gilded age

cornelius vanderbilt

railroad tycoon. vanderbilt and sons were responding for creating a huge railroad network by merging smaller companies. he was criticized for giving railroad discounts to other business leaders. in 1887, the government passed the interstate commerce act, which tried to control vanderbilts company.

what is a labor union?

represents the collective interests of workers, bargaining with employers over such concerns as wages and working conditions. they were created to help the factory workers, who were treated unfairly. the factory workers were fighting for better wages. better conditions, and better hours.

what is the concept of social darwinism

that certain men were "fittest" for success and that others were just weaker

how were the "old immigrants" (before 1880s) different from the "new immigrants" (1880-1920)!

the old immigrants were mostly protestant and the new immigrants were mainly catholic or jewish. old immigrants were skilled in owning businesses and shops rather than skilled in factories and buildings, which the new immigrants were skilled in. the old immigrants were wealthy, while the new immigrants were poor. the old immigrants were literate, while the newer ones weren't. the old immigrants originated in places like england, france, germany, and norway, while the new ones came from southern and eastern europe of asia; places like italy, greece, russia, and poland. the old immigrants worked mostly as business owners, while the new ones tended to work in construction and factories. the old immigrants lived in nicer houses in the suburbs, while the new ones lived in tenements in ghettos.

what were 3 new inventions that came out during the gilded age that changed society dramatically?

the telephone, lightbulb, and air brake

in what ways did industrialists like rockefeller, carnegie, vanderbilt, and morgan NOT deserve the label "robber barons"?

their unfair advantages were partially the governments fault. the u.s. government practiced the policy of laissez-faire, meaning they were to leave business alone and not interfere. they would not tax business on the profits they made, and they mostly wouldn't get involved in employee/employer problems. on the occasion that they did, they usually sided with big business. the government just simply let these awful tactics slide. another reason why they don't deserve this label is because some of the industrialists have back, such as andrew carnegie. andrew created the gospel of wealth, and he wanted himself and his friends to support then country by helping others. carnegie have a ton of money to universities, libraries, and the building of art museums and music halls.

what is meant by a "laissez-fair" economic policy?

the government would not interfere with or regulate business practices

andrew carnegie

was the man of steel. andrew carnegie owned carnegie steel company. by 1900, using the bessemer process, carnegie made the u.s. the worlds largest steel producer. he used vertical integration to make his steel empire untouchable. he would later sell his company to j.p. morgan.

what were the similarities and differences between the knights of labor and the american federation labor (afl)? which one was more successful and why?

the knights of labor formed in 1869. by the mid 1800s it had over 700,000 members. this was a major trade union, open to men, women, and minorities. they tried to use political activity and pressure to achieve their reforms. they wanted equal pay for equal work. eight hour workday, and end of child labor. however, they declined after the haymarket riot on may 4th, 1886, because they were blamed for a pipe bomb thrown by anarchists that killed seven policemen and wounded spectators in chicago. the union was not responsible the violence, but people began to fear unions and this tragedy caused the knights of labor to fade away. this have unions a bad rep and they were given less supper. unions wouldn't recover until the progressive era. on the other hand, the afl was a craft union that only included skilled workers, who were harder for a business owner to replace because they had a special "skill". this gives them more power to make demands. the afl formed in 1886 and was led by Samuel Gompers. they wanted the same things as other unions, which are better pay, better hours, and better working conditions. they used different methods than the knights. they preferred to use economic pressure. their tactics were strikes: employees refused to work and picketed (protest) outside the factory, boycotts: people refuse to buy the products, collective bargaining: employees negotiate as a united group, mediation: allows a neutral party to settle the dispute, and closed shop: the afl wanted owners to ONLY hire union members. the afl was trying to accomplish financial strain being put on the factories with these tactics. the american federation of labor was more successful than the knights of labor. this is because they focused on goals such as better wages, hours, and working conditions. this is also because they were a craft union, unlike the knights of labor, which was a trade union.

what was a tenement and what was it like to live in one?

a dirty, run-down, and overcrowded slum that factory workers lived in. many "new" or "late" immigrants (1880s to 1920) lived in these tenements because they were poor. to live in one, it was awful, with its tight spaces and unsanitary conditions. many people had to share basic utilities, such as outside toilets. there was little to no running water in these tenements, and they were poorly ventilated.

name the 2 places most european immigrants at the start of the 20th century first went to get processed before entering the united states?

ellis island and angel islands

why is this period in u.s. history (1870-1900) referred to as the "gilded age"?

mark twain coined the term; it was glittering on the surface but corrupt underneath

john d. rockefeller

oil industry. it became obvious to jd rockefeller that oil as a source of energy will dominate the 19th and 20th centuries. using horizontal integrated he buys 95% of his competition and corners the market. his company is called standard oil company and rockefeller becomes the richest man of all time.

during the gilded age, how did the u.s. government generally respond to strikes by unions? why?

sides with big business. they also sometimes issued injunctions against the strikes. this is because when big business made money, so did the government.

in what ways did industrialists like rockefeller, carnegie, vanderbilt, and morgan deserve the label "robber barons"?

they used monopolies, cartels, pools, trusts, and corporations, which are all unfair business practices. a monopoly is when there is exclusive control of a good or a service. no competitor means higher prices. a cartel is a loose associate of businesses that make the same product, limit supplies, which will raise prices. a pool is very similar to a cartel. a test is a combination of companies that allow a board of trustees to control prices and competition in a particular industry, which also raised consumer prices. a corporation is a business or a group of businesses owned by stockholders and run by a board of directors. this gave the businesses unfair advantages, which always lead to higher prices. these men also believed in social darwinism, which meant that they thought they were better than everyone else, mainly the people who worked for them.

j.p. morgan

was the banking baron. never again would any single individual have as much influence over america and its money as j.p. morgan. as one of the wealthiest men in the world at the turn of the century, it wasn't the millions he had amassed that formed the basis of his power, but rather the billions he had control over. this guy will be so rich that he will loan the u.s. government money during the 1930s.