Industrialization

1. Industrialization By Jesse Prague, Dana Weiss, Kari Ditonno, and JuwanSandiford 1880 - 1920

2. Industrialization: 1880 - 1920 • By the 1920s, the U.S. became the leading industrial power in the world • The Industrial Boom was due to 3 factors: • 1) Wealth of natural resources • Oil, coal, iron • 2) Government support for business • 3) A growing urban population that provided cheap labor & markets • People fled to cities, with attempts to utilize the job opportunities there • Factories developed in cities to be closer to power sources (water or coal) • Along with the many opportunities in cities came terrible working conditions ~ long hours, dangerous machines, low salaries • In response to these conditions, workers started unions & organized strikes Working Conditions: Poor Natural Resources Iron Coal Oil

3. Benefits of industrialization Population Boom Inventions Oil + Steel Railroads Forming Unions • Electricity changed the ways of business in the U.S. • Thomas Edison – 1) 1st incandescent light bulb 2) system for producing & distributing electrical power, which ran machines (fans, printing presses) • Electricity was inexpensive, convenient, and it allowed manufacturers to locate plants wherever…not only near sources of power • Typewriter: Christopher Sholes – made writing more efficient • Telephone: Alexander Graham Bell & Thomas Watson – unlocked a universal communicationsnetwork • With a steam engine, Edwin Drake drilled for oil • This lead to an oil boom, which spread to KY, OH, IL, IN, TX • Petroleum-refining industries arose in Cleveland & Pittsburg • Workers in this industry transformed oil into kerosene • Gasoline became a significant form of oil once the automobile rose in popularity • Steel was made by removing Carbon from iron, making this raw material lighter, flexible, and rust-resistant • 2 Methods: • Bessemer Steel Process – involved injecting air into molten iron to remove the carbon & other impurities • Open-hearth Process – enabled manufacturers to produce quality steel from scrap metal & raw materials • The working class fled to the cities to capitalize on the economic opportunities there in factories • The world’s human population: 700 million • More food  more population! • The expanding urban population provided a huge market for new inventions • Women in work force • 1870: 5% of office workers • 1910: 40% office work force • Women were no longer sewing at home, but began working in factories, since clothing was mass-produced • More job opportunities for women! • George Stephenson effectively utilized the steam technology & created the world’s 1stlocomotive • The railroad was the biggest leap in transportation technology • Made Western expansion achievable for businesses • In Baltimore, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was built – the 1st railroad employed in the U.S. • This development made the city more competitive with New York’s Erie Canal in moving people + goods to the West • With railroads, the cost of shipping goods was dropped by 60-70% • Railroads helped industries grow rapidly • The 1sttranscontinental route was completed to the Pacific coast • Workers united together, forming unions • On some occasions, workers got what they fought for • Equal pay (gender) • Higher wages • Shorter hours • Better working conditions • The earliest labor unions started in NYC & Philadelphia • Represented the crafts of printers & shoemakers • The American Federation of Labor Union –successful ~ focused on improving wages & working conditions Bessemer Steel Process that injected air into iron to remove the Carbon 1st Locomotive Thomas Edison provided the first electric light to Wall Street The role of women changed Houses  factories Telephone Steam Engine that drilled oil near Pennsylvania Typewriter Transcontinental Tracks to the Pacific Coast Most of the population worked in factories

4. Problems/Challenges resulting from Industrialization • Poor working conditions • Many Unions were shut down because of failed strikes that used too much money and resources: • Examples of unions that died: • The Noble Order of the Knights of Labor • The American Railroad Union • They failed from not recovering after a major strike • Low wages • Factory owners hired women because they payed the women less • In response to the awful conditions, workers protested • They formed unions • Union - an organized association of workers that was formed to protect their rights • Workers protested their long hours & low wages • They also went on strike, as an act of protesting • Strike - a refusal to work,organized by a body of employees as a form of protest, typically in an attempt to gain a concession from their employer (shorter hours & higher wages) • Strikes turned very violent • Ex) The Great Strike of 1877: strikers were impeding commerce; cargo was stropped for more than a week! • Dangerous machines • No reimbursement for injuries • Since wages were so low, everyone in the family had to work….even kids • Long hours ~ 12-18 hours a day • Terrible living conditions ~ overcrowding, epidemics, pollution Children could also fit in tight spaces and corners, making them even more desirable Just like women, children were paid very little, so factory owners hired children • Crowded • Filth • Lack of sewage system • Disease 1 Shilling = less than 30 cents Average Wage (shillings per week) The Seal of the Knights of Labor

5. To what extent can rapid development of a country be controlled? • The government tried to enforce laws to take charge • Sherman Antitrust Act – the state or federal government would issue a restriction against the labor action if a company said that a strike, picket line, or boycotthurt interstate trade • When industrialization was left by itself…. • At first ~ people united together, inventions were discovered, railroads were constructed, etc. • Eventually ~ unions got out of hand, strikes got too violent • The government triedto control industrialization, but it got too out of hand with violence and disorder • Therefore, rapid development can never be fully controlled, as people hold power in a democratic society – not just the government.

6. Multiple choice questions Which of the following was NOT an effect of railroads? A: Cost of shipping dropped B: The city now couldn’t compete with New York’s Erie Canal C: Industries grew D: Western Expansion now achievable Which of the following did not drive workers to form unions? A: Long working hours B: Children not being able to go to school because they have to support the family C: People getting hurt at work D: Women getting paid more than men What is true regarding women during industrialization? A: They worked at home only, sewing and cooking B: They were paid more than men, but less than children C: They were favorable to factory owners D: Both B + C