Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Welcome to the Big Leagues #4
Friday, June 13, 2014
Welcome to the Big Leagues #3
This week in Mrs. Gallagher's class we worked in groups of our projects. This had a great effected my views of my topic of Labor vs Big Business. One way it effected my view was my group members brought new ideas and new perspectives to the table that I had not thought about. Another way my group members expanded my understanding of my topic was each of us had different Enduring Understandings, giving us all a deeper insight into the topic. Also having group members allowed my group to nattiw down our key Terms so that we only had the terns that are most significant to our topic. Finally having group members allowed for us to collaborate and discuss our different opinions on things like Key Terms and Enduring Understandings, for example in my group we argued a lot over what we should use for our Enduring Understandings. Whether or not to include information about the inventions of the time or to go into more depth of the economic scale and consolidation aspect of the topic. All in all having group members was very helpful and it expanded my knowledge of the topic Labor vs Big Business.
To utilize technology in this week's class we used an app called videolicious. This app allowed us to record our own voices over our pictures. This deepend not only our understanding, but also anyone who watches it. It deepens both ours and theirs because the viewer isn't just looking at a wall of text but also a primary source image that goes along with the topic. Using this app deepend our understanding of the topic because videolicious brought the whole project together and showed all the aspects of the enduring Understandings. All in all the videolicious had a great impact on both the creator and viewer.
Thursday, June 5, 2014
Welcome to the Big Leagues #2
Key Terms:
Andrew Carnegie: embraced the concept "money could make money". Had an eye for recognizing a good investment.
America: Pathways to the Present, 467
Robber barons: used to describe the powerful industrialists who established large businesses in the late 1800's.
America: Pathways to the Present, 468
Rockefeller: Formed the standard oil company in 1870
America: Pathways to the Present, 468
Social Darwinism: wealthy were most valuable group in society. Argued that Society should interfere with competition as little as possible. Argued that society would benefit from the success of the fit and weeding out.
America: Pathways to the Present, 469
Larger pools of capital: entrepreneurs had to invest huge amounts of money and barrow money from investors
America: Pathways to the Present, 469
Oligopoly: industries run by only a few large, profitable firms.
America: Pathways to the Present, 470
Monopoly: complete control of a product or service.
America: Pathways to the Present, 470
Cartel: loose association of business that make the same product.
America: Pathways to the Present, 470
Consolidation: gaining control of the many different businesses that make up all the phases of a products development.
America: Pathways to the Present, 471
Horizontal Consolidation: involves bringing together many firms in the same business.
America: Pathways to the Present, 471
Sherman Antitrust Act: outlawed any combination of companies that restrained interstate trade or commerce.
America: Pathways to the Present, 471
Piecework: workers received a fixed amount for each finished piece they produced. Forced workers to work fast and efficient.
America: Pathways to the Present, 474
Sweatshop: the place where most piecework occurred. Where workers worked long hours at low wages.
America: Pathways to the Present, 474
Frederick Winslow Taylor: set out to improve worker efficiency in steel plants and therefore increase profits.
America: Pathways to the Present, 474
Division of Labor: factory workers performed one small task over and over to improve efficiency.
factory workers were ruled by the clock, discipline in the factories was strict. Often fined and fired workers for being late or talking.
America: Pathways to the Present, 474
Socialism: an idea that some were drawn too in this time, system that favors public instead of private control of the means of production. Wealthy saw it as a threat to their fortunes.
America: Pathways to the Present, 477
Labor Unions: organizing among workers in certain trades, helped members in bad times. Called for shorter workdays, higher wages and better working conditions.
America: Pathways to the Present, 478
Collective Bargaining: a prices that some Labor Unions used, process where workers negotiated as a group with employers. Workers acting as a group had more power than a single worker acting alone.
America: Pathways to the Present, 478
Pinkerton: Pinkerton is a provider of risk management services and solutions for organizations throughout the world. Pinkerton was payed to protect the Homestead Mills.
Primary Sources
Henry Clay Frick: a man known for his enmity to labour. Frick was also the owner of extensive coke-fields, where unions were prohibited and the workers were ruled with an iron hand.
Enduring Understanding
If you were unable to combine companies with another person it would be very hard to succeed.
- Carnegie trust was able to vertically consolidate and charge less for the product because they did not have to pay for any of the phases of production.
- Carnegie was able to buy the other phases of production with the large capital they have.
- This allowed them to lower the prices of their product making it impossible for a smaller company to compete. The big start up cost also allowed for very few who entered the business to make a profit. If a company didn't combine with another company it would have trouble making a profit because it has such a small capital.
Enduring Understanding 2
Big business men often betrayed the public if it meant more money.
- Robber Barons drained the country of its natural resources and bribed public officials and also drove competitors out of town.
- Big businessmen often had a Monopoly, which is complete control of a product or service.
- Or formed a Cartel which is loose association of business that make the same product, so they could keep the prices high.
- Sweatshops are where most piecework occurred. Where workers worked long hours at low wages.
- In fact, he would not recognize the union at all. He would not treat with the employees collectively, as before. He would close the mills, and the men might consider themselves discharged. Thereafter they would have to apply for work individually, and the pay would be arranged with every worker separately. Frick curtly refused the peace advances of the workers' organization, declaring that there was "nothing to arbitrate." Presently the mills were closed. "Not a strike, but a lockout," Frick announced. It was an open declaration of war.
- "At 12 o'clock last night every department of the immense Carnegie steel works at Homestead was shut down, throwing about 3,800 men out of employment...It has been the custom of the Carnegies, and all other mills, to discharge their men on the night of the expiration of the yearly contract. The men had declared positively that they would strike at the date of the expiration of the yearly contract. "
Reflection:
Sunday, June 1, 2014
Welcome to the Big Leagues
Key Terms:
Andrew Carnegie: embraced the concept "money could make money". Had an eye for recognizing a good investment.
Robber barons: used to describe the powerful industrialists who established large businesses in the late 1800's.
Rockefeller: Formed the standard oil company in 1870
Social Darwinism: wealthy were most valuable group in society. Argued that Society should interfere with competition as little as possible. Argued that society would benefit from the success of the fit and weeding out.
Factors that created a new kind of business.
Larger pools of capital: entrepreneurs had to invest huge amounts of money and barrow money from investors
Oligopoly: industries run by only a few large, profitable firms.
Monopoly: complete control of a product or service.
Cartel: loose association of business that make the same product.
Consolidation: gaining control of the many different businesses that make up all the phases of a products development.
Horizontal Consolidation: involves bringing together many firms in the same business.
Sherman Antitrust Act: outlawed any combination of companies that restrained interstate trade or commerce.
Piecework: workers received a fixed amount for each finished piece they produced. Forced workers to work fast and efficient.
Sweatshop: the place where most piecework occurred. Where workers worked long hours at low wages.
Frederick Winslow Taylor: set out to improve worker efficiency in steel plants and therefore increase profits.
Division of Labor: factory workers performed one small task over and over to improve efficiency.
factory workers were ruled by the clock, discipline in the factories was strict. Often fined and fired workers for being late or talking.
Socialism: an idea that some were drawn too in this time, system that favors public instead of private control of the means of production. Wealthy saw it as a threat to their fortunes.
Labor Unions: organizing among workers in certain trades, helped members in bad times. Called for shorter workdays, higher wages and better working conditions.
Collective Bargaining: a prices that some Labor Unions used, process where workers negotiated as a group with employers. Workers acting as a group had more power than a single worker acting alone.
Enduring Understanding
If you were unable to combine companies with another person it would be very hard to succeed.
Andrew Carnegie was one of the biggest businessmen of his time. Carnegie trust was able to vertically consolidate and charge less for the product because they did not have to pay for any of the phases of production. This is because they were able to buy the other phases of production with the large capital they have. This allowed them to lower the prices of their product making it impossible for a smaller company to compete. The big start up cost also allowed for very few who entered the business to make a profit. If a company didn't combine with another company it would have trouble making a profit because it has such a small capital.
Enduring Understanding 2
Big business men often betrayed the public if it meant more money.
Robber Barons drained the country of its natural resources and bribed public officials and also drove competitors out of town. The pay for their workers was bad. Big businessmen often had a Monopoly, which is complete control of a product or service. Or formed a Cartel which is loose association of business that make the same product, so they could keep the prices high. They used Sweatshops to get the work done. Sweatshops are where most piecework occurred. Where workers worked long hours at low wages.
This topic of Labor vs Big business reflect the theme of People, Places, and Power in many ways. Labor vs Big
Big business vs Labor represents the theme "People" because this topic shows how several figures like John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie were able to rise above the rest of the business world and and live like kings. It also shows power because of the influence the companies had on the country. If a big business or businesses were able to get a monopoly or oligopoly on a product they could raise the prices forcing the public to pay if they wanted the product. Finally Big Business vs Labor shows places because of the expansion of big businesses. Their large capital made it possible for the businesses to expand to several regions and expand the company to other places. It also made many towns a lot of money. For example Titusville Pennsylvania became a major business town because Standard Oil began to drill their. All in all the topic Labor vs. Big Business is deeply rooted in the theme People, Power, and Places.
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Who Killed the Reconstruction
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
The Current Shifts
Although total war was looked down upon by many because it is destructive and violent, I believe that it was just for the Union to do it. By destroying their farms, houses and transportation they were not only destroying the Confederates supply of food and revenue, but the Confederates will to fight them. Since the Union did decide to put total war into effect, the war not only ended sooner, but with a lot less casualties. All in all it was just for Grant, Sheridan, and Sherman to conduct total war.
After the war both sides had different reactions. After the war was over most in the North were very happy while others broke down. There were fireworks in Washington to celebrate the victory. Also after the war Abraham Lincoln played Dixy to celebrate the end of the war.The Southerners reaction however was the exact opposite. Not only did they lose the war, but they were coming homing to looted and pillaged homes, factories, and farms. The south felt sad that they had lost, but were relieved that the war was over. The South reacted by honoring General Lee for his time in battle. Both the Union and Confederate soldiers were exhausted mentally and physically and now had to go home and try to adjust to normal life. Although the Civil war was over the Confederacy had one final attack, the assassination of Lincoln. Once they had assassinated him, Lincoln's followers were furious. They found John Wilkes Booth and his accomplices and hung them for their crimes against the United States. The loss of their president made the north go into a state of mourning. All in all the civil war was a success for the Union, but came at the cost of their great leaders life.
http://www.edline.net/files/_zJGlm_/e138f1107c0f1a0f3745a49013852ec4/Activity_7_-_The_Tide_Turns_Class_Notes.pdf.
http://www.edline.net/files/_zGHaC_/af6d0e7ca09b73443745a49013852ec4/Gettysburg_DBQ_-_Student_Version.pdf
http://www.edline.net/files/_zJGmH_/73806d67d37ac8b83745a49013852ec4/Lincolns_Assassination_Document_Analysis.pdf
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Lincoln's Changing Views
Friday, March 28, 2014
Women of the Civil War
Women like Rose O'Neal Greenhow, Dorthy Dix, Martha Coston didnt let things like the "Sphere of Domesticity" hold them back. All three dared to venture outside of the circle in their own way. Martha Coston mother of 4 who lost her husband who was a scientist. He was in the process of making the flare when he died and Martha wanted to finish it for him. She had followed his work when he was alive making it easier for her to pick up where he left off. Since she worked so hard the flare was not only finished, but was used all over the United States. Dorthy Dix went outside the circle in a different way. Dorthy was in charge of medical treatments and the care of patients. She was not only in charge of the nurses but even was in charge of some male doctors. Rose O'Neal Greenhow acted outside the circle much different from the two others. Rose O'Neal Greenhow acted as a spy for the confederacy. Since she was a women she was able to blend in easily and be inconspicuous making her one of the best spies the confederacy had. All three of these women broke the norm of being a housewife with no job by making their own paths outside the circle and are perfect examples of women acting outside the Sphere of Domesticity.
One woman who is an example of a women acting inside the sphere of domesticity is Alice Chapin. She was a mother of 5 who was left by her husband who decided to go into the army, leaving her with little money and many mouths to feed. She was going to get a job as a teacher but her husband forbid it. She obeyed him and instead of getting the job, she sent care packages to the army in hope that it might help her husband and other soldiers. Alice Chapin is a perfect example of a women who acted inside the Sphere of Domesticity
Monday, March 17, 2014
Tech and Tactics
Each side of the civil war had very different strategies. The Unions plan was to basically invade the South, destroy its capacity to wage war, and crush the will of the southern people to resist. The Southerners thought they could hold their defenses and prolong the war to a point where the loyal citizenry considered the effort to costly in lives and money. The Union called their plan the "Anaconda Plan", the plan was to set up a naval blockade cutting off their cotton trade. By cutting off their trade they were cutting off the Confederacy's income which was crucial for making weapons and supplying troops with necessities like food, water, and medicine, etc. They also planned to use their Army/Navy to divide the Confederacy by seizing the Mississippi River. The Confederacy's plan was to defend all of its borders, but for most of the war Jefferson Davis and his advisers followed what often is termed a defensive-offensive strategy. Confederate armies generally stood on the strategic defensive, protecting as much of their territory as possible. When circumstances seemed favorable, the Confederacy launched offensives. Confederate military strategy was to gain important diplomatic allies. Specifically, Confederate leaders felt that if cotton was withheld from Britain and France, those nations would formally recognize their nation and provide them with much needed material support.
To be wounded badly in the civil war was very unlucky. Most serious wounds meant they had to amputate a limb or a part of the body as to prevent infections. Reading the article "Under the Knife" revealed how far back the medical world was in the mid 1800s. Although the soldiers were lucky to get to the field hospital alive they often didn't survive. There were not a lot of technique's though. The article said "When bone was damaged, surgeons had to decide quickly on one of three possible treatments. If it was a simple fracture, a wooden
or plaster splint was applied, but if the bone was shattered the surgeon performed either a
resection or an amputation." Resection involved cutting open the limb, sawing out the damaged bone, and then closing the incision. It was a time-consuming procedure and required considerable surgical skill. There were two types of amputations, primary and secondary. The difference was primary amputations were the amputations that occurred 48 hours after the injury and secondary amputation were past that. Primary amputations were preferred because the morality rate for primary was 25% and secondary was twice as high. Infections were another serious cause of death in the war. It was such a big cause of death because if a wound were to get infected it often caused death. For example "Two members of Company B, 19th Michigan Infantry, were shot in the index finger in the same battle during the Atlanta campaign. One man treated himself by cutting off the mangled finger with his pocket knife. He wrapped the stub in a handkerchief and waited until the battle was over to have the wound dressed at the field hospital. The other soldier went immediately to the surgeon for a proper amputation. Gangrene set in within days, and the surgeon was later forced to amputate his arm at the shoulder. The soldier died soon afterward."
http://www.edline.net/files/_yMHRV_/ad7f4df9270b953e3745a49013852ec4/Tactics__Tech_Class_Notes.pdf
http://www.educanon.com/delivery/10822/27482
Civil War Scavenger Hunt
Essential Question #1
Who was the ultimate victor in each of the theaters: East, West, Naval?
Based on the evidence the Union is the ultimate winner. Although the South won most of the battles in the Eastern theater including the battles of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Cold Harbor, Fort Sumter, Bull Run and Second Manassas, the Union still won the battles of Gettysburg, Sherman's March to the Sea, Appomattox Campaign, and Antietam. The western theater was much different though. The Union won every battle except for one. The Union won the battles of Fort Donelson Long, Battle of Shiloh, and the Siege of Vicksburg. The one loss the Union had in the western theater was the Battle of Chickamauga. The final theater is the naval theater. Throughout the whole war the Union usually came out on top. For example the battle of Baton Rouge is an example of a naval battle when the Union clearly won the battle. Although there were some naval battle with "no clear winner" like the battle of Hampton Roads, the Confederates still retreated first. All in all in two of the three theaters the Union was the clear winner.
Essential Question #2
What are some commonalities you can identify in the reasons for the results of the battles?
In the beginning of the civil war the Confederates strategy seemed to work. Their strategy of holding their ground and protecting their territory was much easier than the Unions who had to push forward through the Confederates defenses. Eventually though the Confederacy tried to expand (Battle of Antietam) and they were unsuccessful. The North's endless waves of soldiers was eventually able to break the Confederates lines. The reasons that the Union is able to produce so many troops because of their population, ability to produce weapons, and ability to transport materials and food. Read more on the topic in my post titled "Infographic"
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hLOw-7rS7QhMOWO22LcxioAL9kcYsvjBSvEnrYnDjRM/edit
Monday, March 10, 2014
Infogram
Friday, February 28, 2014
EdCafe Review
When I presented I thought it went swell. We had a very big group so the conversation never really stopped. What did go well for us was the response we got from the attendees, they were very responsive to the questions and actually seemed interested in our topic. Another thing that went well was the spread of information being shared for each figure (Northrup, Prince, Harriet). In order to improve my discussion I would set out a specific time for each question so we are able to finish our questions.
To be honest, I could of been a better attendee. I did not contribute as much as I could have. However I did however contribute a lot in my 1st group. I made several good points that helped move the group forward. In the group "The Title of Slave" I pointed out how the slaves were more like objects than humans. This sparked a big discussion on how they were sold as if they were at a yard sale. My experience wit the Ed Cafe was bad but, that was because I was sick. All in all I had a great experience with the Ed Cafe and definitely want to do it again..... Healthy
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Lincoln Douglas Debate
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Antebellum North. For or Against Slavery?
How much did the North really care about the Africans? Were they really against the idea having another human being considered a lower class, being a slave. The question whether Americans in Antebellum North really against slavery on both moral and economic grounds is not a hard one to answer, the answer is no. The three documents we looked at as a class proved that the North was pro slavery.
The first article we looked a was "Broadside". In this document there is a meeting held in Boston by citizens and the mayor.During the meeting they discuss the fact that they need slaves. They agreed that the inhumane treatment of slaves like lynching or the Southern mob attacks were too far and unacceptable, but they still wanted slaves for labor and chores. They made up the excuse that they didn't want to violate people's constitution rights. They said "The south may be solemnly assured, that the body of our people will not countenance any infraction of their rights." They basically used the constitution as a scapegoat. Since the slaves were considered property it would be against constitutional rights for the government to take away slaves from the people. The real reason they didn't abolish slavery was because they needed slaves. The economy of America at the time relied on slaves to work the plantations and machines.
Another document we talked about in class that showed why the North was for slavery instead of against it was the "Cotton Production in Lowell". What happened was the North needed more cotton for them to continue to expand there cotton business. Therefore they needed more people to pick the cotton, and it wasn't going to be a free man picking it. The plantation owners were to cheap to pay a free man so they used slaves as their work force. This required the importation of more slaves, much more. In about 30 years the slave population in America increased by 1.6 million. This was caused by the North's need for more cotton so they could expand there mill businesses. This is just another example of how the north supported slavery.
The next document about Lowell Cloth is another example of how the North was pro slavery. Again the reason is economy. You see the Souths, or the slaves job was to pick the cotton and ship it up North to be manufactured. The picking of the cotton was one way the North relied on the South. Then after the North made cloth from the cotton they sold it back to the plantations. The slave owners bought back a great amount of cloth to clothe their slaves. If slavery were to be abolished, the north would lose that big client and they couldn't afford that. This document also shows how deeply rooted slavery was in the economy of America.
The fact of the matter is this, the North knew that slavery was immoral and they were against the moral grounds of it but, slavery was so embedded in the economy of America that they had no choice but to support it. All in all the North wasn't against the economic grounds, but were against the moral grounds.








