19th Century Industrialization and its Impacts

helped immigrants

• then told them how to vote

criminal

• rigged elections, used political position to steal millions, profited off of city contracts

ran Tammany Hall

• organized the needs of businesses, immigrants, and the poor so that everyone in the community flourished

• did it because their actions effectively put the communities that they helped in debt to them → community owed the machine their vote

• Tweed stole millions from tax payers through schemes of deceit and fraud

groups of people who knew how to secure votes for their parties

at the top were bosses who doled out order

if members were faithful to the boss, they were rewarded with jobs

meant to gain the patronage needed to win elections

1865-1890 = old immigrants from Central Europe (Germany, Britain, Ireland)

After 1890 = new immigrants from Southern, Eastern Europe and Middle East (Greeks, Slavs, Jews, Italians) more cultural diversity

Urban planning movement in 1890s-1920s

supported by architects, landscape architects, reformers

design should encourage civic pride and engagement

help with social issues

works produced by all types of artists that aim to draw attention to the real socio-political conditions of the working class as a means to critique the power structures behind these conditions

Naturalistic - urban setting, clash of nature and civilization

Literature

• Theodore Dreiser, “Sister Carrie” (1900)

• Kate Chopin, “The Awakening” (1899)

• Stephen Crane, “Maggie: A Girl of the Streets” (1893)

1850s - order of the Star Spangled Banner - “Know-Nothings”

1856 - The American Party

Henry Bowers

• 1887

• American Protective Association

• Hatred of Catholics (specifically Irish)

Immigration Restriction League

• 1894

• founded by Harvard Alumni

• screen immigrants with literacy test

Chinese Exclusion Act

• 1882 - banned Chinese immigration for 10 years

• Chinese in the U.S. could not become citizens

• Renewed in 1892 and 1902

1887

founded the American protective association

hatred of catholics

Social Darwinism in economics

Laissez-Faire = hands off

• governments would not intervene with or regulate business practices

• allowed factories to mass produce goods to be sold on a national and international scale with lax regulations

• American government intervened very rarely in economic operations of business

skilled and unskilled workers

founder - Terence Powderly

goals = destruction of trusts and monopolies, abolition of child labor

fell apart after the Haymarket Square Riot

American businessman

founded Ford Motor Company

father of motor assembly lines

inventor credited with 161 patents

pioneered the manufacturing of affordable automobiles

a company owns all aspects of production

a company acquires all the complementary industries that support its business

i.e. Andrew Carnegie bought up companies that handled all parts of steel production

wrote a series of dime novels that often features a poor boy who achieves success in the world

• That success is usually the result of a bit of luck and a bit of pluck

Perpetrated the myth that anyone could make it in Gilded Age America

business leaders can make as much money as they can BUT the must use it correctly

• don’t give it away after you die, don’t leave it to your kids

• instead, give it back to the community in ways that help develop the community

  • schools, libraries, gyms

• philanthropy not charity

Heimler says:

• argued that those with extraordinary wealth had a duty from God to invest their wealth back into society through generous acts of philanthropy

• Carnegie gave away nearly $350 million to build libraries and concert halls and universities

in an economic context:

• argued that strong companies should “eat” weak companies

  • world’s wealth would be concentrated in the hands of those deemed “fittest”

generally:

• Henry Spencer

  • English philosopher

  • dated Charles Darwin’s “natural selection” to human society

  • “survival of the fittest”

• used to support racism, imperialism, and monopolies

• “weak” businesses die

• “strong” businesses succeed

political groups formed to give farmers a voice

farmers wanted:

• government regulation of railroads

• anti-trust laws

• more money in circulation

Mary Lease

eventually join together to form a political party (populists)

Farmer’s Alliances form the “people’s party”

they speak out for farmers and factory workers

sought to work for the people and correct the gross concentration of economic power held by elite banks and trusts

published their beliefs in the Omaha Platform

• direct election of Senators

• use of initiatives and referendums which allowed people to propose and vote on legislation

• government ownership of railroads, telephone, and telegraph companies

• restriction of undesirable immigration

• 8-hour work day

• graduated income tax

• unlimited coinage of silver/re-monitization of silver

• a single term for President and Vice President

actively campaigned for the presidency

traveled cross-country delivering “cross of gold” speech

turned some voters off with campaigning

endorsed by the Populists

Democratic Party 1896

• adopted Populist ideas

  • tariff reductions

  • income tax

  • strict control of trusts (esp. railroads)

  • free silver

Lost because:

• his focus on silver undermined efforts to build bridges to urban voters

• he did not form alliances with other groups

• McKinley’s campaign was well-organized and highly funded

a series of laws passed in several midwestern states of the United States (namely Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois) in the late 1860s and early 1870s

were promoted primarily by a group of farmers known as the Grange

the Grange was founded by Agricultural Department Official, Oliver H. Kelley, in 1867

National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry

brings farmers together

learn new techniques in farming

began to focus on economic issues

organized marketing cooperative to sell their own crops

political action against railroad monopolies and warehouses

1877

states can regulate businesses that were public utilities (service)

1886

states canNOT regulate railroads that cross state lines

advocated for farmers

spoke out against Wall Street

tied closely to women’s movement

“raise less corn and more hell!”

the influence of sea power upon history

sea power is the path to greatness for all nations in history

U.S. needs new overseas markets to remain powerful

U.S. needs powerful navy to protect those markets

Naval Act of 1890 - fund construction of new ships

by 1900 U.S. has one of the most powerful navies in the world

Secretary of State John Hay sent the Open Door Note to European powers in China asking them to observe an open door of trading privileges in China

was not accepted or rejected so America held on to some trading rights in the Asian market

Gave all nations equal access to trade in China

U.S. interest in _____:

• missionaries

• fruit industry

• sugar industry

Hawaiian Nationalist, Queen Liliuokalani is removed from power by U.S. marines and the Dole Pineapple Company (1893)

Teller Amendment (1898)

• senator Henry Teller addendum to the declaration of war on Spain

• the U.S. will not seek control of Cuba

Platt Amendment (1903)

• Cuba cannot enter into agreements with other nations

• U.S. can interfere in Cuban affairs

• U.S. can lease land for naval base(s)

founded in 1899

members included Mark Twain, Andrew Carnegie, William Jennings Bryan

campaigned against U.S. control of Philippines

arguments AGAINST imperialism:

• self determination for nations

• America had a long history of isolationism from foreign affairs

• the Constitution SHOULD follow the flag

arguments made in favor of imperialism:

• Jefferson expanded U.S. territory

  • Louisiana Purchase

  • wanted Cuba

• went to war with Mexico for Texas

• took Florida from Spain

• we are “God’s chosen people” - like manifest destiny

• if Germany, England, and France can imperialize, why not us?

• Philippines would “prefer” us ruling than the “savage” rule of the Spanish or self-rule

Philippines is annexed by U.S. after driving the Spanish out

Filipinos gather under the leadership of Emilio Aguinaldo to throw off U.S. rule

brutal 3 year war lasts from 1898-1902

Philippines is defeated and the U.S. holds onto the territory until after WWII

Philippines finally gains independence in 1946

Sherman Anti-Trust Act

• 1890 - outlawed any combination of companies that restrained interstate trade

• not effective against trusts

• used against the unions in the Pullman Strike

Interstate Commerce Act

• 1887 - regulated the prices railroads charged

• railroads can’t give special deals to certain customers

• sets up Interstate Commerce Commission

outcomes of supreme court granger cases

industrialization led to the mass production of goods to be sold all around the world

John D. Rockefeller

• owner of Standard Oil

• horizontal integration

  • one company eventually buys out all its competitors until there is effectively no competition left

  • forced his competitors to sell their companies to him, eliminating competition

Andrew Carnegie

• dominated the steel industry

• vertical integration

  • a company acquires all the complementary industries that support its business

  • bought up companies that handled all parts of steel production

Henry Bessemer pioneers the Bessemer process

• made strong, cheap, and abundant steel

• led to bridges, railroads, and the growth of cities

Monopolies

• a company gains complete control of a product or service

skilled workers

founder - Samuel Gompers

goals = similar to KoL, higher wages, safer working conditions