Industrial America in the Late 19th Century

Industrial America in the Late 19th Century

Gilded Age Project

APUSH

SAGE

Period 1

Juan H.

Micheal H.

Giselle R.

Jamie G.

A Tailor Testifies(1883)

Panic of 1873

Homestead Act

• armed conflict between workers and management
• occurred when Andrew Carnegie's workers of steel went on strike after a labor dispute
• a major setback for unions

• In 1850's, sewing machine was invented.
• Many tailors had little money in the bank, but used all there earnings to buy sewing machines.
• The tailors would not get more than they paid for the machine.

• financial crisis
• "Great Depression"
• railroad workers faced hard times
• great railroad strike- weakened labor movement
• coinage act changed the U.S. silver policy to a gold standard
• racial and ethnics fractured labor unity

Pullman Act

Panic of 1893

• nationwide conflict between labor unions and railroads
• Eugene Debs organized a strike that shut down the railroads
• Pullman rapidly expanded companies to build modified cars and operations of railroad lines

Spirit Readings:

• depression deepened
• american railroad system over built
• people fled paper for gold
• economy fell
• Cleveland did little of help
• congress repealed the Sherman Silver Purchase Act
• new technologies but driven to backruptcy

Essential question

"Life was good for the Americans during the Gilded Age"

It was a harsh era of economic exploitation, some managed to be successful while others struggled but over all it became the largest industrial nation

New Immigration

A Populist Condemns George M. Pullman(1894)

• Pullman invented Pullman Palace car.
• Depression hit, cut wages 25%
• strikes--starvation because of depression.

Pullman Defends His Company(1894)

• Pullman stood up for his workers to keep them employed, testifies for employees.

Starvation At Pullman(1894)

• Pullman strikes broken by federal bayonets.
• People demand changes to be done.

The American Protective Association Hates Catholics(1893)

• European labor in 1880's.
• Powerful group- the secretive American Protective Association(APA) claimed a million members by 1896
• APA alarmed by Irish catholic political of public offices including fire & police department.

People:

• from southern and eastern Europe
• many poor looking for American Dream
• helped make unskilled labor cheap
• industrialists wanted low wages labor
• different culture spread
• lead to rapid growth into the west (mining)
• Federal Government did nothing to ease the assimilation of immigrants
• social gospel movement- labor reforms
• lead social problems (proverty,crime,child labor, etc.)

Capital Versus Labor(1871)

• Eugene Debs: American union leader, one of the founding members of industrial workers of the world a 5 time candidate of the socialist party of Amer.
• Labor movements-best known socialists in U.S.
• Demo. Party

"The issue is Socialism versus Capitalism. I am for Socialism because I am for humanity. We have been cursed with the reign of gold long enough."

Thomas Edison

Samuel Gompers condemns the knights(1886)

• American inventor and businessman. Developed: phonograph, motion picture camera, electric light bulb. One of first inventors to apply mass principles of mass production & large-scale teamwork to process of invention
• First industrial lab.

Labor Unions

• Samuel Gompers a jewish cigar maker. Was born in London tenement. He later emerged the leader of skilled-crafts American Federation of Labor.
• Samuel, called for more wages, power, liberty, leisure, and more benefits.

"The worst crime against working people is a company which fails to operate at a profit."

• National Labor Union: Est. 1866, lasted 6 years, had 600,00 members(skilled and unskilled farmers)
• Colored(NLU): Supported Republican party.
• Knights of Labor: Est. 1869, secret society, all workers in one big union.
• American Federation of Labor: Est. 1886, consisted of self-governing national unions.