Ch. 14: The Western CrossroadsCh. 15: The Second Industrial Revolution

Ch. 16: The Transformation of American SocietyCh. 17: Politics in the Gilded Age

United States History

Native American Resistance The US Gov’t began to force Native Americans onto

reservations in the 1850’sThe Bureau of Indian Affairs was responsible for this

removalThis cause extreme animosity amongst tribes, leading

to several conflicts with white settlersSand Creek Massacre: slaughter of over 200 Natives

in CO in 1864, for no apparent reasonsLittle Bighorn: clash between US 7th Cavalry unit and

Sioux in Montana, June 25-26, 1876George Armstrong Custer led the ArmySitting Bull and Crazy Horse led the SiouxCuster and his men were all killed in the battle, the last victory

for the Sioux

Native American ResistanceGhost Dance: a religious movement led by Wovoka, a

Paiute spiritual leader; the Ghost Dance incited a massacre of 14 Natives, including Sitting Bull, in 1890

Wounded Knee: last of the major conflicts, a skirmish between the Sioux and 7th Cavalry at Wounded Knee, SD, resulting in over 150 dead Sioux

Other groups, led by Chief Joseph and Geronimo, resisted reservations peacefully from the 1870’s and 1880’sEventually, both leaders reluctantly gave in to the pressure to

move to reservationsThe government established American Indian schools to

quickly assimilate Natives into “white America”The Dawes Act gave people 160 acres in which to farm, but

many Natives were cheated out of their allotment of land

Sitting Bull and Chief Joseph

Moving WestThe US Government gave great incentive for people to move West and

establish a lifeHomestead Act: granted 160 acres of land to people that promised to

develop the land and live there for at least 5 yearsPacific Railway Act: gave land to railroad companies to establish a line

connecting East and WestMorrill Act: gave land to states and territories to develop colleges

As of a result, a transcontinental railroad was built from Omaha to Sacramento, completed in 1869 at Promontory, UT

Many different groups moved west as a result of the government incentives and new transportation linesWhite Americans: mostly from the East, settled west for less expansive landsSouthern Blacks: hoping to escape racial discrimination and make a life for

themselves; thousands left the south, known as ExodustersImmigrants: mostly from Europe, but also Asia, to work on farms and the

railroadsNew inventions like the steel plow, harvester, and combines helped make

farming easier, but were very expensive

“Golden Spike”, May 10, 1869

The Cattle BoomThe open plains opened the opportunity at large scale

cattle ranchingCowboys became a job of hard work, but great success, for

many after the Civil War, especially for African AmericansCowboys would herd thousands of cattle and take them on

long drives to railheads, towns where the railroad could ship cattle back eastSome of the major railheads were Omaha, NE and Dodge City,

KSRanchers used public land as grazing land for cattle and

sheepThe cattle boom ended by the 1880’s after the invention of

barbed wire allowed for farmers and ranchers to fence in their lands

The Mining Boom1849 saw a major gold rush in California, but even more gold and

silver were to be discoveredThe largest strike in history occurred in northern Nevada, known as

the Comstock LodeDozens of towns sprang up overnight, like Virginia City, Goldfield, and

expanded cities such as RenoOther strikes in Arizona and Colorado contributed to booming

populations and large cities like Denver and TucsonWilliam Seward negotiated the purchase of Alaska, known at the time

as Seward’s Folly because it was thought that AK was a wastelandYears after the purchase in 1867, Alaska produce millions in gold, and

now oilMining communities grew quickly, and were expensiveFighting over land led to numerous deaths, but eventually, as towns

developed, violence was curbedAs mines ran out of minerals, towns disappeared, leaving behind

empty buildings and creating ghost towns

The Age of InventionsThe 1800’s saw numerous scientific inventions and discoveries that

enhanced the lives of people around the worldOil: Edwin Drake discovered oil near Titusville, PA in 1859, starting a

drilling boom for “black gold”Elijah McCoy furthered the oil boom by creating a system of machine

lubricating while the machine was still runningSteel: In the 1850’s, Henry Bessemer created the Bessemer process, a

cheap way of manufacturing steel, leading to a boom in steel productionRailroads: cheap steel allowed for more railroads to be built throughout

the USGeorge Westinghouse invented an air brake that could stop trains easier,

improving the safety of rail travelAutomobiles: after the creation of the internal combustion engine in 1876,

people set out to create a “horseless carriage”By 1893, the first cars were being built

Airplanes: Orville and Wilbur Wright are credited with the first successful flightTheir experiment took place at Kitty Hawk, NC on December 17, 1903

The Age of Inventions Telegraph: invented in 1837 by Samuel Morse, transmitted messages by

a series of taps of electrical currentBy the 1860s, telegraphs were everywhere, especially along railroad lines,

making communications easier Telephone: invented in 1876 by Alexander Graham Bell, who called it a

“talking telegraph”, or telephoneBy 1900, millions were around AmericaLed to the creating of American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T)

Thomas Edison invented many practical itemsTelegraph that could send up to 4 messages at oncePhonograph (record player) in 1877Light bulb in 1879

Led to widespread production of electricity Used D/C current to power electric lights George Westinghouse and Nikola Tesla later developed a transformer that send A/C

electricity over long distances Held over 1000 patents for various items Did most of his work at a lab in Menlo Park, NJ, earning him the nickname

“the Wizard of Menlo Park” with an assistant named Lewis Latimer

The Rise of Big BusinessThe American economy is based on capitalism

Also known as the free enterprise systemIndividuals are free to control their own financial destinies, free from

government controlSupply, demand and profit determine prices

A new economic idea, created by Karl Marx, called for the government to equalize society, known as communism

Americans began to buy into social Darwinism“survival of the fittest” in the business worldBased on Charles Darwin theory of evolution

Before the Civil War, most companies were small, but the late 1800s saw the rise of corporationsCorporations sell stock, in which stockholders get a share of the profits, or

dividendsTrusts were formed to maximize profits and reduce competition

Several companies are run as one in a trustMonopolies were formed if a trust took control of an industry

Monopolies can set prices to whatever, without producing quality products since they are the only company producing

Carnegie Steel and Standard Oil

Andrew Carnegie was a steel tycoon of the late 1800sEventually, using vertical integration (consolidation), he bought

related industries in steel makingIron and coal mines, transportation lines, etc.Since he controlled all aspects of production, he could sell steel much

cheaper than competitors He eventually sold Carnegie Steel to J.P. Morgan for $500 million in

1901, but also donated over $350 million Rockefeller founded the Standard Oil CompanyLike Carnegie, he also employed vertical integration to expand, but

he also used horizontal integrationHis company controlled other companies selling the same productIn this case, he bought other oil companies or tried to control those he

couldn’tEventually, he controlled over 90% of the oil industry in the United States

He was also a philanthropist, donating over $550 million in his lifetime

Railroad GiantsMillions were made from the railroad industry

as wellCornelius Vanderbilt purchased thousands of

miles of track, controlling shipping and transportation

George Westinghouse, inventor of the air brake and A/C transformer, made railroads safer, allowing trains to carry more cars at faster speeds

George Pullman was a designer of railroad cars that were more practical and comfortableHe built a large factory outside Chicago in 1880Near the factory, he built a town for the workers

to live, but was very controlling, causing frustration among workers and residents

19th Century MarketingCompanies began to mass advertise their

products, encouraging consumers to buyProduct names, billboards, packaging,

newspapers and magazines displayed new products

New mail order companies like Montgomery Ward and Sears-Roebuck offered goods by catalog and shipped them to customers

Department stores were also created, selling a wide variety of productsMacy’s, Woolworth’s, JCPenney’s and Marshall

Field’s were born in late 1800s

Working Conditions and Gov’t InterventionCitizens became frustrated with large corporations, calling for

government interventionSherman Antitrust Act (1890): law passed to prevent companies from

forming trusts and gaining monopolies over industriesHowever, the law was too vague to be effective, so companies continued to

grow The gap between rich and poor grew bigger, but the government

offered little helpCompanies relied on cheap labor, and continued to pay meager wages

to the working classImmigrants filled most factory jobs, but women and children did as wellAfrican Americans flooded cities looking for work, occasionally gaining

employmentThere were no rules on conditions, hours worked, etc. of workers during

the late 1800sPeople worked 6 days a week, at least 10 hours a day commonly, for very

little payInjuries and death occurred often Women, children and minorities worked the same hours for less pay

Labor Organization People became fed up with working conditions and began to organize labor

unionsKnights of Labor: created in 1869 to petition companies for better pay, 8 hour

days, equal pay, and end of child labor The Knights of Labor spurred other unions, leading in 1886 to the Great

Upheaval, a year of continuous strikes and violenceHaymarket Riot: workers in Chicago went on strike for an 8 hour workday, but

violence ensued over 3 day, killing several Companies often refused to honor union workers requests and fired union

supporters A new union formed in 1886 called the American Federation of Labor (AFL) In 1892, workers at a Carnegie mill in Homestead, PA struck against a wage

cut, killing 16 in the Homestead Strike In 1894, workers of the Pullman Plant in Chicago went on strike

In support of the American Railway Union and leader Eugene Debs, railroad operators stopped the trains

The government ordered an end to the strike because it froze mail delivery and interstate commerce, with President Grover Cleveland sending in the army to end the strike, destroying the union and the Pullman Strike

Immigration of the 19th CenturyFrom 1800-1880, over 10 million people moved to the

United States, mostly NW EuropeansFrom 1880-1910, over 12 million people moved to the

United StatesMany were Eastern and Southern European, but many Arabs

and Japanese came as wellCatholics, Jews, and Greek Orthodox religions were common

Most came escaping poverty or persecution, riding in the steerage section of ships

Most immigrants first sight of America came in New York at Ellis Island or Angel Island in San FranciscoBoth were used to process immigrantsFrom there, immigrants spread to cities throughout the

country

Immigrant LifeImmigrants lived, often times, in crowded cities with few

services and low wage jobEthnic neighborhoods sprung up in many cities, which

still exist todayNeighborhoods often spoke the native tongue, followed

customs, etc. Many groups formed to help immigrants adjust,

financially and educationallyHealth care and jobs were also provided by these

benevolent societiesImmigrants often tried to assimilate into American

culture, especially the second generationMost did the “dirty work” of the nation, working long

hours for little pay, barely able to survive

NativismNativists are those that are against immigration

Thought immigrants were too different to be AmericansAlso felt they stole jobs from Americans and lowered

wagesThe government passed the Chinese Exclusion Act in

1882, prohibiting Chinese immigration to the USOther groups endured constant discrimination

throughout the countryThe Immigration Restriction League formed in 1894,

hoping to make literacy tests for immigrants mandatoryCongress tried several times to make it law, but

President Grover Cleveland rejected it

Growth of CitiesSteel framed skyscrapers made cities grow upward in the late 1800’sThe elevator’s invention by Elisha Otis in 1853 allowed for

skyscrapers to be builtMass transit expanded, such as electric trolleys and subways,

making travel around cities quickerSuburbs developed around cities, making it easy for someone to

work in the city but live outside the cityUpper class families spent money freely, lived in lavish homes,

donated to causes, etc.Demand for educated workers increased the middle class, with many

jobs given to women (for lower wages)The poor lived in harsh, crowded conditions

Some lived in tenements, crowded apartment buildingsServices such as sewer and garbage pick up were rare, so disease and

filth was rampantJobs were low paying, and residents struggled to make ends meet

Daily Life in CitiesFew programs existed to help the poor in the late 1800’sPeople like Jane Addams created settlement houses

Community service centers to help the poor (Hull House in Chicago)Provided educational opportunities for the immigrant population

Education: states passed compulsory education laws, so school enrollment increased, but schools for immigrants and blacks were substandard

Newspapers, books and magazines increased in circulationYellow journalism, a form of “sensational” storytelling, became

popular in order to sell papersSports were more popular

Baseball, basketball and football were the most popularTheatre, especially vaudeville (short plays), increased in

popularityA new form of music called ragtime, made famous by Scott

Joplin, became very popular

Political Machines Political machines were well organized political parties in city governments that

were very successful in getting their candidates elected to office Political bosses offered jobs, political favors and services to residents of the cities They dictated who the residents should vote for, ensuring the success of the

machine They often tried to help the poor, so they were popular amongst the immigrant

populationNYC’s Democratic machine was known as Tammany Hall and was very

successful Political machines were very corrupt

Voting fraud was commonMany officials practiced graft, or illegally obtaining money from public fundsOfficials often received kickbacks, or bribes, for various acts that were favorable

to those paying the bribes The most notorious of corruption was in NYC’s Tammany Hall, led by William

“Boss” TweedEstimated to have received over $200 million in graft and kickbacks from 1865-

71Tweed was convicted of fraud and extortion in 1873 after Thomas Nast revealed

the corruption in political cartoons in Harper’s Weekly

The Gilded Age and ReformMark Twain coined the term “Gilded Age”, meaning for something to

be covered in a thin layer of goldAmerican society was very corrupt, while a small degree of

prosperity covered that corruptionThe main issue of government corruption was the spoils system,

giving government jobs based on friendship and/or political supportThe Republican Party was a proponent of reform, but the issue split

the party Two factions divided the Republican Party

Stalwarts: those opposed to civil service reform, led by Roscoe Conkling Half-Breeds: those supporting civil service reform, led by James G. Blaine

President Rutherford B. Hayes did not seek reelection in 1880 because of the factions

As a result, Half-Breed James Garfield was the presidential nominee, with Stalwart Chester Arthur as the vice-presidential nomineeGarfield won the presidency and took over in 1881

James Garfield 1881

Chester A. Arthur 1881-1885

Garfield and ArthurFour months after his inauguration, Garfield was shot

Charles Guiteau was an unstable man upset at Garfield for not receiving a government job

His thoughts were that Arthur would further the Stalwart cause

President Arthur responded in 1883 with the passage of the Pendleton Civil Service ActThe law required tests and merit as means to obtain a

government jobMany Stalwarts refused to support Arthur in the election

of 1884, nominating James G. BlaineThe Half-Breeds supported Democrat Grover Cleveland,

who won the election despite accusations against his character

Grover Cleveland 1885-1889, 1893-1897

Cleveland’s PresidencyCleveland continued the reform measures of

the civil service systemMore and more jobs in the government began

to require tests This angered many members of his partyIn 1888, he was opposed by Benjamin Harrison,

the Republican nominee Grandson of William Henry Harrison, the 9th

presidentLost the popular vote, but won the electoral voteSet back the reform efforts by rewarding

Republican supporters and freely spending money

Benjamin Harrison 1889-1893

Populist MovementThe changes in urban life of the time also influenced change

in rural farm life Prices for machinery and shipping of farm products

continued to riseSupply was high, so prices for goods were lowThis forced most farmers to borrow and many lost their farms

Farmers organized a movement known as the Grange to help farmersHelped to purchase equipment in bulk to lower prices for

farmersFought the railroads rates for shipping and help to standardize

the ratesHelped lead to the passage of the Interstate Commerce

Commission that was designed to regulate the railroads, but did not have power to enforce the laws regarding railroad rates

Money IssuesFarmers wanted the government to print more

greenbacks, causing prices to increase and making it easier to pay off loans

In 1873, the government decided that greenbacks could only be redeemed for goldThe gold standard caused the money supply to

decreaseOutrage caused the government to pass two laws in

regards to silver moneyBland-Allison Act (1878)Sherman Silver Purchase Act (1890)

Did not buy enough silver to make a difference, however

Populist PoliticsThe Populist Party formed in 1892 to address the

plight of farmers and their supportersThey nominated James B. Weaver for president,

who lost to Grover Cleveland, who won a second term after losing his reelection to Harrison in 1888

A major railroad company failed in 1893, leading to the Panic of 1893, an economic depression that caused widespread unemploymentPresident Cleveland worried about the Sherman

Silver Purchase ActHowever, new silver discoveries caused its price to

plummet, and eventually leading to a strain on gold supplies and the repeal of the law

Election of 1896Republican William McKinley favored the gold standardDemocrat Williams Jennings Bryan favored free

coinage of silverThe Populists supported Bryan, thus the party faded from

existenceBryan made his famous “Cross of Gold” speech during

this election process, criticizing McKinley’s support of the gold standard

McKinley won the election, and, coupled with improving conditions for farmers, led to the end of the Populist movement

However the movement laid the groundwork for future reform movements

William McKinley 1897-1901