machine age

Essay text:

Assembly Line Production 12 -14 hour workday One mistake results in many injuries Corporate Consildation Businesses getting larger and larger Bc court was very pro business Gov’t unsure how to enforce Holding Companies Held certain amount of stock in industry Usually meant it controlled the industrya Factors of production Leads to monopoly Horizontal integration Cartels John D rockafeller Standard oil illegal Verticle Integration Own all factors of production in an industry Allowed smaller businesses to “compete” Legal Both integrations practiced by captains of industry for guilded age Created class of extremely powerful men Interests not as same as society Leads to Sherman Anti Act of 1890 Stops business from combination of conspiracy in restraint of trade Supreme Court found loophole Allowed businesses go But condemned unions Ex) EC knight owned 98% of sugar refining plant let go Social Darwinism Steel mogul Andrew Carnegie promotes Only natural that richest are at the top The gospel of wealth Wealth means philanthropy Suburbs Bc mass transportation allowed Middle class would escape city surroundings Lead to cities mainly immigrants Ethnic neighborhoods To escape prejudice Political bosses Think gangs of an area except more legal Head of political machines Gave all services a neighborhood needed In return for vote as instructed Ex) boss tweed Knights of Labor Founded by Uriah Stephens Goals were 8 hour work day = pay for men and women Child labor laws Safety and sanitary codes Fed income tax Gov’t ownership of railroad and telegraph Eventually used violence which lead to decline in popularity Terrence Powderly leads these strikes Unsuccessful Haymarket Square Riot Someone blew a bomb People blame a labor union Even though no one really knows “socialist radicals” from unions Many in unions were socialist/utopian philosophy American Federation of Labor(AFL) Led by Samule Gompers Concentrated on bread and butter issues Higher wage shorter work hours Realized union = more power by disclude unskilled ones Most did not accept immigrants Blacks nor women Was just a confederation of trade unions A bunch of unions exclusive to a trade Settlement houses Hull House was the first one Headed by Jane Addams Won Nobel peace prize in 1931 Laid foundation for progressive era Increasing gap between rich and poor Defines era Entertainment industry Popular novels Newspaper Yellow journalism Joesph Pulizter and William Randolph Hearst South stayed on agriculture Some progress Tobacco processing plants Hired some workers Textile mills Reduced dependence Most stayed as farmers Post war econ Made many farmers sell land Wealthy bought Forced in share cropping Using the crop lien system Kept poor very poor No money so borrowed $$ to buy seeds Huge debts and interest; unscrupulous owners Jim Crow Laws Northern gov’t less control over southern Equal protection must be from states rather than federal Supreme Court stated 14th didn’t protect from private businesses Also reversed civil rights act of 1875 Legal segregation Plessy v Ferguson “separate but equal” Setback all civil rights gains of recon era Booker T Washington Accused of being accommodationist Bc didn’t immediately ask for equal rights But he just had good idea of what he could do during his time Created a Tuskegee institute “Atlanta exposition” WEB Du bois refers to as “Atlanta Compromise” Raching and Mining Ranchers move into NA territory If find a mine Sell rights to company Railroads Expanded west Built at publics expense Bc gov’t wanted them to be completed Asked for substantial assistance Owners against any fed control of RR B4 regulartion, over charge when monopoly Undercharge if competitive Bad for farmers in region connected towns with civilization “railroad time” first standardized method of time telling Little Big Horn Only NA battle won Fought bc RR destroying buffalo Frontier gone by 1890 Progressive historian Turner/Frontier Thesis frontier crucial that it: 1 shaping of American character 2 defning of spirit 3 fostering democracy 4 providing safety valve for econ distress in urban areas Gov’t recognized potential of land n agriculter center 1862: Homestead Act Gave 160 acres of land to anyone who would Cultivate land, build home, live there “create a homestead” Morrill Land Grant Act $$ for Agriculture colleges Dawes Severalty Act Split up Indian land Didn’t work Many poor and had to sel land Must live ther for 25 years American citizenship eventually Didn’t work Reversed in 1934 NA were all gone anyway RR regulations States imposed Munn vs Illinois Said that RR crossing state lines Congress can regulate States can regulate private industry that served ‘public interest” Wabash case States cannot establish rates involving interstate commerce Interstsate Commerce Act First federal regulatory law in US history!! Set up Interstate Commerce Commision ( ICC) Regulated RR activites in unfair/unethical Lived to Reagan years Demonstrated govt good intentions butineffective RR won in business <3 courts Pendleton Act Civil service reform Created in response to charges of patronage in awarding govt jobs Created civil service commission Oversee examinations for potential gov’t employees Susan b Anthony Important poltical issue was women’s suffrage Bill introduced every year but did not get out of committee American Suffrage Assocation For making amendments to state constitutions 1890 could vote on school issues Silver vs Gold Farmers wanted more $$ (silver) into econ So inflation could make their debts smaller Also silver mined from west Big bankers opposed as they like gold more Class strife Grange Movement Farmers organzing to raise $ to buy machinery To reap benefits of econ of scale Died out bc of lack of $ Replaced with Famers’ Alliance More successful than Grange Eventually became People’s Party Part of the populist movement Peoples’ party Wanted silver Gov’t ownership of RR and telegraphs Graduated income tx Direct election of US senators Shorter workdays Presidential candidate came in third in an election Awakened US gov on their growing power Clevelands Prez 1893 Nation entered financial crises Money problem really bad Most people didn’t have $ Radical movements gained lots of popularity bc of it Socialists Lead by Eugene Debs Populists Prez candidate Wiliam Jennings Pure silver platform “free silver” “cross of gold” speech Stated that more money would loosen control Northern states interests ran against repub nomee William McKinley end of populist era William Jennings bryan losing election and Improved econ From now on Repub = pro business Tariffs Trends Domestic industries, Repubs Wanted high protective tariffs But hurt relations Wilson Gorman tariff seen as one cuase of Spanish American war Democrats, Farmers Low tariffs McKinley Tarif 50% duties on everything except sugar New Markets Us now leading industrial power Looking overseas for markets Bc Nationalism Thought American life was the best Wanted to spread US ways Expansionism and Imperialism William H Seward Called for more US participation in western hemisphere Purchase of alaksa Used Monroe doctrine to get the French out of mexico Led to developments in latin America Considered expansionism Was generally accepted Imperialism Naval captain Alfred t mahan Wrote influence of sea power upon history (1890) Made govt interested in colonies Outlined power in foreign ports But to get there you need a strong navy Led to creation of New Navy and foreign acquisitions Hawaii Looking for trade route to asia Overthrew native gov’t Annexed Hawaii after Econ collapse and we give them no tariff And then stabilized so give them high tariff White minority then overthrows natives Japan pissed off bc most residents are japanese Ex) pearl harbor Cuba Revolted against Spanish control Intigated by US tariffs Violent Cuban civil war follows Details gory in newspapers through yellow USS Maine explodes in havana gives impetus for spanish American war Leads to treaty of paris Grants cuba independence Gives US Phillippines, Puerto Rico and Guam Platt Ammendment(for cuban constitution) Cuba had to agree to this or else US troops would not leave Made it so we controlled Cuban foreign policy 1 cuba not permitted to sign foreign treaty without US consent 2 US could intervene in Cuban doestic and foreign affairs 3 naval base and coaling station Repealed during FDR’s commission with the good neighbor policy But naval base stayed til today Guantanamo bay Phillipines US not sure if should annex If gave independence some other Euro would conquer it Us would lose valuable resource Also white man’s burden Phillipinos could not rule themselves Many believed US duty to “chritianize and civilize” philipinos Eventually decided to annex Many didn’t like bc made us like British Resulted in guerilla war But eventually got under control 1946 independence Insular Cases Does constitution follow the flat? Nope; congress can do what it wants in colonial possessions China US wants some piece of the china pie Creates open door policy for all western nations Euro power wanted to keep markets they fought for Boxer rebellion changes their mind US sent troops to defeat boxers Now US allowed in