Thomas Edison – the inventor who established the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, major accomplishment…making electricity more widely available
George Westinghouse – developed the alternating current to aid in the spread of electricity
John A Roebling – designed the Brooklyn Bridge
Andrew Carnegie – the industrialist who preached the “Gospel of Wealth”, argued that the success of wealthy industrialists helped the entire nation
John D. Rockefeller – the industrialists who established Standard Oil, he attempted to create a monopoly, cartel and trust in that industry, gained control over much of the oil industry by managing a trust made up of Standard Oil and allied companies
Fredrick Winslow Taylor – studied worker productivity as the foundation for his system for the scientific management published in his 1911 book, The Principles of Scientific Management
Karl Marx/Friedrick Engels – German philosophers who wrote the Communist Manifesto which opposed capitalism, later used by Communists, founders of modern communism and socialism
August Spies - anarchists and newspaper editor who stirred up anger among the workers during the Haymarket Riot
Identification Terms:
Transcontinental Railroad– the railway extending from coast to coast completed on May 10, 1869, the government contributed to the building by awarding loans and land grants to private companies
Bessemer process – developed by inventor Henry Bessemer as a cheaper and more efficient method of producing steel, made skyscrapers and other wonders possible including the symbol of American success the Brooklyn Bridge
Telegraph – invented and patented by Samuel F.B. Morse, revolutionized American communications in the late 1800s
Telephone – invented by Alexander Graham Bell who established the American Telephone and Telegraph company, revolutionized American communications in the late 1800s
Brooklyn Bridge – symbol of American success made possible by the Bessemer process
Social Darwinism – the theory that discouraged government interference in economic matters, the theory stated that government should stay out of the affairs of business and the best would create success that would benefit society as a whole
Standard Oil – company owned by John D. Rockefeller
Sherman Anti-Trust Act – passed by Congress to keep industry from cutting off competition
horizontal consolidation – the process of bringing together many firms that are in the same business to form one large company; Example: John D. Rockefeller, illegal
vertical consolidation – the process of gaining control of the many different businesses that make up all phases of a product’s development; Example: Andrew Carnegie, legal
division of labor – Breaking a job down into separate tasks and having each worker perform a different task
socialism – the philosophy that advocates public rather than private control of property
Knights of labor - hoped to organize all working men and women, skilled and unskilled, into a single union; leader Terrence Powderly
Wobblies – focused on unskilled workers, was a radical union that included many Socialists among its leadership
Haymarket Riot – the 1886 labor-related violence in Chicago, anarchist accused of throwing a bomb into a crowd of police
Homestead Strike – the 1892 strike in Pennsylvania against Carnegie Steel; Pinkertons called in
Pullman Strike – lead by popular labor organizer Eugene Debs who called for a boycott of Pullman cars leading to a strike, the government responded to the strike by using federal troops to control the workers
Other Topics/People to Consider:
Jacob Riis - this social reformer wrote the book Children of the Poor to draw attention to child labor practices in 1892
Samuel Gompers – opposed letting women join the American Federation of labor because he believed that women in the work force would drive the wages down
American Federation of Labor – organized only skilled labor…lead by Samuel Gompers
Philanthropist – a person who donates money to worthy causes
Yellow Dog Contracts – some employers forced workers to sign agreements not to join labor unions…they would not become a “yellow dog”
Robber Baron – critic of the powerful industrialist, a negative term of description
Technological Advances – made possible the American industrial growth in the late 1800s, along with financial investments sparked the expansion of American industry
Distribution of Wealth – industrial growth led to the concentration of wealth being in the hands of a few industrialists
Children – often worked in factories because families needed the income to survive
Explain why American industrialists of the late 1800s were called both “robber barons” and “captains of industry.” What viewpoint do you think most accurately depicts nineteenth-century industrialists?
Describe the theory of social Darwinism and its connection to big business. Do you agree with the philosophy of social Darwinism? Why or why not.
During the railroad strike, one newspaper accused the strikers of carrying out “a revolution… to undermine American institutions.” How did this characterization highlight the public’s view of labor unions? What does this tell us about American society during this time period?
