Industrialization, Urbanization and Immigration
During this time period Industrialization began flourishing and the population of immigrants increased. The United States was making a transformation to a more urban nation, and out of it came a whole new lifestyle.
Social
Captain of Industry A term that emerged during this time to describe the "good guy" who was successful and powerful. Andrew Carnagie was an example of a captain of industry because he used his power and wealth to give back to the industries under him. This helped society, for instance he would give back to schools, town buildings, libraries,etc benefitting the community. Industrialization Although this brought many pros and cons to society, the growth of industrialization within the states brought new job opportunites, new workers, and a changed lifestyle. It also allowed for a learning period, and allowed society to see what regulations needed to be put in place regarding labor. |
Economic
Horizontal Integration The process of combining many firms engaged in the same type of buisness into one large corporation is known as horizontal integration. John D Rockafellar was the major leader the oil industry and used horizontal integration. This led to mistreatment of workers and a monopolized country. Saloons Saloon keepers were key figures in political machines. They offered free toilets, water for horses, newspapers, and lunch. Mostly men were drawn to the saloons, but here they could be entertained and drink early in the morning or late at night. This brought good buisness for keepers and was a way to get out and socialize. |
Political
Laissez-Faire A french system of government literally translating to "let do", or a french phrase meaning "let people do as they choose" This style was hands off for the governement and was completely controlled by the people. This led to buisness' monopolizing, and people gaining too much power in the buisness world (John D Rockafeller). When buisnesses are out of whack, economics become dysfunctional as well. Knights of Labor (KLA) American Federation of Labor (AFL) KLA: They wanted boycotts rather than strikes against unfair wages/labor hours, favored arbitration as means of settling desputes. AFL: Fought for small gains to reach a big goal, used strikes rather than regotiation seeing it as a more effective way. Both groups played a roll in representing a group of workers striving for rights. |
Additional Terms
Amusement Parks: 1st created was Coney Island, and was built as a means of entertainment for the working class, families or single adults. They were pretty cheap, 5 - 10 cents for water slides/ railroad rides. Now that families had more time to spend together, this was a way to get out and occupy their time and spend it together.
Scott Joplin: Most imporant African AMerican ragtime composer, he was also known as "the king of ragtime." Ragtime music was a mixture of rythms from riverside honkytonks, saloon pianists and banjo players.
Scott Joplin: Most imporant African AMerican ragtime composer, he was also known as "the king of ragtime." Ragtime music was a mixture of rythms from riverside honkytonks, saloon pianists and banjo players.
How did Industrialization lead to Progressivism?
Industrialization brought new job opportunities as well as new immigrants to fill those jobs. Immigrants coming into the country created a lot of friction, while more than half of the population was immigrants cities became crowded and living conditions continued to suffer. Progressives and the progressive movement was looking to change their ways of life and improve the brutal conditions they were forced to live in. This group of educated, urban middle class people looked for problems to be solved by getting the government more involved again. This time period was both progress and a few steps backward. In the beginning it was like going in circles when business' began monopolizing and there were few people taking control over all of the business world, and problems with immigration just kept rising. Toward the end of this time period we begin to see efforts being made to improve working conditions as well as immigrant lifestyle which more so just set up for success in years to come. This was a period of progress for America because industrial life flourished and new ways of living emerged. It was a time for trial and error and expansion for citizens. During this time we were able to see the success's and failures of the buisness world.