Ghettos, areas in which one ethnic or racial group dominated, formed in many urban areas. Immigrants found comfort in livinginacommunitywithafamiliar languageandtraditions.
were not allowed to move to the United States.
Urbanization
Expanding Cities
Because of mechanization the need for labor on farms decreased. Between 1880 and 1920, 11 million Americans left their farms and movedtourbanareastoseekoutbetteropportunities.
How Cities Grew
Inthelate1800s,motorizedmethodsoftransportationmadecommutingeasier.Trains,cablecars,electrictrolleys,andtheautomobile (1910) allowed people to live in suburbs and commute into a large city towork.
buildings to stand more than 50 feet tall. In 1885 the first skyscraper was built. It was 10 stories tall.
Factory Work
In many industries, workers were not paid by the hour, but by how much they produced. This system of piecework meant that the fastestworkersearnedthemostmoney.
Poverty, overcrowding, and unsanitary conditions were common. Fires were a constant worry. With so many buildings packed togeth- er, a small fire quicklyspread.
Dumbbell tenements were created in order to let every room have a window and allow more air flow. The thought was that thiswouldreducethespreadofdiseaseincities.
Social Reform
The Social Gospel Movement
Asocialreformmovement developed bythechurcheswhichprovidedsocialservicesforthepoor.
Led by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Star, young educated women and men would move into a house in the midst of a poor neighbor- hood.Theywouldsettlein,andtheneventuallyoffersocialservices.
Settlement house founders believed that money alone could not really help the poor. The houses offered cultural events,
classes, child care, clubs, camps, job-help, legal help, and health care.
Robber Barons implies that someone got their money by stealing from the public – they ruthlessly drove theircompetitors intotheground.Theypaidtheirworkers meagerwagesandliveinunhealthyconditions.
John D. Rockefeller created the Standar d Oil Company in 1870. His practices may have been questiona- bleat first,butbythetimeofhisdeathhehadgivenover$500 milliondollarstocharities.
Andrew Carnegie was extremely successful in the steel business. He preached a “ gospel of wealth,” that people should make as much money as they can, but then give it away. More than 80% of Carnegie’s wealth wenttosomeformofeducation. AswithRockefeller, manypeoplequestionedanddisapprovedofhis methods of gaining suchwealth.
Social Darwinism
Carnegie suggested that the wealthy were the most valuable group in society. The idea came from Charles Darwin’stheoryofevolution(naturalselection,survivalofthefittest).Thetheorythatonlythemostwealthy and “fit” would succeed was deemed socialDarwinism.
Most Americans believed that the government shouldn’t interfere with private business and as a result, the governmentdidn’ttaxgovernmentprofitorregulaterelationswithworkers.(Whenthegovernmentdoesnot interferewithbusinessitisknownaslaissez-faire“handsoff”government.)
A monopoly is when a company has complete control over a market or service. A company is so big and pow- erful that it would have driven all competition out. Laws were passed in the late 1800s to prevent certain mo- nopolisticpractices.
Carnegie Steel became so wealthy and powerful that Car negie decided to buy all of the com- panies that performed all of the phases of steel production, from the mines to the furnaces and mills. He even bought the shipping and rail lines for transport. Gaining control of all aspects of a product’s development is known as vertical integration(consolidation).
The Standard Oil Company, owned by Rockefeller, became so large and powerful that it decidedtobuyallofitscompetitors’oilrefineries.Bringingtogethermanyfirmswithinthesame business is called horizontal integration (consolidation).
Inordertogetaroundmonopolylawswhenintegrating(consolidating)theStandardOilCompany,Rockefeller formed a trust. The trust allowed the companies to come together under a “board of trustees” who controlled operations,butnotofficiallymerge(whichavoidedthelawsagainstamonopoly)
In an attempt to limit the control a business could have over an industry, President Benjamin Harrison passed theShermanAntitrustActin1890,outlawinganycombinationofcompaniesthatrestrained interstatetradeor commerce. The act was not successful at first, as it went after labor unions instead ofmonopolies.
A term coined by Mark Twain to describe the post-Reconstruction era – “Gilded” means ‘covered with a thin layerofgold’Thiswasagoldenperiod forAmerica’sindustrialists–thetermsuggeststhatathinlayerofgold covered the poverty and corruption insociety.
Thewealthoftheindustrieshelpedtomasktheproblems facedbyimmigrants,laborers,andfarmers,aswellas the abuse of power in business andgovernment.
8
Why social, economic, and political factors led to the need for the formation of laborunions?
To whatextent werelaborunionseffectiveinmeetingthepolitical,economic,andsocialneedsoflaborers?
Factoryworkerswereruledbytheclockanddisciplinewasstrict.Workerswerefinedorfiredforthings such as being late, talking, or not working hardenough.
Workplaceswereoftenunsafe.Thenoisewasdeafening,lightingandventilationwerepoor,workerswere often fatigued, and equipment was not dept upwith.
Child labor: By the end of the 1880s, 20% of children between age 10 and 16 were employed. Children often left school at the age of 12 or 13 to work (more often girls than boys). Children as young as 6 or 7 sometimes worked aswell.
Socialism
In 1890, 9% of Americans held 75% of the nation’swealth.
Some poor families became interested in the idea of socialism, a philosophy that favors public instead of privatepropertyandincome.Socialistsbelievethatsociety, notjustprivateindividualsshouldtakechargeof a nation’swealth.
MostAmericans opposedsocialismbecauseitthreatenedthedeeplyrootedidealsofprivateproperty, free enterprise, and individualliberty.
In 1869 The Knights of Labor formed to organize all working men and women (black & white). The Knights were able to pursue broad social reforms such as equal pay for equal work, an 8 hour workday, and an end to child labor. They often formed strikes to assert theirdemands.
The American Federation of Labor, a craft union, formed (by Samuel Gompers) allowing in only skilled workersdevotedtoaspecificcraft.TheAFLattemptedtoforceemployerstoparticipatein
collective bargaining, a process in which workers negotiate as a group with employers. Workers act- ing as a group had more power than a single worker acting alone.
Forcing “yellow dog contracts” – workers promised never to join a union or go onstrike
Prohibiting collectivebargaining
Violent Strikes Rock the Nation
The Great Railroad Strike (1877) Railway workers began to strike 1877 when the B&O Railroad announcedawagecutof10%.TheyclashedwiththelocalmilitiaandviolencespreadfromWestVirginia to Pittsburgh, Chicago, St. Louis, and othercities.
Haymarket Riot (1886): A group of wor kers started a national demonstration demanding an 8 hour workday. Police had to break up a fight between strikers and scabs (workers who came in to replace strikers). A bomb was thrown and a police officer died. Unionists and anarchists (radicals who oppose all government)whoparticipatedintheriotbecameheroestomanyunionworkers.
Homestead (1892): Andrew Carnegie’s partner Henry Frick attempted to cut the wages of workers at Carnegie Steel. The steel union called a strike and one anarchist attempted to assassinate Frick. The public sawthisastoomuchviolenceandstoppedsupportingtheunionists.
Pullman (1894): After the Panic of 1893, George Pullman (inventor of the Pullman sleeper railroad car)decidedtolayoffworkers andcutpayby25%. TheAmericanRailwayUnion (ledbyEugeneV.Debs) went on strike, and instead of bargaining, Pullman shut down his factory. By 1894 260,000 workers had joinedthestrike.ThestrikeendedwhenpresidentGroverClevelandsentin2,500troopstoregulatethe
union strikers.
How did the government’s role in economic and political affairs change during thisera?
William Marcy “Boss” Tweed was one of the most notorious bosses in NYC. Boss Tweed and his associates once got access to the city’s treasury and illegally used the money for constructionprojectsandthenkeptsomeforthemselves.
Thomas Nast, a famous political cartoonist, helped bring Tweed down by exposing him to the public through political cartoons depicting Tweed as a thief and a dictator. Tweed’s follow- erswereoftenuneducatedandcouldnotread,buttheywereabletounderstandNast’scartoons.
The Business of Politics
In the late 1800s, businesses operated largely without regulation. This laissez-faire (hands-off) approach is supported by the belief that if the government doesn’t interfere then the strongest businesseswillsucceed,bringingsuccesstothenationasawhole.
In the Credit Mobilier scandal, stockholders in the Union Pacific Railroad Company created a constructioncompanycalledCreditMobilier.Theygavetheconstructioncompanyacontractto build the Union Pacific’s railroad tracks at 2-3 times the price it would actually cost. The government was paying for the Union Pacific’s construction with grants and loans – so the stockholders ended up pocketing $23 milliondollars.
Whiskey Ring Scandal – IRS collectors and other officials accepted bribes from whiskey distillerswhowantedtoavoidpayingtaxesontheirproduct,whichlostthefederalgovernment millions ofdollars.
Civil Service Reforms
Rutherford B. Hayes was elected president (1877) and refused to follow the spoils system. InsteadheappointedqualifiedleaderstotheCabinetandfiredemployeeswhowerenotneeded.
James A. Garfield was elected president in 1880, but his term was cut short when he was murderedbyalawyerwhowasexpectingajobfromGarfield.Themurdercausedanoutcry against the spoilssystem.
After Garfield’s death, Vice President Chester Arthur became president and passed the Pendleton Civil Service Act, which created a Civil Service Commission. This classified governmentjobsandtestedapplicants’fitnessforthemwithameritexam.ThePendletonCivil ServiceActthereforeendedthespoilssystem(asJacksonhadcreated.)
9
– The Progressive Movement
Authors and Journalists who uncovered evils of society to encourage reform. Examples: Ida Tarbell (History of the Standard Oil Company), Upton Sinclair (The Jungle), Jacob Riis (How the Other Half Lives)
Many young women were killed at a textile plant fire after having no way to get out of the building
Famous settlement house started by Jane Addams to help poor, urban, immigrant families.
Gave permission to levy an income tax
Direct election of senators by the people
The Volstead Act - started Prohibition - made the manufacturing and sale of alcohol illegal.
Women's suffrage - gave women the right to vote
Law aimed to limit monopolies, but was instead aimed at labor unions
Supreme court dissolved a rail road company monopoly
made it illegal for railroad officials to give, and for companies to receive rebates for using particular railroads
Governor of Wisconsin who increased the power of the states
Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson all ran in this Election. Roosevelt and the Progressive (Bull Moose) Party split the republican vote, paving the way for Wilson (D) to win the presidency.
Created a decentralized private banking system which divided the nation into 12 districts and established a regional bank in each district
Strengthened the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, made some monopolistic practices illegal and protected the rights of labor unions and farm organizations
Supreme Court case which established the “separate but equal” doctrine
Civil Rights reformer who started the Tuskegee Institute for the vocational training of African Americans, gave the Atlanta Compromise Speech. Was reassuring to whites because he did not push for radical change.
radical early Civil Rights Leader who pushed for African Americans to get educated in order to advance in society and gain equality. He led the Niagara Movement and was a founding member of the NAACP.
Movement of African Americans from the Jim Crow south to northern cities to escape racism and gain job opportunities.
To take away the vote with strategies such as literacy tests, poll taxes, and grandfather clauses
Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) led the crusade for Prohibition, members advanced their cause by entering saloons, singing, praying, and urging saloonkeepers to stop selling alcohol. Carrie Nation played a large role in thismovement.
Creating EconomicReforms
Muckrakers-journalistwhowroteaboutthecorruptsideofbusinessandpubliclifeinmass circulation magazines during the20th century.
Upton Sinclair wrote The Jungle exposing the harsh treatment of workers in the meatpack- ingindustry.
Jacob Riis wrote How the Other Half Lives hoping to gain support in the reform of tene- menthouses.
Lincoln Steffens uncovered political corruption in St. Louis and other cities.
Ida Tarbell wrote the book The History of the Standard Oil Company in which she investi- gatedandrevealedtheabusescommittedbytheStandardoiltrust.
Fostering Efficiency- many progressive leaders put their faith in experts and scientific principles to makesocietyandtheworkplacemoreefficient.(Focusedonresearch)
How successful were the Progressive Era Presidents in leading reformefforts?
Progressives thought that government should increase their responsibility for the well-being of people, which would require more social welfare programs. Reform at the Municipal (City) Level
Settlement houses such as Jane Addam’s Hull House were built to improve urban slums/ghettos.
Somemayorsledmovementsforcity-supportedwelfareserviceswhichprovidedthingslike public baths, parks, work-relief programs, playgrounds, free kindergartens, lodging for homeless.
Reform at the State Level
Robert M. La Follette of Wisconsin led the way in regulating big business. He made the railroad industry, a major target. He also instituted a direct primary in which people voted on nominees for upcomingelections.
Initiatives, a process in which citizens can propose a new law to go directly on the ballot, referendums, which allowed citizens to approve or reject a law passed by the legisla- ture, and recall procedures, which permitted voters to remove public officials from office, were also instituted in manystates.
The Pure Food and Drug Act (1906) banned interstate shipping of impurefoodand misla- belingfood
16th Amendment (1913) Allowed the federal government to collect incometaxes.
17th Amendment (1913) Direct election of senators. Before this, each states’ legislature chose its own USSenator.
Federal Reserve Act (1913) Created the Federal Reserve System of banks to supervise private banks and ensure a flexible moneysupply.
18th Amendment (Volstead Act) (1919) Banned the production, sale, or import of alco- hol(prohibition)
19th Amendment (1920) Granted women full suffrage (the r ight tovote)
Theodore Roosevelt
After the Spanish-American War he became the Governor of NY, then vice president, and thenaftertheassassinationofMcKinley,hebecametheyoungestpresidentattheageof42.
He saw presidency as a "bully pulpit”=he could influence the news and media and shape legislation.
If big business victimized workers, then he would make sure that the common people received a Square Deal - his program of progressive reforms designed to protect people from bigbusinesses.
Roosevelt's real goal wasfederal regulation of railroads
CongresspassedElkinsAct(1903),Madeitillegalforrailroadofficialstogive,and shippers to receive, rebates for using particularrailroads.
Progressivism as Taft Becomes 27th President
Progressive Movement- in early 20th-century reform movement seeking to return control of the government to the people, to restore economic opportunities, and to correct the injustices of Americanlife.
Payne-Aldrich Tariff (1909) passed by Taft=a set of tax regulations. It failed to significantly reduce tariffs on manufactured goods-increasing many rates. This angered progressives who believed Taft had abandonedprogressivism.
The Republican Party Splits
Taft'sactionsmadeitimpossibletoholdtogetherthetwowingsoftheRepublicanParty.(Progressives want change and Conservatives didnot)
Problems within the Republican Party = mass defeat in 1912 & helped Democrats gain control of the House of Representatives for the first time in 18years.
Bull Moose Party AKA Progressive party (another 3rd-party) led by Theodore Roosevelt. Platform: direct election of senators and adoption in all states of the initiative, referendum, and recall. Advocated women's suffrage, workmen's comp, 8 hour workday, minimum wage for women,federallawagainstchildlabor,andthefederaltradecommissiontoregulatebusinesses.
Democrats Win in 1912
Woodrow Wilson- Democrat reformer and NJgovernor.
Wilson only captured 42% of popular vote, he won overwhelming electoral victory and a Democratic majority inCongress.
Heendorsedaprogressiveplatform,calledtheNewFreedom,whichdemandedevenstrongerantitrust legislation, banking reform, and reducedtariffs.
This“watchdog”agencywasgiventhepowertoinvestigatepossibleviolationsofregulatorystatutes, to require periodic reports from corporations, and to put an end to a number of unfair business practices.
- Effects of racial segregation on United States’ society.
De jure segregation - racial separation (segregation) created by the law
De facto segregation - when segregation is a result of custom and culture, it is a fact, but not a law
Roosevelt and Civil Rights
Roosevelt failed to support civil rights of African-Americans, although, he did support of few individual African-Americans.
Roosevelt invited Booker T. Washington to White House (symbolicgesture)
Washington respected by powerful whites, but faced opposition from African-Americans like W.E.B. DuBois, for his accommodation of segregationists and for blaming black poverty on blacks - urging them to acceptdiscrimination.
At a Niagara Falls convention in 1909, Du Bois and others founded the NAACP- National Association for the Advancement of ColoredPeople.
Restrictions on Civil Rights
Plessy v Ferguson(1896) – Supreme Court case saying segregation was permissible if facilities were equal. (Separate butequal)
Grandfather Clauses – Laws exempting men from certain voting restrictions if they had already votedoriftheyhadancestorswhohadvotedpriortoblacksbeinggrantedsuffrage.