Section 1
What natural resources played the most important role in the rise of American industry? Name three.
Oil, Iron, and Electricity
What was the transcontinental railroad, and when was it completed?
The transcontinental railroad connected the east and west portions of the nation. It was completed May 10, 1869.
Define vertical integration and horizontal integration.
Horizontal Integration: Merging companies producing similar products; adding more factories to produce similar products
Vertical Integration: streamlining the processes of collecting resources, transporting resources, manufacturing, and selling in-house (minimizing dependency on other companies for production of product).
Who was Edwin L. Drake, and why was his work with the steam engine significant?
His steam engine allowed for drilling into the ground to find oil.
What was railroad time, and who proposed the time zone system?
Professor C. F. Dowd proposed earth's surface be divided into 24 time zones leaving the United States with 4 time zones: Eastern Central, Mountain, and Pacific.
What were three problematic work conditions that workers argued against?
Child labor, long hours, no vacation or sick leave, no unemployment compensation, dangerous work environment.
How did inventions affect the roles of women in the workplace? What were the inventions?
Who was George M. Pullman, and why did his company town become controversial?
George Pullman was a railcar builder who built homes for his employees and charged rent. The town was strictly controlled with rules such as loitering and drinking alcohol.
What is Social Darwinism, and how was it used to justify business practices?
Explained that a process of natural selection weeded out less-suited individuals and enabled the best-adapted to survive. It was used as a way to justify doctrine of laissez faire, or a non-regulated marketplace.
What was the Bessemer process, and how did it revolutionize steel production?
Injecting air into molten iron to remove the carbon and other impurities. Steel allowed for more supported weight for buildings and bridges, better railroad tracks, and farm machines.
What was the Crédit Mobilier scandal, and what did it reveal about railroad corruption?
Stockholders gave this company a contract to charge 2-3 times the actual cost to lay track. They split and pocketed the profits. They donated shares of stock to government representatives. It tarnished the reputation of the Republican Party.
How did the American Federation of Labor (AFL) under Samuel Gompers differ from earlier unions?
The AFL is a craft union of skilled workers. They focused on collective bargaining and negotiations between representatives of labor and management. They used strikes as a major tactic.
How did Thomas Alva Edison’s inventions and the development of electricity transform American industry and daily life?
Electricity ran machines such as fans and printing presses. It provided light in homes and businesses with appliances. Electric streetcars made urban travel cheap.
How did the Granger laws lead to the Munn v. Illinois case? What important principle did it reveal indirectly?
Grangers took political action and established laws that protected farmers and workers from the corruption of the railroad leading to Munn v. Illinois. The case set precedent for the federal government to regulate private industry to serve public interest.
What was the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and why did they advocate for socialism?
The IWW is a radical group of socialists made up of unskilled workers. They wanted government control of business and property and equal distribution of wealth. Businesses were corrupt and led to skilled and unskilled laborers being mistreated.