Period 6 (1865-1898)
ContextualizationIn the United States from 1865 to 1898, the economy changed from agricultural to industrialized and urbanized in the political, economic, social, and environmental aspects. The big oil and steel businesses and industries attracted many migrants who brought their families along with them. The families settled in the Great Plains, and the railroads, especially the Transcontinental Railroad, linked the east with the west. The railroad systems provided work for immigrants from Ireland, China, and even for southerners in America. Andrew Carnegie became the superintendent of a Pennsylvania railroad. While he managed the railroad, he used vertical integration in which a company would control every stage of the industrial process such as the mining and the transportation of the product. Andrew Carnegie’s business influenced the U.S. Steel Corporation, which controlled the nation’s steel business. After Carnegie retired, Rockefeller used the latest technologies to control the chaotic oil refinery business. Rockefeller kept the price of oil low for consumers because he stopped waste from kerosene, which also influenced the sugar, tobacco, leather, and meat companies. This created a growth in the standard of living and more distinct differences among the different social classes. This growth of industrialization created a large sum of people who lived lavish lives with mansions and yachts. The lavish lives of these wealthy people hindered people’s viewpoints on the poor, and the rich basically ignored the poor. Because the poor were ignored, they did not get the necessary medical help while they were working in dangerous conditions in railroads and mines. The chemicals and pollutants that the workers were exposed to were later found to have long-term effects, chronic illness, and even early death. In the novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, by John Steinbeck, he describes the harsh lives of these workers. These workers not only experienced dangerous conditions, but they also were paid little to nothing for their tedious work. The companies cut the workers’ wages in order to reduce costs during an economic depression, and the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 happened because of it. There were more than one hundred deaths because of this strike, but it was successful because employers improved the workers’ wages and working conditions. Many of the workers were foreigners from Europe, Latin America, and China. These foreigners were highly skilled and contributed to the growth of the industrial nation. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 prohibited Chinese immigrants from coming into the United States for 10 years. This was the first law that restricted foreigners from coming into the states. The Chinese took many of the local Americans’ jobs, so many Americans resented them. These miners came not only because of their high skill, but also because of the riches they could pursue, such as gold and silver. This hurt the American Indians because they took the lands that were rich in gold and silver. In the Homestead Act of 1862, homesteaders raised cattle that, when fed hay and grains, their beef was more tender. The land where these cattle were raised was purchased by people of the railroad companies. People on these lands were called “sodbusters” where there was barely any water, dry lands, and plains with no trees, so they built their homes out of sod. Dams and irrigation saved many farmers because of the dry land and from the extreme weather. As agriculture started to change, the lands were run more like factories. The farmers turned to cash crops, such as corn or wheat, and they became more dependent on steam engines, and reaper-thresher combines. As agriculture changed, more workers were needed so immigrants spilled into the lands. The cities grew, there were more cars and pollution, and the skyscrapers grew taller and taller. CIties became private and others became public, and other cities became urban. The Temperance Movement, attracted urban reformers who wanted to prohibit alcohol. The WCTU was formed because many males who worked in factories drank alcohol excessively, and this caused poverty, which then caused corruption in city governments. As reform in the urban cities was influencing the population, the education system also required higher education. As almost everything was being reformed, the Populist Party was formed in 1891, but declined starting in the year of 1896. This party was formed because there was growing agrarian discontent in the south and the west, and the Alliance movement influenced the people in the Populist Party. Afterwards, the Election of 1896 was significant because the Democrats were divided between “gold” democrats. Many national parks were found, such as Yellowstone National Park in 1872. Congress established this national park in parts of present-day Wyoming and Montana for people to enjoy in their free time. Yosemite National Park was established in 1890. Yosemite was a mining site where miners searched for gold. In 1891, the Forest Reserve Act protected the valuable land and timber. This timber protected the streams, especially the waterfalls in the Yosemite Valley, from flooding and ensured a long-term water supply for agriculture in the nearby farms. |