Economic and Technological Advances in the 19th Century, Essay Example

A number of economic and technological advances in the 19^th century helped shape the Western parts of the United States. The most obvious example of this was the building of railroad lines that stretched across the Great Plains from East to West. The Pacific Railroad Acts were a series of acts passed by Congress that promoted the development of railroads through government bonds. The acts prided resources for the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads to build lines connecting the two sides of the country. This would eventually influence the establishment of time zones across the United States to help coordinate railroad schedules. The railroads made it possible for settlers from the East to expand westward and prompted a cattle boom in the 1860s as settlers began grazing the feral Texas Longhorn cattle. This expansion largely wiped out the buffalo that roamed the plains, which caused havoc for the Native Americans who relied on them for food and other resources.

A number of products became nationally known in the 19^th century. The Stetson hat was originally designed by John Stetson during a trip he made out west. The hats, which became associated with the cowboys and ranchers in the wild West, were later mass produced at facilities in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Swift’s Lard advertised their products with a picture of their massive factory facilities in Chicago. The meatpacking industry also grew in Chicago, which was in a good central location and took advantage of the new railroads that crossed the country. Charles Crocker, who eventually founded Central Pacific Railroad, worked in mining using hydraulic machinery and Chinese laborers.  He met James Strobridge, who became his superintendent of construction for Central Pacific. That company also used Chinse laborers, and they became known for their poor treatment of workers.

The United States went through a period of rapid industrialization in the 19^th century. There were several key factors that underpinned this economic growth. The expansion of the railroad lines across the country helped open up new markets, and available land and resources made expansion and exponential growth possible. Natural geographical features such as the Mississippi River and the many ports along the coast all supported shipping and trade. Growth of industrialization was so rapid that there was not enough labor to keep up, and immigrants moved here from Europe and Asia to fill jobs. The need for more products at faster rates promoted the development of technology like the Bessemer converter, which made mass production of steel much faster. Businesses like Swift’s utilized vertical integration, where they controlled all the steps of the manufacturing process, and horizontal integration, where they controlled the flow and distribution of raw materials and finished products.

The rapid growth of industry led to the development of monopolies and oligopolies. Companies like Rockefeller Standard Oil Trust dealt with competitors by buying them out or driving the out of the market, which led to monopoly charges and later to anti-trust legislation. The rapid growth of the economic and political power of industrial giants significantly changed the country’s economy, which used to be heavily agrarian. The Populist movement of the 19^th century pushed for changes in the nation’s currently and wanted railroads to be nationalized. The Populist movement pushed for the “Free Silver Movement,” and wanted to see more currency in circulation, believing it would stimulate the economy and benefit the agrarian sector. Black businessman in the South were often targeted for lynching and violence by white business owners. The policy of “Separate but Equal” was established in the late 19^th century, which upheld racial segregation laws.

The expansive growth of industry and business in the late 19^th century and early 20thncentury eventually gave rise to the Progressive movement. This movement was a response to urbanization, industrialization, and the problems they caused. The Progressive movement also addressed political issues and sought to disrupt the control of the corrupt political machinery in the big cities. Other issues related to the Progressive movement were social issues such as problems related to alcohol, the fight for women’s suffrage, and issues involving race, civil rights, and segregation. WEB DuBois was a notable figure in the time, and he fought against the Jim Crow laws and segregation in the South. The federal movement began prosecuting big businesses under anti-trust laws like the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. This act was used against the EC Knight Company in 1895 when they built a monopoly in the sugar industry, but the court ruled against the government and said businesses could be combined and could get around the Sherman Act.

President Theodore Roosevelt became known as a leader of the Progressive movement and even ran as a Progressive at one point. He also became known as a trust-buster and used the power of the federal government to go after monopolies. Roosevelt believed that the American people deserved a “square deal” and that business were taking advantage of workers and abusing their power. Roosevelt pushed for legislation like the Pure Food and Drug Act, which was the first significant consumer protection legislation. This legislation forced manufactures to properly label food and products and established purity and sanitary standards and other regulations. President Woodrow Wilson later became known for similar actions, and he established the Federal Trade Commission, an agency that was responsible for investigating unfair business practices.

The changes in the late 19^th century and early 20^th century led to entirely new classes of people. There were new railroads, new factories, and growing cities, and these new jobs and cities required people to run them. Along with the working class of people who filled labor positions in factories and other industrial jobs, a range of jobs required so-called white collar workers to fill managerial and clerical positions. These white collar workers earned less than the people who owned the businesses, but earned more than the factory laborers and other working class people. These white collar workers formed what could be seen as a new middle class, and they had resources to spend on leisure activities, consumer goods, homes, and other expenditures.

The role of women in society was also changing in the early 20th century. Women were actively campaigning for the right to vote, which they would finally get in 1920. The changes in the economy meant that there were not just more jobs for men, but there were also new jobs opening up that were specifically for women. One example of this could be seen in the department store Macy’s. Not only was Macy’s one of the first companies to have a female executive, they also provided jobs to many young women, which meant that women were more commonly in the public sphere of commerce for the first time. The changes in the economy that also changed society meant that women were having fewer children and were engaging more in activities that used to solely be for men. The Progressive movement also helped promote the development of childhood education and children of both genders were expected to attend school. The schools evolved from the traditional one-room schoolhouses of the agrarian age to schools that were divided by ages and grade levels.

While historian often discuss the “New Deal” of President Franklin Roosevelt, there were two overarching phases of government programs and reforms that can be described as a “First New Deal” and a “Second New Deal.” Both of these phases were responses to the economic issues of the 1930s and the impact of the Great Depression. Roosevelt and the Democrats were largely in favor of using the power of the federal government to address economic problems and establish such things as works programs to get people back to work and inject money into the economy.

The first New Deal was primarily aimed at dealing with the banking crises and problems in the nation’s financial sectors. Under Roosevelt the federal government passed the Emergency Baking Act and provided federal loans to some banks. The Securities Act of 1933 regulated securities at the federal level, largely in response to the unregulated securities market that helped lead to the earlier financial collapse. Roosevelt also established the National Recovery Administration to regulate industry, but in 1935 the U.S. Supreme Court declared that the legislation underpinning the NRA was unconstitutional and the agency was disbanded. Meanwhile, Roosevelt’s critics, such as Huey Long and Francis Townshend, believed that his policies were too conservative, and that the government should do more to aid the economy.

The Democrats gained greater control of the federal government in the elections of 1934, and the following year Roosevelt felt less constrained and decided to push for more liberal policies based on federal spending. The economy had improved slightly compared to the worst depths of the depression, but it was nowhere near compete recovery. In the Second New Deal Roosevelt established a series of programs and reforms that were aimed at stimulating the economy, putting people back to work, and promoting worker’s rights. These initiatives included the establishment of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the passage of the Wagner Labor Relations Act, and the establishment of the Rural Electrification Administration (REA).