Debates over money
Andrew Carnegie argued that those with wealth should invest it into society
Chinese exclusion act
Nativists successfully pressured Congress to stop the flow of Chinese immigrants who were coming over during the gold rush.
Panic of 1893
Gave settlers 160 acres of land if they lived there for 5 years.
A new focus on cash-crops in the north and west, and a shift to more expensive mechanized farming methods put smaller farms out of business. Big trusts that farmers relied on (like railroads) also raised prices, making it even harder for farmers to make a living
Labor unions
Workers formed labor unions to have more negotiating power and fight for better pay and working conditions
Growth of immigration
American federation of labor
Grew to over a million members by 1901 and had some modest successes
Sioux initally won a deceive victory against the U.S. army.
By 1890, the U.S. Census Bureau declared that the frontier was officially settled
Views on immigration
Haymarket square riot
Anarchists set off a bomb during a Knights of labor protest in Chicago for an 8-hour workweek. Many people began to see the labor movement as violent and radical
NAWSA
Worked to secure voting rights for women
Railroads
Massive extension of the railroad system created a truly national market for goods
Ida B. Wells
Editor of a newspaper editorialized against lynching and jim crow. She fled north due to threats against her
White collar workers
All the industrialization created a new type of work for managers and administrators who ran the factories instead of working in them
Knights of labor
National union open to ALL laborers. Wanted to end child labor and end trusts
Interstate commerce act
Required railroad rates to be reasonable and just, and established a federal commission to oversee the railroads
Andrew Carnegie
Pioneered vertical integration, where one company controls every stage of the manufacturing process
Pendleton Act
Political appointments were very corrupt after a guy shot the president because he didn't get a job, congress passed the Pendleton Act, which created an exam that was used for deciding who would get a job
Bessemer process
Enabled manufacturers to produce huge quantities of steel
Settlement houses
Wanted to end indian culture by forcing them to assimilate to American values.
Government support for railroads
Railroads supported by the government through money and land grants
John D. Rockefeller
Railroad companies cut salaries due to a recession. Railroad workers went on strike in 11 states. When the strike got violent, 11 people were killed before President Hayes sent in federal troops
Indian appropriation act
Anti-Saloon league
