The United States is a country that raised itself from nothing, and has changed, and adapted itself into one of the most successful countries in the world. The United States evolved from an agricultural society into an industrial one through advancements in technology, although not without many challenges to conquer. Yet even with scandals, problems, and death the United States has always proved strong. The transcontinental railroad was the match that set fire to the Industrial Age. The transcontinental railroad connected the East Coast to the West Coast. With the merge between the West Coast’s Central Pacific railroad, which started in Sacramento and conquered the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and the East Coast’s Union Pacific railroad, which …show more content…
Unfortunately the creation of steel was a very slow, expensive process, and the steel production could not keep up with the demand. That is until Henry Bessemer brought the Bessemer process to America. With the Bessemer process, steel production became, fast, efficient and inexpensive. With steel now a readily available resource, cities were totally changed. Land became scarce in big cities like New York, and the only way to expand, was by going towards the heavens. Skyscrapers took the United States by storm, giving our country a new modern look, compared to those of old farm lands.
Steel became a cash cow, and Andrew Carnegie had the right idea. He cut out the middle men, through vertical integration, which is having your own supplier, transportation and stores. He quickly became one of the worlds first billionaires. Andrew Carnegie sent the big business fever into full effect. Rockefeller controlled most of all the railroads, slowly he started to try and use horizontal integration. This created a monopoly and destroyed competition for Rockefeller, the government quickly put a stop to this for it was bad for the
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Crowded workrooms, poor safety, awful pay, and long hours, were what was usually associated with these factories. The owners did not care about their workers, along as they made their money. Labor unions were created, employees who fought for better pay, shorter hours, and safer workplaces. Most labor unions lived through strikes and protests, but most of the time they were unsuccessful but still gave the people a voice against these billionaires. Mary Harris Jones, was one of the most influential labor union leaders. She fought for the children who were forced to work in these unhealthy work spaces, and later took on the name “Mother Jones.” She spoke up for the children who couldn’t and actually influenced many reforms, such as higher pay, lower hours, and an age requirement that must be reached before being able to work. While Mother Jones was fighting for the people, Eugene Debs was fighting with others. He led the extensive Pullman Strike and made a name for himself between the big business leaders.
Now the worst part about all these big businesses was Social Darwinism. It claimed that those who were rich, were rich due to their genes. Those who were poor, were poor due to their genes. This caused a rift between the people of America, as the wealthy began to look down on the poor, and treated them as lesser humans. This did not stop people like Eugene Debs, and Mother Jones, infact it just made them push harder
The Transcontinental Railroad transformed the United States socially by allowing people to travel across the country, bringing people together, and beginning discrimination against the Chinese. The first way that the Transcontinental Railroad transformed the United States is by allowing people to travel across the country. Many ads invited “tourists and pleasure seekers” to use the Transcontinental Railroad to see mountains, valley, lakes, and more attractions (Doc G). Before the Transcontinental Railroad, it was difficult and dangerous to travel away from home, but the railroads made it easy, safe, and convenient to explore the country.
As cities grew, the demand for steel and iron increased. Carnegie used steel to improve the life expectancy of bridges and railroads because of Carnegie thousands of pounds of
Railroad managers invented modern systems for running large scale business operations, making a model that other large corporations shadowed. The railroads created job paths that took 18 year old boys and revolved them into brakemen, engineers and conductors. John D. Rockefeller, with the railroads in the palms of his hands, was able to could supply every home in the United States with “Standard Oil” kerosene. With all of his earnings, Rockefeller bought out his competition to own most of the oil refineries in the United States. Over time, Rockefeller eventually controlled a 90% of the North American oil supply.
The robber barons did everything they can to keep wealth. These men acted like they were helping the people but the truth is they were helping themselves not the society. They forced the society by charging out difficult rates, and discriminating against small businessmen. In American politics, the
The central route of the railroad began in Omaha, Nebraska, and ended up in Sacramento, California. By completing the railroad, more people were allowed to move and settle in other places, and it promoted the Western
He owned the mines for the raw materials, the necessary transportation, such as trains and ships, and even coal mines to power the furnaces. Being in charge of the process is what made him superior to his competition. But all this success was not all on him. People say that he Carnegie got rich on the backs of his workers. The most famous case of this was in Homestead, Pennsylvania, where he lowered wages and the workers went on strike and did not work.
Andrew Carnegie had a significant effect on the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution is the development of factories and the mass production of consumer goods, in this case, Carnigies steel. The Industrial Revolution set the economic foundation that allowed Andrew Carnegie to construct his monopoly called Carnegie Steel. Some argue that Andrew Carnegie was a Robber Barron because he didn’t do anything about the dangerous work conditions but the evidence supports that he was a captain of industry because he was a philanthropist and rose from a rags-to-riches storyline. Andrew Carnegie had such a powerful influence on the world and his steel-making establishment is still around today.
The Transcontinental Railroad The completion of the first Transcontinental Railroad was an important event in the United States history. There were many challenges in building it, but after it was finished, it connected the East Coast of the United States to the West Coast. The railroad took three whole years to build, with the help of two railroad companies and thousands of other hired workers.
Andrew Carnegie was a steel producer in the 19th century. He built himself a business from the ground up that earned him millions of dollars. Carnegie was an immigrant from Dunfermline, Scotland. As soon as he landed in the states he started building his business only at age 12. His hard work and determination helped him out in his later years.
Everyone has a dream. Whether that dream is to be famous, a hero, or to simply lead a normal life, people are driven to achieve it. A young Andrew Carnegie had a dream about being a contributor to the growth and improvement of society. He was born in Scotland, but his family emigrated to America to avoid a Scottish depression. Carnegie went into work as a telegrapher in his teenage years.
Andrew Carnegie, a Scottish immigrant, industrialist, and philanthropist, amassed one of the largest fortunes in history, and revolutionized the American steel industry. Carnegie incorporated the Bessemer Process to manufacture steel while, utilizing vertical integration, and monopolization to establish his position in the global steel market. However, to create his steel empire Carnegie mistreated his workers, by providing them low salaries and long hours. Some say that Carnegie’s maltreatment of workers diminished his accomplishments, but his achievements in the steel industry and his philanthropism place him as one of the most successful Americans in history. Andrew Carnegie, was born November 25, 1835 in Dunfermline, Scotland, son of
During the period of 1870 to 1900 large corporations, such as the railway company, grew significantly in size, number, and influence. The cause of this was the need for a new way of transportation, the demand was great so the railways expanded all over the United States so that they could meet these demands. These large corporations affected the economy by making it easier to pay for everyday chores, politics in the way that it gave politicians too much power but in doing so gave normal limited power. The corporations had great power and influence which made them a huge impact to society.
The Scottish-born American industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie was one of the first captains of industry Leader of the American steel industry from 1873 to 1901, he disposed of his great fortune by endowing educational, cultural, scientific, and technological institutions. Andrew Carnegie made those characteristics of business enterprise and innovation that changed the United States from an agricultural and commercial nation to the greatest industrial nation in the world in a single generation between 1865 and 1901. The era has sometimes been called the age of robber barons. The entrepreneurs of the period not only built and modernized industry, but because they were technologically minded, they increased the productivity of
‘The reason for the United States of America having the strongest economy in the world is because of the work of entrepreneurs.’ Certain entrepreneurs had the vision to achieve their goals and to build empires that shaped the future of the United States of America’s economy, therefore making the USA the most powerful country in the world. These men included: Cornelius Vanderbilt through his shipping and railroad empire; John D Rockefeller through his oil, kerosene and gasoline empire; Andrew Carnegie through his steel empire; JP Morgan through his General Electric company as well as his contributions in banking and lastly Henry Ford for his perfection of the assembly line and creating a car affordable for the common man. These men not only
In 1694, Thomas Savery invented what would revolutionize the united states indefinitely, he called it the steam engine. This invention lead to the first steam engine locomotive which many would say was a beneficial turning point in the industrialization of america’s economy,allowing the steam engine to be used on the railways. Although the railroads did impact the United States and certain groups in positive ways,there were also negative effects that occurred. During this time period, there were many chinese immigrants that entered the United States who made up most of the workers that built the tracks.