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Bessemer Process
The Bessemer Process was the first inexpensive industrial process for the mass production of steel before the development of the Heath furnace, invented by Henry Bessemer. This invention was a key influence on the industrial revolution, and also helped create stronger rails for railroads and other benefits. -
Iron Law of wages
The iron law of wages was a proposed economic law by David Ricardoin 1817 that asserts that real wages always tend to sustain the life of the worker. This natural rate provides workers enough to maintain the number of future workers needed for the state of production. Higher wages were planned to result in raising more children to maturity so that competition will go back to the natural rate needed to sustain a normal number of workers. -
Sand Creek Massacre
The Sand Creek Massacre was a massacre of Cheyenne and Arapaho people that was rooted in the long conflict for control over the Great Plains of eastern Colorado. This resulted in a heavy loss of life and the decrease of native populations in the west. This gave newly arrived settlers full control of the newfound land. -
Cattle Drives
Cattle Drives were a major economic activity in the 19th and early 20th century American west. 27 million cattle were driven from Texas to Kansas, for shipments to stockyards in Louisiana and other eastern states. Most drives lasted 3-5 months depending on distance and travel delays. -
Standard Oil
Standard Oil Inc. was an American oil producing, transporting, marketing, and refining company established in Cleveland, Ohio by John D Rockefeller and Henry Flagler. They controlled almost all oil production, processing, marketing, and transportation in the United States. -
Telephone
The telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell to convert sound and electrical waves into audible relays used for communication. They were first invented to transmit a simple current of audio for communication to test if the telephone could be used more. The impact could be seen through the quickness of communication, business, and easier communication in wars. -
Battle Of Little Bighorn
The Battle of the Little Bighorn was the most decisive Native American victory and the largest US army defeat in the long Plains Indian War. This was significant because it proved to be the height of native American power during the 19th century. -
RR Strike 1877
The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 began in Martinsburg, West Virginia after Baltimore and Ohio railroads cut wages for the third time in a year. It began to spread across the nation to spread worker discontent over wage cuts and dangerous conditions during this national depression. This strike energized the labor movement and began the labor unrest in the late 1800s -
Chinese Exclusion Act
The Chinese Exclusion Act was an immigration law that prevented Chinese laborers from immigrating to the United States. This was the first immigration law that excluded an entire ethnic group. It also excluded Chinese nationals from becoming United States citizens. -
Haymarket Bombing
The Haymarket bombing took place at a labor demonstration at Haymarket Square in Chicago, killing one policeman. This sparked the Haymarket affair, which created mass panic and hysteria throughout Chicago. This increased suspicion of the international anarchist movement throughout the country. -
AFL(American Federation of Labor)
The American Federation Of Labor was a national federation of labor unions formed by those disaffected by the Knights of Labor, such as Samuel Gompers. Their main goal was to create economic benefits for its members through collective bargaining. Higher wages, shorter hours, and better conditions for many workers in America. -
Interstate Commerce Clause
Interstate Commerce is any commercial transaction or traffic that cross state boundaries. The clause authorized Congress to regulate commerce with foreign nations, states, and tribes. This led to significant controversy regarding the balance of power between the federal government and states. -
Dawes Act
The Dawes Act authorized the president of the United States to subdivide tribal landholdings and treating Native Americans as individuals instead of members of tribes. -
The Gospel Of Wealth
The Gospel Of Wealth was an article written by Andrew Carnegie that asserted hard work and perseverance lead to self-made wealth. One of the biggest problems of the time was how to properly manage your wealth and this article helped individuals manage their money. One solution is that "the rich should give their money to institutions or ideas that promote the poor to cultivate “better” habits." -
Sears,Roebuck
Sears, Roebuck was a watch company, that started in Minneapolis in 1887. Shortly after Sears began to become a department store full time, Roebuck left the business. Sears was one of the nation's largest corporations be redefining the American shopping experience. Its history embodies the rise and fall of American consumer culture. -
Panic Of 1893
The Panic of 1893 was a serious economic depression caused by the crash of the New York Stock Exchange. The collapse of railroad overbuilding and financing set off a series of bank failures that led to a national panic. J.P. Morgan helped end this crisis by leading a syndicate of bankers to buy back gold from foreign investors. -
Pullman Strike
The Pulman Strike was a nationwide railroad strike in the United States that disrupted rail traffic in the midwest. Their main goals were union recognition, wage increases, and rent reduction. This strike bring American business to a halt, as railroads were the main source of transportation for materials. -
Plessy Vs Ferguson
Plessy V. Ferguson was a landmark 1896 Supreme Court decision that upheld the constitutionality of "Separate But Equal". The case began in 1892 when Homer Plessy refused to sit in the black train car. He argued that the segregation law violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This decision was significant because it officially established the constitutionality of racial segregation. -
US Steel
The United States Steel Corporation was founded when Carnegie Steel merged with the Federal and National Steel companies in Pittsburgh. Steel supply in America was crucial to expansion of cities and urban infrastructure. U.S. steel was at one point the largest steel producer and corporation in the world, as well as the world's first billion-dollar corporation. -
Vertical Integration
Vertical Integration is an arrangement in which the supply chain of a company is owned by that company and each member of the supply chain produces a different product or service. The earliest and most well-known examples were made by the Carnegie Steel Company, who focused heavily on developing talent from the bottom up rather than extracting it from other companies. This was the main business approach made by Ford to minimize costs by integrating the production of cars and car parts.
