Chapter 16 America s Gilded Age 1870 1890 Identifications Trusts A trust is several companies combined to prevent competition During the second Industrial Revolution businesses engaged in ruthless competition In order to control competition trusts were established by putting several rival companies under the management of one director Vertical Integration A company that is vertically integrated is in charge of all parts of the supply chain that lead to the selling of a product This integration includes collecting raw materials transporting the materials manufacturing using the materials and distributing the products Andrew Carnegie established his steel company in this way and later so did John Rockefeller with his oil company They both accumulated large fortunes and economic power Captains of Industry A Captain of Industry was used to describe an industrial leader whose energy and vision pushed the economy forward A captain of industry was the opposite of a robber baron which described a wealthy person who did not use their wealth positively Robber Barons The word Robber Baron is a derogatory term used to describe an industrial leader A robber baron was one who wielded power and caused corruption A robber baron was the opposite of a captain of industry who was a wealthy person that used their money positively Bonanza Farms Bonanza farms are very large farms that cover thousands of acres of land and can employ many people Few emerged in the trans Mississippi West while family farms dominated Dawes Act The Dawes Act broke up land of Indian tribes in order to give the small parcels to individual families The entire point was to attack tribalism This act had negative effects because Indians lost 86 million acres of land and Indian cultural traditions were broken Ghost Dance Indians coped with the Dawes Act with the Ghost Dance The Ghost Dance consisted of singing and dancing and told of how one day the whites will disappear allowing the Indians to practice their ancestral customs again Many who participated in the Ghost Dance were killed by troops near Wounded Knee Creek because the government feared an uprising from the Indians Gospel of Wealth The Gospel of Wealth is the idea by Andrew Carnegie that wealthy people have the obligation to do charitable acts This was said to be highly beneficial because it would create a brotherhood between the rich and the poor Carnegie believed that the best way to advance society is to help those that are worthy of aid Interstate Commerce Commission ICC Congress established the ICC in order to ensure that railroads charged reasonable rates and also the same rates to different people farmers merchants etc preventing favorable treatment The ICC however lacked the power to establish rates so it could only sue companies in court It had little impact on railroad practices Sherman Antitrust Act The Sherman Antitrust Act served to ban all practices that restrained free trade This Act had very vague language and was almost impossible to enforce The laws did however help establish the idea that the national government could regulate the economy to promote public good The Grange Patrons of Husbandry Due to complaints of high freight rates by railroads and favoring of large producers farmers and local merchants formed the Patrons of Husbandry Also known as the Grange this group attempted to establish cooperatives for storing and marketing farm output in hopes that the carriers would take their produce at a fair price Social Darwinism Based on the ideas of Charles Darwin on natural selection Social Darwinism was the idea that evolution was the cause for class distinctions or survival of the fittest This idea was the explanation as to why some people were poor and some were wealthy Social Darwinism was used to defend why the government should not interfere because classes are created from nature Liberty of Contract Liberty of Contract is the freedom to contract without government restrictions When people can contract freely the government and unions could not interfere with working conditions This liberty ensured people would not lose freedom and ensured equality Knights of Labor The Knights of Labor was a group led by Terrence Powderly attempting to organize unskilled workers and skilled workers organizing women and men in the workplace and organizing blacks and whites in the workplace Reformed attempted to achieve this with strikes boycotts political action and educational activities Social Gospel The Social Gospel movement beginning with the Protestant church was a movement that pushed the idea that people were only truly equal if wealth and power was distributed equally Only then would the ideals of a Christian brotherhood be present The Social Gospel movement was intended to establish relief programs for those in poverty The Haymarket Affair The Haymarket Affair was the move for the eight hour day following the work of the Knights of Labor There were an immense amount of strikes and demonstrations It was named because there was a meeting at the Hay market Short Answer Questions How did the federal government actively promote industrial and agricultural development after the civil war The federal government promoted industrial and agricultural development in many ways For one the government enacted high tariffs This protected the American industry by preventing competition from other countries The government also granted land to railroad companies to encourage expansion Last the government removed Indians from western lands that could be used for farming and mining With more farming mining manufacturing and expansion opportunities America s economy would prosper Why were railroads so important to America s second industrial revolution The railroads made the industrial revolution happen because it opened up more opportunities for farming to grow As the population increased the railroads allowed for mass production and mass distribution During this time national chains like A P Tea Company and Quaker Oats were able to expand and spread goods throughout the country Rapid communication and economic growth led to things like scientific breakthroughs like invention of the typewriter and telegraph that created a chain reaction of progress and development What events demonstrate the influence of railroads on society and politics after the Civil War Because of the railroads and economic development people were given more economic independence This was positive
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