Chapter 17 – The Rise of Industrial America, 1865-1900

  1. List the factors that helped the United States surpass it three largest rivals in industrial output:
  2. ______
  3. ______
  4. ______
  5. ______
  6. ______
  7. ______
  8. ______

The Business of Railroads

  1. What technological innovation and industrial achievement had the greatest impact on American economic life? Why?
  1. In what way did railroads affect the daily lives of every American?
  1. What was the most important innovation of the railroads?
  1. How were the early inefficiencies of the railroad industry reduced after the Civil War?
  1. Who became the most powerful name in the railroad industry?
  1. In what 2 ways did the railroads play a critical role in the trans-Mississippi West?
  2. ______
  3. ______
  4. How did the government help promote the development of the railroads?
  1. How did the government expect the railroads to benefit the country?
  1. Identify two negative consequences of the government subsidies of railroads:
  2. ______
  3. ______
  4. Describe the Credit Mobilier Scandal and the public reaction to it.
  1. How was the project to build a transcontinental railroad completed?
  1. Who made up the work force that built the transcontinental railroad?
  1. When and where was the transcontinental railroad completed?
  1. What did railroads do in a ruthless scramble to survive in the 1870s and 80s?
  1. How did the financial panic of 1893 affect the railroads?
  1. What were the positive and negative results of consolidation?
  1. What attempts were made to regulate the railroads, and how effective were they?

Industrial Empires

  1. How did the nature of industrial production change after the Civil War?
  1. What technological breakthrough launched the rise of heavy industry?
  1. What became the steel producing region in the U.S.? Why?
  1. Describe Andrew Carnegie’s rise to leadership in the fast-growing steel industry?
  1. What was Carnegie’s business strategy, and how did it work?
  1. Why did Carnegie retire from the steel industry?
  1. To whom did he sell Carnegie Steel, and what happened to the business after he sold it?
  1. What started the oil industry In the U.S.?
  1. Who came to control over 90% of the oil refining business?
  1. Describe the basic business strategy he used to dominate the oil industry?
  1. What other industries came to have dominant companies that emulated the success of Standard Oil?
  1. Who began to scrutinize and attack the trusts in the 1880s? Why?
  1. What did the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 do, and why did it not accomplish its goal?

Laissez-Faire Capitalism

  1. What basic beliefs were summed up in the phrase “laissez-faire”?
  1. How did Adam Smith define the concept of “laissez-faire” in 1776?
  1. What aspect of business in the 19th century contradicted the desire of industrialists to keep the government out of business?
  1. Name and describe the other two conservative economic theories that were used to justify the success of big industrialists and bankers?
  2. ______
  3. ______
  4. How did Andrew Carnegie “practice what he preached”?

Technology and Innovations

Complete the following chart by identifying the date, contribution, and significance of the individuals listed

Date / Invention/Innovation / Significance
Samuel F.B. Morse
Alexander Graham Bell
George Eastman
King Gillette
Thomas Edison
George Westinghouse
R.H. Macy
Frank Woolworth
Sears & Roebuck
Gustavus Swift

Impact of Industrialization

  1. How uneven was the distribution of wealth in the U.S. by the 1890s?
  1. How did the new class of millionaires flaunt their wealth?
  1. What made many Americans ignore the widening gap between the rich and the poor in American society?
  1. Describe the basic plot of every Horatio Alger novel?
  1. What characteristics did the typical wealthy business person of the late 19th century have in common?
  1. How did the growth of large corporations contribute to the expanding middle class of the late 1800s?
  1. By 1900, two-thirds of American workers were wage earners. Describe the typical conditions in which they worked and their average annual income.
  1. By 1900, which women worked and which ones didn’t?
  1. What kinds of jobs were typically available to women?
  1. Complete the chart below to show how the Industrial Revolution changed the working conditions and status of the American worker:

Pre-Industrial Revolution / Post-Industrial Revolution

The Struggle of Organized Labor

  1. Why did industrial management hold most of the power in its struggle with organized labor?
  1. Define each of the following tactics employers used to defeat labor unions:
  2. lockout - ______
  3. blacklists - ______
  4. yellow-dog contracts - ______
  5. Pinkertons - ______
  6. Court injunctions - ______
  7. How did management sway public opinion against organized labor?
  1. How was the labor movement divided on how best to achieve their goals?