Railroads connecting cities and towns throughout the country were built, land grants were given in the west for government use and new settlers

First transcontinental railraod was built across the country - union pacific and central pacific. Over 600 chinese immigrants worked dangerous jobs to build railroads through mountains and over bridges

Steel industry prospered, new ways to make steel

Andrew carnegie - steel industry tycoon

Oil industry prospered, first oil well drilled in PA, John D Rockefeller started oil companies, became extremely wealthy

Anti-trust movement - federal law against trust, sherman act, Lassiez Faire government that provided economic, scientific, and religious resources

conservative economic thories

Industrialists liked lassiez fair b/c it justified way of doing business

Social darwinism, Gospel of wealth, believed that riches were god-given, everyone had duty to be rich

Technology and Innovations - telephone, typewriter, electricity, fountain pen, safety razor, camera, other inventions (Thomas edison, George Westinghouse)

Marketing consumer goods - chain stores, department stores, shipping products, "wish book", created shopping passtime

Impact of industrialization - richest 10% of americans controlled 90% of country's wealth, Horacio Alger Myth

Expanding Middle Class. Made up of white collar workers, pay increase income of middle class, accountants, salesmen, etc

Wage earners - 10 hrs/day, 6 days/week, "Iron Law of Wages"

Working women - few women worked for wages outside of home

Labor discontent - factory work, exposure to harmful substances caused illness and death

Industrial welfare - most violent labor conflicts ever

Tactics for defeating unions - Lockouts, blacklists, yellow-dog contracts,, private guards, court injunctions against strikes

Great railroad strike of 1877 - shut down 2/3 of country's railroads, many deaths

National labor union - organize all workers in USA (attempt)

Knights of Labor - regulating workers and work conditions

Haymarket Bombing

Strikebreaking in 1890
Homestead strike