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Big Buisness: Capitalism
An economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state. -
Industrialization & Technology: Telegraph
The first electrical telegraph was invented by Samuel Soemmering in 1809 using gold wires in water sending messages around two thousand feet away that could be read by determining how much gas was released. Although very crude, it was a vast improvement on earlier methods of telegraphy. In Greek it can be broken down into two words: tele and grapheintele. Tele meaning far and graphein to write, so telegraphy basically means a written message sent from a far. The simple forms of optical telegraph -
West: Black Gold
On this day, in a town called Spindletop in Texas, oil was found. Because oil was found and it became such a neccasity in society, many people moved out to try and find their own "black gold" and become wealthy from it. -
West: Mining
The discovery of gold, silver, and other precious minerals in California in 1849, in Nevada and Colorado in the 1850s, in Idaho and Montana in 1860s, and South Dakota in the 1870s sparked a momvement in which prospectors and miners moved out west to make a living off of finding precious metals. -
Politics & Goverment Corruption: Big Tweed
In 1852 he was elected to one term in Congress. His influence in New York politics was growing, and in 1856 he was elected to a new city board of supervisors, the first position he would use for corrupt purposes. He worked on strengthing his position of power in Tammany Hall, and by 1860 he controled all Democratic Party nominations to city positions. Soon, Boss Tweed dominated the city and state Democratic Party. -
Big Business: Andrew Carnegie
Superintendent of The Pennsylvania Railroad. He invested in iron and oil companies. Once he entered the steel business, he became powerful. -
West: Transcontinental Railroads
In 1862, the Pacific Railroad Act chartered the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific Railroad Companies, and tasked them with building a transcontinental railroad that would link the United States from east to west. Over the next seven years, the two companies would race toward each other from Sacramento, California on the one side and Omaha, Nebraska on the other, struggling against great risks before they met at Promontory Utah, on May 10, 1869. -
Big Buisness: John. D. Rockefeller
American industrialist John D. Rockefeller was born July 8, 1839, in Richford, New York. He built his first oil refinery near Cleveland and in 1870 incorporated the Standard Oil Company. By 1882 he had a near-monopoly of the oil business in the U.S., but his business practices led to the passing of antitrust laws. Late in life, Rockefeller devoted himself to philanthropy. He died in 1937. -
Industrialization & Technology: Barbed Wire
As farmers in the west gained more land, a new invention allowed farmers to mark their territory. This technology allowed farmers to set up a fence with a coiling metal that had sharp points on them which taught the livestock where and how far they were allowed to roam. Barbed wire was a great way for farmers to keep track of their livestock. -
Industrialization & Technology: Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison was an American inventor and buisnessman. he developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the photograph, the motion picture camera, and the long lasting, practical eletric light bulb. -
Immigration & Urbanization: Chinese Exclusion Act
This law was the first law restricting immigration into America. Although the Chinese composed only .002 percent of the nation’s population, Congress passed this law due to the seggregation toward the chinese. This seggragation began because of the chinese taking jobs for less pay and for the idea of that because they were here longer and first, they deserve the right to maintain there jobs and aqquire new ones. This would also maintain the purity of white men. -
Immigration & Urbanization: Skyscrappers
With all the new immigrants coming to America through Ellis Island, alot of them decided to settle in New England. Because of this, famous cities like Boston and New York City began to over populate. Because they couldnt expand the city outward, they had to begin tall buildings call skyscrappers. This provided the cities with a way to continue to populate but by moving its territory up in the sky noton the ground. -
Politics & Government Corruptions: Political Bosses
Machines granted jobs and the government would build contracts to the ones that did them favors. Some favors would include voting and getting others to vote. Money was always the key. -
Industrialization & Technology: Mass Transit
It was public transportation that moved middle class and upper middle class people to the city and to the suburbs. All of these trains became essential to the lifestyle of those who needed to get somewhere far quickly and trading between the states. -
Politics & Government Corruption: Pullman Strike
The Pullman Strike was a nationwide railroad strike. Employees of the contiinential railroad protested for their rights by requesting safer work conditions and shorter work hours. However, Pullman who had a monopoly in the railroad industry wanted this strike to be put down and because of the power he had, the peaceful strke ended with people dead. This was one of the many examples of strikes attempted to earn workers their rights for a better work place and fair pay.
