Industrialization in the US
Summary
TLDRIn this video, Dr. Kara Stillen explores the industrialization of the United States in the late 1800s and early 1900s, following the Civil War and Reconstruction. She highlights the key factors, including natural resources and labor, that contributed to rapid industrial growth. The video also discusses the roles of immigrants, living conditions, and labor strikes, as well as how technological advancements like railroads shaped the economy. The video touches on social changes, especially for women, and the impact of industrialization on workers' rights and conditions.
Takeaways
- 🌍 Industrialization in the U.S. boomed after the Civil War, driven by abundant natural resources like coal, iron, and water power.
- 👷 Immigration played a key role in providing labor for industrialization, with over 24 million immigrants arriving between 1870 and 1914.
- 🇮🇹 Immigrants from different regions had distinct roles, with Germans as bakers and tailors, Irish in mining, and Italians, Poles, and Russians working in factories and construction.
- 🏙️ The rise of inner cities created unsanitary living conditions, with poor residents living close to their jobs, while the wealthy moved to suburbs.
- 👩🎓 By the early 1900s, more women pursued higher education and entered the workforce in roles like teachers, nurses, and social workers.
- ⚖️ Economic inequalities grew, with white, native-born men having access to higher-paying jobs, while immigrants, women, and children faced lower wages and hazardous working conditions.
- 🚂 Railroads revolutionized transportation and business, facilitating the movement of goods across the country and spurring economic growth.
- 🏭 Monopolies like Carnegie's steel and Rockefeller's Standard Oil used strategies like vertical and horizontal integration to dominate industries.
- ⚡ Strikes and labor unions emerged in response to poor working conditions, with notable actions like the Railroad Strike of 1877 and the rise of organizations like the AFL.
- 📜 Discrimination against immigrants, particularly Chinese Americans, led to the passing of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882, barring further immigration.
Q & A
What were the primary natural resources that contributed to industrialization in the United States during the late 1800s?
-The primary natural resources included flowing rivers (for water power), vast forests (for timber), coal (for energy), and iron (for building and machinery).
What role did immigration play in the industrialization of the U.S. during the late 19th and early 20th centuries?
-Immigration provided a significant labor force, with millions of immigrants arriving in the U.S. in search of work. From 1870 to 1914, 24 million immigrants entered the U.S., helping to meet the labor demands of industrialization.
How did the ethnic background of immigrants affect their job prospects during this period?
-Ethnicity often dictated the types of jobs immigrants could obtain. Germans became bakers, tailors, and shoemakers, Irish worked in mining, Jews worked in the garment industry, while Italians, Russians, and Poles took on dirty factory and construction jobs. Black Americans were mostly limited to low-paying jobs such as servants and janitors.
What were the living conditions like in urban areas compared to the suburbs during the industrialization period?
-The inner cities were crowded and unsanitary, with high death rates and poor living conditions, such as open sewage in alleyways. In contrast, suburbs were cleaner, with more privacy, indoor plumbing, and better access to consumer goods, catering to the middle and upper classes.
How did the rights and roles of women in the workforce and society change at the turn of the 20th century?
-Women gained more access to education, with increasing numbers becoming college graduates. They began entering the workforce in roles such as social workers, teachers, and office workers. Educated women tended to have fewer children, and the divorce rate rose as women began refusing to stay in bad marriages.
What changes occurred in men's employment and education during this period?
-Men gained access to new white-collar jobs, such as salesmen, accountants, and shop owners, which required education. The rise of public schools and colleges, along with professional associations like the American Bar Association and American Medical Association, formalized qualifications for certain professions.
What impact did the railroads have on industrialization in the United States?
-The railroad system allowed for the rapid transport of goods and people, connecting different parts of the country and enabling mass production and consumption. It also created thousands of jobs and supported the growth of industries like meatpacking and grain production in cities such as Chicago and Minneapolis.
How did business models like vertical and horizontal integration contribute to industrial growth?
-Andrew Carnegie used vertical integration by controlling all aspects of production, from raw materials to transportation, reducing dependence on other companies. John D. Rockefeller used horizontal integration to dominate the oil industry by driving competitors out of business, buying them out, and then raising prices.
What were the working conditions like in factories and railroads during the late 19th century?
-Working conditions were hazardous, with long hours (12-14 hours a day, six days a week), dangerous environments, and little concern for worker safety. Over 30,000 workers died in factories each year, and approximately 6,000 railroad workers died annually due to accidents.
What led to the rise of labor unions and strikes during this period?
-Poor working conditions, low wages, and long hours led to the formation of labor unions like the National Labor Union and the Knights of Labor. Workers began organizing strikes, with over 30,000 strikes occurring between 1880 and 1910, including violent protests such as the railroad strikes of 1877 and the Haymarket Riot.
Outlines
🎓 Industrialization in Post-Reconstruction America
This paragraph introduces Dr. Kara Stillen and her educational channel. It transitions into a discussion of the industrialization of the United States following the Civil War and Reconstruction. The U.S. had abundant natural resources like rivers, coal, and iron that contributed to industrial growth. The paragraph highlights the influx of labor due to immigration from Europe, with millions arriving in the U.S. between 1870 and 1914. Old immigrants from Britain, Ireland, and Germany were followed by new immigrants from Italy, Russia, and Eastern Europe. Immigrants faced challenges due to cultural differences, and ethnicity often dictated the type of work they could do. The paragraph also describes the stark contrast in living conditions between urban inner cities and suburban areas as industrialization progressed.
💼 Expanding Job Opportunities in the 20th Century
This paragraph focuses on the new job opportunities that emerged for men in the early 20th century, as education became a requirement for white-collar positions such as salesmen, clerks, and shop owners. The creation of public schools and universities like Johns Hopkins and the University of Chicago supported this educational expansion. Associations like the American Bar Association and American Medical Association set membership standards. While well-educated American-born white men often held the highest-paying jobs, working-class families struggled to make ends meet. Many children were forced to work, often to fund their brothers' education, and working-class women took jobs in factories or turned to other means like prostitution to support their families.
🚂 Railroads and the Transformation of American Industry
This paragraph discusses the transformative role of railroads in the industrialization of the United States, particularly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The construction of railroads allowed for the faster and more efficient transportation of goods and people, reducing travel times and connecting different regions of the country. Chicago, Minneapolis, and the Great Plains cities became hubs for shipping meat, grains, and wheat. However, early railroad construction was chaotic, with companies racing for government subsidies without considering logical track placements. The eventual standardization of schedules, signals, and gauges helped railroads connect with one another, improving efficiency and reaching rural areas. The government also benefited from reduced transportation costs for military and postal services, which saved billions of dollars.
🏭 Unions, Strikes, and the Fight for Workers' Rights
This paragraph explores the rise of labor unions and strikes in response to the harsh working conditions in factories and railroads. Workers faced long hours, unsafe environments, and low wages, leading to deadly accidents and poor living conditions. The 1877 railroad strike marked the beginning of violent labor disputes, with workers demanding better wages and working conditions. Unions like the National Labor Union (NLU) and the Knights of Labor formed to protect workers' rights, advocating for an eight-hour workday and equal opportunities for all, including women and black workers. However, internal struggles, violent protests, and external pressures often led to the decline of these unions. The rise of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) under Samuel Gompers focused on skilled workers and continued the fight for better wages, safety, and shorter hours.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Industrialization
💡Immigration
💡Monopolies
💡Labor Unions
💡Urbanization
💡Vertical Integration
💡Horizontal Integration
💡Working Conditions
💡Child Labor
💡Strikes
Highlights
Introduction to industrialization in the United States after the Civil War and Reconstruction.
The U.S. had abundant natural resources, such as rivers for water power, forests for timber, coal for energy, and iron for machinery.
Labor was a critical component of industrialization, with millions of immigrants arriving in the U.S. between 1870 and 1914 in search of work.
Distinction between 'old immigrants' (British, Irish, and German) and 'new immigrants' (Italian, Jewish, Russian, and Polish) and their struggles in the workforce.
Ethnic groups often performed specific types of jobs; for example, Germans became bakers or shoemakers, while Irish worked in mines.
Urban areas became unsanitary and crowded as poor individuals moved closer to work, contrasting with the wealthy suburbs.
Various immigrant groups, despite difficult living conditions, built communities in inner cities, such as Germans gathering in saloons and Jews in synagogues.
Women’s role began to change in the early 20th century, with more women receiving higher education and joining professions like teaching and nursing.
Children often worked in factories or as domestic workers to support their families, with child labor being common in the late 1800s.
The railroad industry was crucial to the U.S.'s rapid industrialization, providing faster transportation of goods and hiring thousands of workers.
Andrew Carnegie's use of vertical integration and John D. Rockefeller’s horizontal integration strategies led to monopolistic control in their industries.
Factory jobs were dangerous, with long hours and hazardous conditions leading to thousands of deaths annually in the late 1800s.
Labor unions, such as the Knights of Labor and the American Federation of Labor, formed to advocate for workers’ rights and better working conditions.
The Homestead Strike of 1892 at Carnegie Steel Mills was one of the most violent strikes, involving armed guards and military intervention.
Chinese immigrants faced extreme discrimination in the late 19th century, culminating in the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882.
Transcripts
hello scholars my name is dr kara
stillen and the goal of this channel is
to make academic subjects easier to
understand
in the last video we talked about
reconstruction
in this video we're going to discuss
industrialization within the united
states in the late 1800s and early 1900s
after the civil war and reconstruction
american society was ready to
industrialize the u.s had abundant
natural resources such as flowing rivers
that could be used to harness water
power
vast forests provided a multitude of
different types of timber that could be
used to build homes furniture or other
buildings
coal was used to create energy even
though it produced massive air pollution
and iron helped to stabilize buildings
as well as create machinery
raw materials were not the only
component involved in industrialization
labor was the other major element
involved in the equation
and there was plenty of labor in the us
at this time because of immigration
from 1870 to 1880 8 million immigrants
arrived in the u.s most in search of
work
from 1890 to 1914
nearly 16 million immigrants came in
search of a better life
up until 1880 a majority of immigrants
came from britain ireland and germany
these were called old immigrants
immigrants that came after 1880 were
known as new immigrants
these individuals were italian eastern
european jews russians and poles
sometimes individuals in the u.s sent
money to their relatives to get them to
come to america if they did send money
they often sent pictures showing how
well they were doing in the new nation
immigrants made up more than 50 percent
of the population these immigrants had
differences in religion nationality
interests and culture which often made
for difficult times in the workforce
generally ethnicity tended to dictate
what forms of work an immigrant could do
in america during this time
germans often became bakers tailors
built homes or made shoes
irish immigrants tended to take jobs in
mining industries
jewish individuals tended to work in
garment industries
those from italy russia and poland
worked dirty jobs in factories steel
mills on the dock or as construction
workers
black americans got the lowest paying
jobs as servants janitors and laborers
before new immigrants arrived in america
individuals with wealth tended to live
in the cities wealthy upper class
individuals moved to the outskirts of
the city when the working class moved
closer to work
poor individuals tried to live as close
to their work as they could because they
couldn't afford transportation to get
them there
this caused a clear distinction between
the condition of the inner cities
compared to the suburbs while the
suburbs were lined with grand mansions
parks middle to upper class homes
monuments and good-looking businesses
the inner cities became unsanitary and
crowded
there was quite a high death rate within
the urban areas as indoor plumbing
opened up to alleyways and dumped sewage
into the alleys when women did not have
access to water they gathered water from
outdoor hydrants and carried it inside
their living space
even though there were horrendous living
conditions various ethnicities were able
to create a sense of community in
various areas germans gathered in
saloons and created singing societies
jewish individuals gathered at
synagogues and at schools that taught
hebrew black individuals faced the worst
of the living conditions but still
created churches and communities that
provided support between the inner city
and the suburbs tended to live the lower
middle class these were salespersons
trades people clerks as well as
shopkeepers
these individuals rented their homes and
business spaces and can sometimes buy
them
the locations had more privacy than
living in the inner city
they usually also had indoor plumbing
garage collection and were cleaner than
the inner city these individuals also
had the ability to buy more consumer
goods and had more leisure time
the rights of women began to change near
the beginning of the 20th century
women with leisure time joined charity
groups various clubs and literary
societies women also attained higher
educations that were equivalent to men
in 1890 more than 10 percent of college
graduates were women in 1900 nearly 20
percent were college graduates
women weren't allowed to enter the any
job in the workforce but they now could
become social workers teachers nurses
work in department stores or conduct
office work educated women tend to have
less children and the divorce rate
increased to 1 out of 12 as women
refused to remain in bad marriages
there were also changes for men
beginning in the 20th century
new job opportunities meant that men
could now gain employment as salesmen
shipping clerks accountants and shop
owners white-collar jobs now required an
education the number of public schools
and colleges greatly increased at this
time john hopkins the university of
chicago as well as other research
facilities were formed associations such
as the american bar association and the
american medical association
created requirements for their
memberships
the need for lawyers insurance agents
and bankers as well as accountants
became evident the larger a company
became the more management positions
were sought that often meant higher
incomes for those that attained them in
a majority of the cases those males that
were white and were born in america
tended to have the highest paying jobs
they were the individuals that had
access to the highest educations as well
as inherited wealth working-class men
rarely ever made enough money for their
families to survive women often couldn't
work outside the home because they had
little children to watch and tons of
domestic work to complete
twenty percent of children between the
ages of eight to fourteen had to go to
work much of the time young daughters
went to work to provide for the
education of their brothers middle and
upper class women were appalled by the
child labor but often believed to be the
fault of the mother and the father for
not taking care of their own children
children often worked in other homes
doing domestic chores but they were also
hired in factory jobs in food processing
in textiles and also in meat packing
plants
sometimes working class families had to
send women to work women were paid much
less than men and were often
discriminated against some women worked
at home and sodium repair clothing in
order to earn money most tended to work
in factories sometimes 8 to 14 hours a
day when women couldn't get a job they
sometimes would turn to prostitution in
order to pay the bills prostitution
increased substantially at the end of
the 19th century and into the 20th
century
those women that were able to stay at
home did not have an easy life they took
care of their children and had to shop
for food each day because they didn't
have refrigerators or freezers to keep
food from spoiling laundry was also
difficult because the pump for water was
usually outside in order to get clothes
for the children women often had a
bargain with other women or go to
second-hand stores in order to clothe
her children
when there was room women often took in
borders which meant they wouldn't have
privacy
this meant they had another mouth to
feed and extra laundry to do but the
money was often worth it
with so many individuals working
including men women and children the
nation began to increase in wealth
generally to the benefit of owners and
professionals communication and
transportation also helped the nation to
industrialize quickly as technological
advances continued the railroad
increased in speed had greater safety
for passengers and were sought out for
product delivery products could move
from location to location with great
ease some railroads could reach 50 miles
per hour which greatly reduced the time
it took to get from one place to another
the railroad helped to bring various
people together making business deals
that wouldn't have been possible without
it the city of chicago became able to
send meat to various parts of the nation
the city of minneapolis sent various
types of grain and flour to others the
great plain cities sent wheat to other
parts of the nation there was now mass
production and mass consumption
throughout the country the railroad
itself hired thousands of workers and
had great organizational needs owners
rarely ever met their employees and
sometimes even managers didn't have
face-to-face contact for 100 years the
railroad helped industrialize the nation
in a way that had never been expected
the building on the railroad was not as
smooth as it ended up after a hundred
years companies knew that they could
become wealthy by building tracks to
gain subsidies and therefore created
tracks that had no logical reasoning for
their placement
companies were only concerned with being
awarded with wealthy contracts the
purpose of the subsidies was to gain
tracks across the west as quickly as
possible but the half-hazard placement
meant that many tracks would later be
abandoned or rebuilt to match gauges
many of the early tracks only traveled
30 to 50 miles and had schedules that
did not coincide with other railroads
there were separate depots they used
different gauges the distance between
each rail the standard was six feet and
did not cooperate with other lines this
was difficult because trains in one
location could not run on the tracks of
other trains the larger trains
eventually swallowed the smaller
railroad companies and their tracks
eventually were integrated eventually
they said standard schedules had common
signals and used a common gauge
it was this standardization that meant
the railroad would eventually reach
ranchers farmers and factory owners in
various rural locations the government
had helped to finance the railroad and
because of this was able to require
trains to carry government troops the
u.s mail and government products to be
transported at greatly reduced rates the
government saved itself billions of
dollars by doing this the railroad was
not the only industry that thrived and
changed the face of the nation by 1900
there were over 1 000 factories within
the united states that produced goods on
a massive scale most industry was
located in the northeast andrew carnegie
who owned a steel industry realized that
he would earn more from his products if
he bought up places with raw materials
as well as transportation and packaging
companies
carnegie did not want to be dependent
upon other business owners and their
prices for his ability to thrive this
became known as vertical integration
john d rockefeller used horizontal
integration in his business model he
created standard oil and cut his prices
so low to the point that he wasn't even
making a profit to drive out his
competition and put them out of business
he would then buy their business or just
let them go bankrupt and would consume
all their customers and then raise the
prices monopolies had not yet been
outlawed and standard oil was able to
take control of 84 percent of the
nation's oil sales even though industry
produced massive amounts of goods at a
lesser cost there was a downside to
workers factory jobs were often
dangerous and workers worked 12 to 14
hours a day six days a week their work
environments were dirty and hazardous
and workers felt like they were slaves
performing monotonous act owners and
managers did not look out for the health
and well-being of their workers women
who spent hours bending over a sewing
machine often developed curved spines
those that worked in mines worked in
conditions where the temperature often
rose above 100 degrees the mind smelled
of garbage urine and feces many mine
workers developed lung issues because
they lacked any form of protection over
their noses and mouths
every year over 30 thousand workers died
in factories due to accidents on the
railroad they lost about 6 000 people a
year
when there were accidents the owners and
managers were not held responsible the
lack of workers rights and hazardous
conditions of the time led to thousands
of strikes near the end of the 1800s in
1877 the railroad workers were the first
to stage a strike that ended up violent
the strike erupted when railroad workers
cut wages due to difficulties within the
economy the railroad workers destroyed
railroad property and refused to allow
the trains to move there were nearly 100
deaths by the time that federal troops
arrived and stopped the strike striking
became a new way for workers to show
their dissatisfaction
between 1880 and 1910
more than 30 000 strikes took place
these strikes were often violent workers
wanted higher wages and shorter hours
in 1866 the national labor union nlu was
formed in order to protect workers and
bring more profits to those that worked
the land and produced the goods the nlu
supported women's rights the creation of
cooperatives as well as temperance the
goal of these unions were to help
organize strikes and protest and to
create goals for workers to push toward
the organization also wanted to
establish an eight-hour day for workers
but this union diminished when the
depression of 1873 took place and
people's focus went elsewhere
when the economy of the depression of
1873 started to recover a new
organization called the noble and holy
order of the knights of labor came into
existence
terrence v powderly was the leader of
the knights of labor and he helped
workers to push for an eight-hour day
allowing workers more time to pursue
alternative items
everyone was allowed to join this union
skilled and unskilled workers were both
allowed to join black and white people
were both allowed to join as well as men
and women the knights of labor helped
unorganized workers of the union pacific
railroad to gain better wages they also
helped workers in a strike against the
missouri pacific railroad it was in 1886
that the knights of labor gain the
greatest amount of union members when
the haymarket riot broke out workers at
the mccormick factory protested for
better working conditions and wages as
the crowds grew bigger the chicago
police were sent and just as they
arrived a bomb went off and killed seven
policemen
anarchists had used the protest to
create unrest which helped to destroy
the knights of labor and its reputation
eventually powderly recognized that he
could not control anarchists that use
worker protests to create trouble and he
became tired of the constant problems
that employers created for him just as
the knights of labor was beginning to
decline the american federation of labor
afl was created in 1886 its leader was
samuel gompers who believed that skilled
workers should remain in skilled
positions he also pushed for higher
wages safety within the workplace the
right to strike and organize as well as
shorter working hours for employees the
afl membership grew substantially within
15 years gumpers did not allow unskilled
workers or black individuals to become
part of the organization when women
tried to become part of the organization
the men threatened to quit if they were
accepted this led to the creation of the
international ladies garment worker
union for women but a majority of the
leadership positions were held by men
many strikes were won and many strikes
were lost as technology advanced and
mechanization increased employers cut
workers out which brought about violent
strikes violence took place quite often
and led to blacklisting strike breakers
and armed guards fought against union
men one of the worst strikes that ever
took place happened in 1892 near
pittsburgh at homestead steel mills
henry clay frick had been put in charge
of the homestead steel mills by andrew
carnegie
frick realized that many workers had
joined the union and wanted to break the
union's foothold within the business but
negotiations had resulted in multiple
failures frick lost his patience and
decided to give the workers an ultimatum
he told the workers to accept the wage
cuts or that every single one of them
would be replaced with other workers
frick knew the workers would retaliate
with the union and he hired 300 armed
pinkerton guards to surround the plant
and guard the business
on july 6 armed steel workers arrived
and a gun battle ensued
pinkertons and workers died from gunfire
and eventually the pinkertons retreated
frick then asked the governor to send in
8 000 military troops to help crush the
union frick believed that he had won but
an assassination attempt almost took his
life
in 1893 a bad depression created
problems for railroad workers eugene
debs collaborated several groups of
workers to create a united american
railroad union aru and within a year
more than a hundred thousand workers
joined they won a couple of strikes but
had trouble when faced with the pullman
palace car company in chicago
this company cut workers wages by 33
and laid off many employees
the workers struck and debs directed
workers to not stop production and to
have a non-violent protest the products
of the company were boycotted and it
desperately hurt the company
general motors association gma came to
the rescue of pullman by hiring 2500
strike breakers and pushed the state and
federal governments to assist them in
stopping the strikes president cleveland
sent troops to crush the strikers and
violence took over the area many workers
were killed during the strikes samuel
gompers refused to come to the aid of
devs and the strike collapsed debs was
also hauled into court and was found
guilty and sentenced
when strikes were not successful
discrimination amongst immigrants often
took place during the 1870s and 1880s
chinese americans experienced some of
the worst discrimination in the nation
when white workers in the west started
losing their jobs they blamed chinese
workers for the loss of their employment
whites began killing chinese people that
came from asia in order to gain
employment
more than a quarter of a million chinese
immigrants came to the u.s between 1860
and 1900
many of these chinese individuals were
men that left their wives and family to
earn money and send it back to their
families
they worked jobs that no one in the us
wanted to work in 1882 congress passed
the chinese exclusion act stating that
no more immigrants from china could come
to america for a 10-year period this was
later extended and then made permanent
in 1902
okay we're gonna end the video here if
you like the video please click the like
button and don't forget to subscribe i
appreciate all of you all the listeners
and i hope these videos make academic
subjects easier to understand for you
please have a wonderful morning
afternoon or night and i will talk with
you soon
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