Andrew Carnegie
Pioneered vertical integration, where one company controls every stage of the manufacturing process
Gospel of wealth
Andrew Carnegie argued that those with wealth should invest it into society
The new south
Idea that the future of the south would be based on economic diversity and industrial growth. Massive growth of population, industry, and railroads. Only in limited industrial centers though.
National Grange movement
Social and educational collective aimed at brining farmers together. Soon became political to lobby for farmers
Wanted to end indian culture by forcing them to assimilate to American values.
Chinese exclusion act
Nativists successfully pressured Congress to stop the flow of Chinese immigrants who were coming over during the gold rush.
International migration society
Facilitated the migration of black people to africa
National union open to ALL laborers. Wanted to end child labor and end trusts
Sherman antitrust act
Anti-Saloon league
Worked to close down saloons
Ida B. Wells
Editor of a newspaper editorialized against lynching and jim crow. She fled north due to threats against her
Railroads
Massive extension of the railroad system created a truly national market for goods
Starting in 1865 many Americans started pushing westward again after the interruption of the civil war
Growth of immigration
16 million immigrants (mostly from Europe) came looking for better economic opportunities
Corrupt political bosses and their followers
By 1890, the U.S. Census Bureau declared that the frontier was officially settled
A severe economic depression during which nearly a quarter of railroads declared bankruptcy. This caused bankers to buy up many of the railroads, leading to consolidation.
Bessemer process
Enabled manufacturers to produce huge quantities of steel
Labor unions
Debates over money
Farmers wanted to print more money so they could more easily pay back their debts, but the bankers and the wealthy wanted to keep the U.S. Dollar on the gold standard
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
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
NAWSA
Views on immigration
Feared that factory owners would use immigrants to keep wages low and to replace striking workers
Reservation system
Indian nations were assigned land called reservations. However this land was much less than before, and many decided to just keep following buffalo
nationwide movement of resistance. They began to believe that if they took up the ritualistic ghost dance, that their ancestors would return and drive the Americans out.
Laissez-faire economics
There was an extreme lack of government regulation of the economy at the time
Jim Crow laws
Forced segregation and prevented african americans from exercising their civil liberties
Sioux wars
Pioneered horizontal integration, where one company controls every seller in the market.
