The Development of Industrial America

Inventor. Designed the light bulb and phonograph, in addition to several other inventions. Lost much of his hearing as a child, and subsequently designed machines that relied on sight rather than sound.

Head of steel industry. Captain of industry or robber baron? You decide.

Controlled oil industry through Standard Oil.

Companies assign stock to a board of trustees, who combine the stocks into a new organization, which they then run, paying the shareholders dividends on profits.

Survival of the fittest.

Called on those who accumulated wealth to share their riches for the betterment of society.

A single corporation that controls an entire industry.

Worker's organization which sought to organize all workers. Sought broad social reforms, such as trancending the wage labor system by granting ownership of factories to the workers. Wanted an eight hour work day. Fell apart after the Haymarket Square Riot.

Worker's organization that focused on very specific reforms such as wages, working hours, and working conditions. Led by Samuel Gompers.

Political radicals opposed to any form of government

Immigrant check-in point in New York Harbor. Government clerks asked immigrants a series of questions there and performed medical evaluations. If immigrants were deemed a risk to public health, they would be sent back to Europe.

Immigrant check-in point in San Francisco Bay. Conditions harsher there than at the other port. Most Asian immigrants disembarked there.

Residential area surrounding the city

Subdivided houses. Crowded and often disease-ridden. Poor sanitation. Often housed twenty families.

Landowners dictate the crop and provide [worker] with a place to live, as well as seeds and tools, in exchange for a share of the harvested crop. [Workers] were often cheated at harvest time.