Industrialization Flashcards
Industrialization
-1870s-1890s
-Inventions: telephone reaper trolleys streetcars, Bessemer Process, Light Bulb, Railroads, and automobiles
-Assembly Lines - Henry Ford
-Made life easier and led to fun life in Roaring Twenties
-Many monopolies developed b/c of laissez fair (hands off) government approach
-Caused a growing gap between rich and poor
-Impacted Great Migration (caused many African Americans to move north for factory jobs
-Drew many immigrants to US for factory jobs
Labor Unions
-Small unions
-Developed b/c of working conditions in factories
-All unions fought for better pay, better hours, and better conditions with other demands
National Labor Union (1866)
-Created by Sylvis
-Skilled workers
-First large-scale national organization
-300 local unions in 13 states
-Urged to admit women and African Americans but many local unions would not agree so the Colored National Labor Union was established
Knights of Labor (1868)
-Created by Stephens
-Skilled workers
-Membership was open to all workers, regardless of race, gender, or degree of skill
-Supported an 8 hour work day
-Supported equal pay for equal work for men and women
-Advocated arbitration of disagreements by impartial person
-Wanted to abolish child labor
-Peak membership in 1886 then declined b/c of strike failures and development of other unions
American Federation of Labor (1886)
-Created by Gompers
-Skilled workers
-Focused on collective bargaining to reach agreements between workers and employers
-Used strikes as a major tactic
-Worked to get higher wages and shorter work weeks
American Railway Union (1894)
-Eugene v Debs
-Skilled and unskilled workers
-Skilled and unskilled members but still no women or African Americans
-Went on strike for higher wages and won
Industrial Workers of the World (1905)
-Bill Haywood
-Wobblies
-Welcomed women and African Americans (skilled and unskilled workers)
-Membership included miners, lumbers, cannery and dock workers
-Only one major strike victory in 1912
-Gave dignity to unskilled workers
Haymarket Affair (1886)
-In Chicago
-Did more damage to organized labor movement than any other incident
-1,200 people were protesting the killing of a striker the day before. The crowd was leaving as police showed up. Someone tossed a bomb and seven police were killed with several protestors
-Immigrants were blamed for the incident
Bessemer Process
-Developed by Henry Bessemer
-Efficient method of making steel out of iron
-Helped to fuel the industrial revolution
Assembly Line
-Developed by Henry Ford in early 1900s
-Broke the job down into smaller tasks
-Quicker to produce items
-Reduced production costs and made items more affordable
Interstate Commerce Act (1887)
-Ratified by the government to create a commission to supervise and regulate the railroads
Sherman Anti-Trust Act (1890)
-Ratified by the government to prevent the creation of certain types of monopolies
-Made is illegal to establish trusts that interfered with free trade