US History - Chapter 9

Compare life in a company town with life today for a low-paid worker.

Life today is much better. In a company town, a worker had no choices about where to live, where to work, or where to shop. Everything was controlled by the company owner, who was the worker's employer. It was impossible to save any money or even stay out of debt because a worker had to shop at the company store for necessities and was charged high interest on his purchases. Today, a worker has many choices and is free to leave a low-paying job for another job if he or she can find one.

What was the most likely reason that healthy first and second-class passengers were admitted to the U.S. without being processed at Ellis Island, while those in steerage had to go through processing?

Because they had paid the price for such accommodations, it was assumed that they had money, which was sufficient to allow them to enter the United States. If they had money, they didn't need to have a skill or a sponsor.

How did people explain their support or opposition to big business?

Consumers argued that monopolies gave big business an unfair advantage. Other people cited Social Darwinism to support big business, claiming that wealthy people were the most "fit". The philanthropy of business leaders also caused people to support big business.

Infer why the free enterprise system was so important to entrepreneurs and why entrepreneurs were crucial to the free enterprise system.

Entrepreneurs would have been unwilling to risk their own money if the business atmosphere had been one with tight controls on what they did and how they ran their businesses, making it hard to gain a profit. Without entrepreneurs to start and manage businesses, there would have been no individuals driving the free enterprise system, no factories built to manufacture or produce goods, and industrialization would have come much more slowly or not at all.

What factors made the trip to America difficult for many immigrants?

Factors include crossing the ocean in poor conditions, inspections at Ellis or Angel Island, and the potential of being turned back or held for a long period of time.

What factors encouraged the rural-to-urban migration of farmers in the 1890s?

Farmers were faced with economic problems caused by decreases in the prices of agricultural products as well as difficult weather conditions. In addition, like other people, farmers were interested in the excitement and opportunities offered by cities in contrast to the isolation of farm life

What are the push and pull factors that motivate immigration? Give two examples of each.

Push factors are those circumstances that cause a person to want to leave his or her native country, such as famine or religious persecution. Pull factors are those that cause a person to want to go to a new place, such as the opportunity to find work or the presence of religious freedom.

Why did some Americans want to restrict immigration?

Some feared an increase in competition for available housing or losing their jobs to immigrants who would work for lower pay. They also worried that immigrants' cultures negatively affected American culture.

Support a Point of View with Evidence In the late 1800s, sweatshops and other factories were horrible places to work. What evidence supports this point of view?

Sweatshops differed from other factories only in size. All factories were dirty and dangerous. They wasn't enough light, the space was often too hot, and there was no fresh air. They were also so noisy that some workers lost their hearing. Accidents were common. In addition, factory workers had to work long days, six days a week, and their work was closely overseen by punitive owners.

Why was the South slower to industrialize than the North?

The South was still repairing damages from the Civil War. In addition, the South lacked a large educated labor force; wages were low; most of the wealth in the South was in the hands of a few; and there were few strong banks to make loans.

Support Ideas with Evidence What did the United States have that made it so successful during the second Industrial Revolution? Include as many factors as you can think of.

The United States had an abundance of natural resources, including coal, oil, lumber, and iron. It also had waterways, ports, and far more railroads than any other country, all of which it depended on for transporting raw materials to urban centers and finished products to markets. In addition, it had a huge and willing workforce, quite a few wealthy individuals who wanted to invest in business, and brilliant inventors.

Why was public health a major concern in large cities during the 1880s?

The cities were very dirty. The streets were unpaved, and litter (even including dead animals) was substantial. The alleys between tenements contained large amounts of food waste. Few people had indoor toilets. These conditions could easily allow epidemics to develop, which happened several times when cholera broke out and killed thousands of people.

What factors help explain the growth of industry in the late 1800s?

The demands of the Civil War, the availability of natural resources, an increase in immigration, and entrepreneurs working with minimal government regulation all contributed to industry growth.

Interpret the effects of monopolies and cartels on the consumer.

The effect was generally negative. Because cartels and monopolies got rid of competition, they were free to set the prices of their products as high as the market would bear. Competition generally benefits the consumer; lack of competition generally hurts the consumer.

In what ways did labor conditions affect families?

The entire family had to work to survive, enduring long hours and unsafe conditions. Accidents and illness were common and meant loss of wages to a family.

What factors inhibited southern economic recovery?

The lack of workers and investment capital and dependence on cotton inhibited economic recovery.

Identify What similarities and differences existed in the goals of various labor unions?

All labor unions were advocating for worker's rights, but there were differences in the kind of reforms different unions were seeking. The Knights of Labor wanted broad social reform, and the organization recruited a broad range of people. The American Federation of Labor was much more narrowly focused, and it aimed to improve working conditions and wages.

Why did many people choose to move to cities?

Cities offered a variety of jobs for both men and women. Children had greater access to schools. More opportunities for entertainment and cultural activities were available in cities. Also, many families were able to raise their standard of living.

Why did forming corporations allow big business to increase in power and profitability?

Corporations allowed many investors to combine their funds to create huge businesses that could buy raw materials in bulk, access large markets, fund new technology, advertise widely, and operate in different regions. Because each investor's risk was limited to his or her investment, a corporation could become involved in a business with a high level of risk as well as potential profit, such as railroads and mining, without investors losing their entire fortunes.

How did public transportation change urban areas?

New mass transit technologies made cities cleaner and allowed more people to live and work in cities. It also made travel in and out of cities easier, which encouraged the development of suburbs.

How did new technologies influence industrialization?

New technologies improved communication and transportation. Improved transportation allowed factories to change the way they created goods and led to the system of mass production, which replaced performing tasks by hand.

How did immigrants help the United States become the country it is today?

Since the U.S. is a country comprised of immigrants, our country would be unrecognizable without the various immigrant groups. More specifically, the United States would not offer the wealth of cultural or food choices now available. Many technological and social advancements may not have been made and our vocabulary and language would be very different. Immigrants helped strengthen the United States into an economic world power.

What details from the reading help explain why immigrants came to America?

Some were without work in their home countries or fleeing political turmoil. Others came to join family or friends who were already here, or seeking economic opportunity and political and religious freedom.

How were corporations able to decrease costs and increase profits?

Businesses increased profits by lowering production costs with strategies such as horizontal integration, which created large companies through vehicles called trusts, and vertical integration, which allowed a corporation to control all phases of a product's development.

How were Chinese immigrants treated in the late 1800s?

Chinese immigrants were treated more harshly than other immigrants. They often spent weeks or months in poor conditions at Angel Island. The rules for Chinese immigrants to be admitted were stricter—they had to be either American citizens or related to people already living in the United States to be allowed to stay. After the Chinese Exclusion Act, passed in 1882, most immigration from China halted.

How did urban gangs that were such a source of tension in the late 1800s reflect wider social problems?

Crowding in cities made the streets dangerous and police forces had not yet started patrolling regularly. Gangs in the late 1800s were made up of people from the same ethnic or racial group. Each gang fought with other gangs of different ethic or racial identifications. The need for the protection of a gang reflected the lack of police protection, and the fighting between gangs reflected the wider social problems of prejudice against immigrants and racial intolerance that existed in day-to-day life.

Compare and Contrast the risks and goals of entrepreneurs and inventors.

Their risks were different. Entrepreneurs risked investing their own money and time in starting new businesses; inventors risked the time and effort it took to come up with an idea and turn it into a product. Their goals were the same: to succeed in making something new and profiting by it.

Determine Point of View Why does the concept of child labor in factories seems so terrible to us today when it was a widely accepted practice in the 1800s?

Today, almost all people believe that children need and deserve an education in order to function well in life as adults. The idea that children had to do factory work, which kept them from going to school, is at odds with that view. In addition, today we tend to be very protective of children and are amazed that they were ever allowed to do dangerous and unhealthy jobs.

Use examples to support the claim that women had a number of options for work in cities.

Uneducated women had many opportunities for factory or sweatshop work. In addition, they could take in piecework (such as sewing), take in boarders, or work as cooks or maids. Educated women were beginning to find work in offices as secretaries and typists or in schools as teachers.