Lesson 4

Question 1

Q: How did Carnegie develop a new business strategy to become dominant?

Answer 1

A: Carnegie utilized vertical integration to acquire suppliers and horizontal integration to reduce competition.

Question 2

Q: What is a trust?

Answer 2

A: A trust is an arrangement where two or more companies come together under a Board of Trustees, managing the enterprises as a single corporation.

Question 3

Q: How are profits from a trust dispersed?

Answer 3

A: Profits, usually in the form of stock earnings, are distributed among the businesses that are part of the trust.

Question 4

Q: What is philanthropy?

Answer 4

A: Philanthropy is the act of giving back to the community or aiding workers, often through charitable donations or social programs.

Question 5

Q: What is an example of philanthropy?

Answer 5

A: Andrew Carnegie donated 90% of his fortune to various causes, and John D. Rockefeller gave away $500 million. Carnegie also funded the construction of Carnegie Hall, which is still in use today.

Question 6

Q: What is the Sherman Antitrust Act?

Answer 6

A: The Sherman Antitrust Act actually made it illegal for companies to form trusts or monopolies that restrained trade. It was initially a weak act but was strengthened over time.

Question 7

Q: How did J.P. Morgan use holding companies?

Answer 7

A: J.P. Morgan used holding companies to purchase stocks in other firms, thereby gaining control over industries like steel, railroads, and farm equipment.

Question 8

Q: What days did steel mills operate?

Answer 8

A: Steel mills operated 7 days a week.

Question 9

Q: How many hours did steel mill workers work in a given day?

Answer 9

A: Steel mill workers often worked 12 hours or more per day.

Question 10

Q: What type of benefits did steel workers have?

Answer 10

A: Steel workers generally had no benefits, such as vacation time, sick leave, unemployment compensation, or injury reimbursement.

Question 11

Q: Between 1890 and 1910, what demographic doubled in the workforce?

Answer 11

A: The number of female workers doubled, and the number of child workers also increased.

Question 12

Q: What is the salary example of a child during this time?

Answer 12

A: A child could earn 27 cents for a 14-hour workday, equivalent to about $3.78 in today’s rates.

Question 13

Q: What is the salary example of a woman during this time?

Answer 13

A: A woman could earn $267 per year, equivalent to about $7,233 in today’s rates.

Question 14

Q: What is the salary example for a man during this time?

Answer 14

A: A man could earn $498 per year.

Question 15

Q: What is the Colored National Labor Union?

Answer 15

A: Isaac Myers founded the Colored National Labor Union to include African Americans who were excluded from the National Labor Union.

Question 16

Q: What is the Knights of Labor?

Answer 16

A: Founded by Uriah Stephens, the Knights of Labor focused on individual workers and was open to all, regardless of race, gender, or skill level.

Question 17

Q: What is the American Federation of Labor (AFL)?

Answer 17

A: Founded in 1886 by Samuel Gompers, the AFL focused on skilled laborers and craftsmen and advocated for collective bargaining.

Question 18

Q: What is the American Railway Union (ARU)?

Answer 18

A: Founded in the early 1890s by Eugene V. Debs, who would later become a socialist, the American Railway Union represented railway workers.

Question 19

Q: What is the Great Strike of 1877?

Answer 19

A: The Great Strike of 1877 began on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) when workers struck in response to wage cuts.

Question 20

Q: What was the Haymarket Affair?

Answer 20

A: The Haymarket Affair occurred in May 1886 (not 1866) during a protest against police brutality in Chicago. A bomb was thrown into a line of police officers, leading to multiple deaths and injuries.

Question 21

Q: What was the first national labor union?

Answer 21

A: The first national labor union was the National Labor Union, founded in 1866 by William H. Sylvis.

Question 22

Q: What did the National Labor Union accomplish for government workers?

Answer 22

A: The National Labor Union advocated for an 8-hour workday for government workers.

Question 23

Q: Who was the head of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)?

Answer 23

A: The IWW was led by William “Big Bill” Haywood.

Question 24

Q: Who was part of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) in 1905?

Answer 24

A: The IWW in 1905 was open to both skilled and unskilled laborers, including African Americans.

Question 25

Q: Who were the Wobblies in the IWW?

Answer 25

A: The Wobblies were members of the IWW and many were socialists.

Question 26

Q: What was the Homestead Strike?

Answer 26

A: The Homestead Strike occurred in June 1892 due to poor working conditions and wage cuts at a steel plant in Homestead, Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania National Guard was called in to quell the strike.

Question 27

Q: What was the Pullman Strike?

Answer 27

A: The Pullman Strike occurred when the Pullman Company laid off 3,500 of its 5,000 workers and reduced the salaries of the remaining workers, while keeping rents in company-owned housing the same.

Question 28

Q: Who was Mary Harris Jones?

Answer 28

A: Mary Harris Jones, also known as Mother Jones, supported the Great Strike of 1877 and organized the United Mine Workers. In 1903, she led a march of child laborers to the home of President Roosevelt, pushing for child labor laws in some states.

Question 29

Q: Who was Pauline Newman?

Answer 29

A: Pauline Newman organized the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union (ILGWU) in 1909.

Question 30

Q: What was the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory?

Answer 30

A: In 1911, a fire broke out at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City, killing 146 workers. The fire spread through the 8th to 10th floors of the building.

Question 31

Q: What were yellow dog contracts?

Answer 31

A: Yellow dog contracts were agreements that companies forced workers to sign, often pledging not to join a union.

Question 32

Q: What did companies use to fight unions?

Answer 32

A: Companies often used the Sherman Antitrust Act against unions. This tactic sometimes succeeded in ending strikes, but generally did not stop efforts to unionize.

Question 33

Q: What is a scab in relation to work or strike?

Answer 33

A: A scab is a worker who replaces a striking employee.