Major Inventions of the Late 1800s
Thomas Edison (1880)
Light bulb
Railroad Strikes, 1877
Response to cuts in workers’ wages
National Trades Union (1834)
First national union; open to workers from all trades
Civil War
The war encouraged production, innovation, and expansion of railroads.
Thomas Edison
Invented new technology, such as electric lightning, that stimulated business
Samuel Morse (1844)
The Telegraph
Haymarket Square, 1886
Part of a campaign to achieve an eight-hour workday
Knights of Labor (1869)
Sought general ideological reform; open to workers from all sides
Natural Resources
Ample natural resources, including oil, fueled growth
Henry Bessemer
Developed process for creating strong, lightweight steel for use in construction and railroads
Elisha Otis (1852)
Safety Elevator
Homestead Strike, 1892
Economic depression led to cuts in steelworkers’ wages
American Federation of Labor (1886)
Focused on specific workers’ issues; organizations of skilled workers from local craft unions
Growing Workforce
Immigrants willing to work for low wages flowed into the country
Andrew Carenegie
Use of vertical consolidation influenced the rise of big business; urged businessmen to also be philanthropists
Granville Woods (1884)
Steam Boiler Furnace
Pullman Strike, 1893
Wages cut without a decrease in the cost of living in the company town
American Railway Union (1893)
First industrial union; open to all railway workers
Technology/ Innovation
New technology and innovation business practices spurred growth
John D. Rockefeller
Use of new business strategies, such as horizontal consolation, influenced the rise of big business
Elias Howe (1846)
Sewing Machine
Eugene V. Debs
Challenged big business by orchestrating the Pullman Strike and helping to found the IWW
Government
Government policies encouraged investment in business and new technology
Samuel Gompers
Formed the AFL, influencing the rise of labor unions