Unit 6 – Industrialization & the Gilded Age (1865-1898)

• The Second Industrial Revolution also saw the rise of consumer culture, as mass-produced goods became widely available to the general population. This period also saw the popularization of new forms of entertainment, such as cinema and radio, which further fueled consumer demand for goods and services.
• Vertical Integration:

  This strategy involved controlling all aspects of the production process, from the raw materials to the finished product, and eliminating middlemen's fees.
• Carnegie's efficient and cost-effective production methods helped to fuel industrial growth and create jobs in the manufacturing sector.
• Horizontal Integration

  This involved buying out competitors to monopolize a given market. In this way, Rockefeller was able to gain control over the oil refineries, pipelines, and transportation networks that were necessary for the production and distribution of oil.
• The completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869 was a major achievement in the history of the United States. It connected the eastern and western coasts of the country for the first time, reducing travel time from months to days and greatly increasing trade and commerce.
• Mining was a major factor that attracted people to the West during the Gilded Age. The California Gold Rush of 1848 was the first significant mining boom in the West, and it led to a large influx of people to California in search of gold.
• The mining boom led to the creation of many boomtowns, which were towns that sprang up overnight as a result of a rich strike. These towns were often characterized by saloons, dance hall girls, and vigilante justice. However, many of these towns would become ghost towns within a few years after the gold or silver ran out.
• Chinese Exclusion Act

  • suspended immigration of Chinese laborers for ten years.
  • The act was driven by anti-Chinese sentiment and economic competition, as many Americans saw the Chinese as taking jobs away from native-born workers and driving down wages.
• The rise of the railroads in the late 19th century also helped with the transportation of cattle to eastern markets. The railroads made it possible to transport cattle to places like Chicago, where they could be slaughtered and processed. This led to the growth of the meatpacking industry in the Midwest
• the Farmers’ Alliance was founded after the Panic of 1873. The Farmers' Alliance was a political organization that grew to be one of the largest farmers’ groups ever, with a membership of over one million.
• The Farmers' Alliance organized cooperatives to buy supplies for less and sell goods collectively. They also provided loans to farmers and asked for government support in stabilizing the agricultural economy.
• The Farmers' Alliance played a major role in the populist movement of the 1890s, which aimed to give more political power to farmers and workers. They eventually merged with the People's Party, also known as the Populist Party, which ran a presidential candidate in 1892.
• Indian Intercourse Act of 1834


  prohibited whites from entering the land west of the Mississippi River without a government-issued license. Before the Civil War, the area was considered "Indian Country."
• Sand Creek Massacre


  An event that occurred in 1864 when a Colorado militia attacked a peaceful camp of Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians led by Chief Black Kettle, killing hundreds including women and children.
• In the West, Farmers struggled with falling prices for agricultural goods and rising railroad rates, which made it difficult for them to make a living. This led to the formation of Progressive reform movements, such as the Grange Movements and Farmers' Alliances, which aimed to address these economic challenges by advocating for government regulation of certain industries
• Despite progress, the South remained a largely agricultural section and also the poorest region in the country. The poverty of the majority of southerners was not caused by northern capitalists. Two other factors were chiefly responsible:

  • The South’s late start at industrialization
  • A poorly educated workforce. 
• Although slavery has been outlawed, landowners continued to employ African Americans on their plantations through tenant farming and sharecropping.
• In the Civil Rights Cases of 1883, the Court ruled that Congress could not legislate against racial discrimination practices by private citizens, which included railroads, hotels, and other businesses. This meant that anyone but the government could discriminate against African Americans.