Gilded Age Reflection Questions

1. What were the causes and political results of the rise of agrarian protests in the 1890s?
Causes included debts, falling prices from overproduction of goods, and foreign competitors. The gold standard employed by the U.S. created deflation and kept prices low as well. This resulted in political organization of the farmers mostly into the Populist Party or other Farmers Alliances. The Populist Party called for called for a graduated income tax, unlimited coinage of silver at the rate of 16:1, and nationalization of the railroads.
2. What was the impact of the transcontinental rail system on the American economy and society in the late nineteenth century?
The margin for goods went national in scale which made way for overproduction of goods and mass consumption of goods such as steel and coal. The railroads also gave way to America dividing into four time zones making railroad time the standard time. The system provided for fast and long distance transportation as well as diverted traffic from waterways. The railroad expanded the West, promoting settlement and linking them to the East. The transcontinental railroads tied California with the rest of the Union. The two companies who built these were, 1. The Union Pacific who built westward and 2. The Central Pacific who tracked across mountains eastward towards the Midwest. Thousands of war veterans and Chinese immigrants helped build these railroads, two of which came together in Utah connecting the Atlantic and Pacific regions. The transcontinental railroads impacted the American economy through creating a national market, enabling mass production, and exponentially stimulating industry while it greatly impacted American society through stimulating immigration, and urbanization

3. How did the industrial trusts develop in industries such as steel and oil, and what was their effect on the economy?
Steel Industry:

Andrew Carnegie discovered the technology and processes that could be used to make a lot of steel. Henry Bessemer in England and William Kelly in the US discovered that blasting air through molten iron made high quality steel. Calles Bessemes process launches Carnage’s steel empire in 19^th century wich makes a lot of industry in the great lakes region which contains abundant coal reserves and access to the flourishing iron ore of Minnesota. Carnegie went from an Irish immigrant to the superintendent of the Pennsylvania Railroads becoming one of the biggest leaders in the steel industry.  Carnegie had steel in Pittsburgh with salesmanship. He used Vertical Integration where the company controlled every industrial process in the stages from getting raw materials to making material and distributing it. EVERY step. In 1900 he was at the top of the steel business. He employed 20000 workers and produced more steel than Britain. He reurned a few years later and sells the business for 400 million to JP Morgan who changes the name to US Steel. It becomes one of the largest enterprise in world.

Oil:

the very first well was drilled by Edwin Drake in 1859 in Pennsylvania. A very influential man in the oil industry was John Rockefeller who made Standard Oil (the company) and comes to control most of the oil by eliminating competition. Rockefeller used the latest technology and efficient practices to achieve in this business. He is able to restore rebates for railroads and cut prices to force rivals to sell out. The company, is now named Standard Oil Trust because it includes all of the rival companies he forced out of business. He uses a method known as Horizontal Integration- where all former competitors are under 1 umbrella(company). He owns all the competitors of one industry. Profits began to soar because he controlled the supply and price. He made $900 million in total but also keeps prices low. Sugar and Tobacco Trust started to use Rockefellers practices. We also begin to see antitrust movements within the middle class since they feared the unchecked power of their urban elites who had all the money. Congress passes SHERMAN ANTITRUST ACTS- 1890 which outlaws’ trusts or monopolies which restraints trade or commerce. The Supreme Court ruled on the monopolies sides. US Dept. of Justice had very few convictions however Roosevelt puts his teeth into these monopolies and trusts.

4. What early efforts were made to control the new corporate industrial giants, and how effective were these efforts?
 The Granger Laws, passed by Midwestern states in the 1870s, were overturned by the courts. The Federal Interstate Commerce Act of 1886 was at first ineffective (it wasn't until the Progressive Era that it protected public interest). Likewise the Sherman Anti-Trust Act was poorly supported.Regulating railroad lines by laws was also ineffective.
5. What new opportunities did the cities create for Americans?
It gave Americans more economic oppurtunities with jobs such as factories, barbers, bakers, or anything really. Improvements in technology made this possible since we now have fast transportation with the railroads and we also see the introduction of electric trollies and subways. Cities provided industrial centers for businesses and welcomed all creeds of people, from rich to poor, black and white, native-borns and immigrants alike. With the rapid growth of cities, political machines increasingly took control of urban politics.
6. What new social problems did urbanization create? How did Americans respond to these problems?
It began the introduction of social classes which included the very, very rich and the very, very poor. Poverty became a very big issue with the inequalities f the systems as well as the increased flow of immigrants. Landlords would mark up prices for tiny, ill-ventilated and poorly kept up apartments. Many overcrowded slums and 'ethnic ghettos' formed, where education was scarce and 
7. How did the "New Immigration" differ from the "Old Immigration", and how did Americans respond to it?

·         A lot of the growing population in the 19th century was  fueled by arrival of 16 million immigrants. Cause:s for this sudden increase included better economic opportunities, poverty of farmers driven by bad farm work, over crowdedness and joblessness, religious persecution- such as the Jews in Russia with violent mobs attacking them, reputation for political and religious freedoms, technology- steamships- makes passage cheaper. Old v New. The majority  of old immigrants came from Western Europe, were mostly protestant, Roman Catholic, mostly English speaking, high literacy, and occupational skills. 1890s NEW: Mostly came from Southeast Europe- poor, illiterate, autocratic countries, Greek orthodox, Russian, Jewish. America became a melting pot of diversification- cultural pluralism. Immigrants clung to familiar groups and customs. Large cities gave way to the development of ghettos and nonproduction. Different groups made it difficult to assimilate. We begin to restrict immigration like Chinese Exclusion Act. People begin having to pay an entry fee. Law passed that prohibited contract to labor. Labor Unions are anti-immigration b/c theyre driving wages down. Statue of Liberty build in 18802, poem on the base. Growth of immigrants and a negative response in form of action, legislation and socially. Congress passes quota acts which restricts immigration.