Welcome to the Big Leagues #4

Today in class we viewed our fellow classmates presentations.  This included a Google presentation,  videoliciuous,  and surveys. Throughout the week we viewed 5 other groups presentations.

One of the groups we learned about was Immigration from Europe to America. This topic taught me that Immigrants came to America through Ellis Island, the Golden Door and many other ports.  We learned how many of these immigrants had to go through test that were often degrading and humiliating. Once they got into America they foyer settled in ghettos to protect themselves from the Americans.  The Americans were cruel to the immigrants because they believed that the immigrants were of a lower class. They were also cruel because they felt the immigrants took their jobs.  They felt that a immigrant shouldn't get a job over a citizen born in America. Henry Ford and other journalist published papers against Jews, and soon after a law was passed restricting Jew's rights. This shows how his power influenced the lives of immigrants.

Another presentation I viewed was a groups report on Immigration from Asia to America. Thousands of immigrants from Japan and China entered the United States. Even though they were able to enter the United States they still had to conquer many difficulties. Upon arrival in America, they were forced through immigration centers, with strict, and sometimes obscure tests to determine someone's fitness for citizenship. In order to control the immigrants the government passed a law disallowing immigrants from owning land, this created many problems for the immigrants in the state's.

The third group I am going to talk about presented a the topic European Imperialism. I learned that Europe saw their chance to go into Africa and try and benefit from their goods. King Leopold was one of the figures that had a major part in it. He saw how valuable rubber was and decided that he was going to try and make a profit off of it. Leopold terrorized the workers in Africa to amaze sure they didn't revolt.  Throughout these events European countries were abusing the African countries and they had all the power.

The fourth topic that was presented was Native Americans and the west. I learned that the American government bullied the Natives Americans and forced them to move. The Natives who had once lived on prosperous farm land had no choice but to move to what was usually a place with terrible living conditions. The US government did a terrible thing by making the Native Americans walk almost 400 miles to their new home. The Us government showed how not only the power they have, influenced others lives.

The final topic I learned about was American Imperialism. Since the economy in America was so good in the 1800s, they had a lot of power, but of course they needed more. America began to look for other countries to control so they could profit from them. This led o the Spanish American war, in which America won. This gave them control of Cuba and the Philippines . This presentation tied in all the factors of people places and power because the imperialism aspect relates to the people and power and Cuba and the Philippines relate to places. Imperialism is when a more powerful country abuses a smaller one for its resources. Cuba and the Philippines relates to the topic places because the US was going to control them for their unique resources.

Thanks to all the groups I was able to get a clear view of all of the topics which were entwined in each presentation so nicely.

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.

Welcome to the Big Leagues #2

To continue on with my research of Labor vs. Big Business in history we looked into primary sources relating to each of our topics. The primary source for Labor vs Big Business is http://ftp.learner.org/courses/amerhistory/interactives/sources/E5/e1/event.php. This website gave several different articles from old newspapers talking about the Homestead revolt and how both the strikers and the government responded to each other and the results of each conflict. Among these articles were poems and songs explaining the feelings and attitude.

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.

-Emma Goldman

Enduring Understanding 3

In order to fight the cruel men of the industry, or robber barons if you will workers went on strike in hopes of getting what they deserved. In the Homstead Strike's case it would be to save their jobs. This source showed how import the job was. 

• "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. "

-Pittsburgh Post

• 
  

-G.A. Davis, from a sketch by C. Upham.

Description:

This illustration graphically depicts the rage and frustration vented upon the defeated Pinkerton Detectives. The image focuses the viewers attention on the young boy in the front preparing to shoot the unarmed man. It shows how much the job meant to them and how much they needed it. To have Carnegie put them out on the streets like that made the workers furious.

Reflection:

To experience the "Homstead Troubles" from the point of the workers would be very emotional and nerve racking. Being in this position would be emotional for many reasons. One reason it would be emotional is because, without this job I would be left out on the streets. 3800 other people and I would be out looking for jobs. Being in this position would also be very pressing matter. It would be a pressing matter because not only do you know your going to be fighting Pinkerton detectives, but also many of the workers, possibly me would have to have the money to put food on the tables for their/my family. To be in such a position would be nerve racking for many reasons. One reason it would be nerve racking would be because although there are many of us, we were going up against several trained detectives. All in all being in the position of the workers would be a very stressful, and emotional time.

Welcome to the Big Leagues

The year 1844 marked the start of the second industrial revolution. This period after the Civil War was a period and from invention,  a period of great industrial growth. It was going to take more than new technology to transform America though.  It took head strong businessmen  that weren't afraid to risk their money  in investments.  Companies that couldn't expand because of their tiny capitals were being left behind in the business world,  so to get more capital they combined with other small companies, thus the age of big business was born.


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.