shone, nature smiled, and we raised the big crop that they told us to; and what came of it? Eight-cent corn, ten-cent oats, two-cent beef and no price at all for butter and eggs-that's what came of it.”
Who said this in a famous speech and who was her audience?
Mary E. Lease--farmers
Your standing among farmers and Greenbackers and other people from the lower class in a huge convention hall as your new party's leaders adopt a platform pushing greater government control over the economy and bimetallism. Just then, James B. Weaver walks to the stage and all hell breaks loose!
Where are you?
Omaha, NB
1896 address to the Democratic convention with many biblical references by William J. Bryan in which he urged for the coinage of silver (bimetallism); won him the support of Democrats and Populists
"Cross of Gold" speech
Silver slippers and the Yellow Brick Road
bimetallism--Dorothy was instructed to use the silver slippers' magic and the yellow-brick road to find her way to Emerald City. According to Littlefield, this was like the combination of silver and gold coinage (bimetallism policy) that the Populists saw as their avenue to the White House.
Other than Edison, we studied four big business owners who defined this era. List them and the industries that they came to dominate.
Vanderbilt--railroads (after steamboats)
Carnegie--steel
Rockefeller--oil refining
Morgan--banking/finance
In 1890, the richest 4,000 American families possessed as much wealth as all other 11 million families in the US. What book highlighted this and explained it as a problem?
How does a trust work?
Rockefeller convinced rival oil refiners to grant control of their companies to boards of trustees in exchange for profit dividends. He then made sure to get elected to those boards so that he could control the oil refining industry.
What are three common patterns in all major labor events from the late 19th century?
violence; govt siding w/ owners; strikes failing to achieve lasting change; wage cuts or low pay ignited the strikes; association w/ un-American groups like anarchists/Socialists; crippling to the economy when they became nation-wide
Where were "new" immigrants typically from (parts of the world) and what are some reasons that native-born Americans were hesitant to allow them to enter the country?
Southern and Eastern Europe, China
they brought different ideas about politics; they tended to be poorer; they brought different religions; they didn't settle on land and build homes and businesses; they competed for factory jobs; they could bring deadly diseases
Give an example of the politics of avoidance and provide two reasons why that reform law fell short of being a true reform.
Pendleton Civil Service Act--classified only 10% of govt jobs; NO Gilded Age presidents added to it
Sherman Anti-trust Act--fined business owners only up to $5000; was often used against labor unions
Interstate Commerce Act--only applied to abuses by railroads that crossed state lines; the commission it created was staffed by railroad owners (a conflict of interest)
List two planks of the Omaha Platform that were designed to help the poor of the country and list two that were designed to attract factory workers to the Populist Party.
planks that would benefit the poor classes: bimetallism; govt loan program; govt ownership of utilities
planks that would benefit factory workers: 8-hour workday; immigration restriction; a ban on private police forces
he led an 1894 march to Washington by unemployed workers (the first march on the nation's capitol ever); he and his comrades demanded relief from unemployment through government job creation but were ignored
Jacob Coxey
Your ground-guiding the locomotives into place with their cow-catchers just barely touching while crowds of workers look on. You can see the owners of your company and the other preparing champagne bottles and glasses when all of a sudden several Chinese workers appear and demand to be in the picture as well. All hell breaks loose!
Where are you?
Promontory Point, UT
African Americans migrating to the Great Plains states beginning in 1878 to escape racist conditions in the South
Emerald City
Washington, D.C.--The Gilded Age was a time when power and influence depended on the flow of money and political favors (patronage/graft). Therefore, Littlefield suggested that the capital of Oz was just like the US capital--a city that operates on "green."