The Past Remains in the Present #4

After my group presented out project to the class about Labor v. Big Business, five other groups went up and presented. Each group talked about the significance of People, Places, and Power. The other topics were, Immigration Europe, Imperialism in Europe and Africa, Native Americans, Asian Immigration, and American Imperialism. Each group used a background presentation, a video essay, and then ended with a Survey Monkey. The back ground presentation gave us an over view of the key terms and the topic itself. The video essay discussed three enduring understandings that gave us further insight into the theme, People, Places, and Power. Finally the Survey Monkey quizzed us on what we had just learned with some objective questions and some interpretation questions. Overall I learned a lot about the other topics from these presentations.

The first group that presented was Immigration Europe; people often tried to escape overbearing power to a place where they have more power. As a result, many Jews in Europe moved to America in order to do just that. When a lot of people come to one place at once there was to be a system in place to process them. This location was Ellis Island, everyone who wanted to enter the country from the east coast had to go through this place. With so many people coming from different places, they brought diseases and other conditions from their homeland, especially if they came from a poor place. Many of these people that came were discriminated against, mostly the Western European Jews. Many Jews came in order to escape religious persecution from wherever they were from.

The next group that presented was Imperialism in Europe and Africa. Imperialism mean that one country has domination of political, economical, and cultural life in another place or country. Western European countries expanded into Africa, anyone could claim land for their country in Africa. Merchant or soldiers from a Western European country could go into Africa and claim land. King Leopold had lots of power over the Congo people. He was a harsh and ruthless leader, he would cut people's hands off if they didn't produce enough rubber or ivory fast enough. King Leopold II of Belgium sent Henry Stanley to go to Congo to exploit the people there and make them work for nothing. As a result, the Congo people lost their culture to King Leopold.

The third group that presented was Native Americans. They talked about Kit Carson, he was a western pioneer and fur trapper, he was in charge of leading the attacks against the Navajos. The Navajos were a tribe that had to leave their homes and move to another place that was a 400 mile walk. The Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs was suppose to bring the tribe supplies at the new reservation but they never did. This 400 mile walk was called "The Great Walk". The Indian Reservation Act was a law passed that put Native American tribes in the reservation lands. As a result there was a lot of violence and fighting. America assimilated the Natives by making them live like Westerners. The Navajos were the biggest tribe set in the south west, and they all had to move away from their home. Many died on the walk to the new reservation.

The fourth group to go up was Asian Immigration. This group talked about Angel Island which was located on the west coast, similar to Ellis Island. Everyone who was immigrated to the West Coast had to pass through Angel Island first. America passed the "Exclusion Act" which prohibited Chinese laborers from entering the country unless they had already established their residency. Many Chinese used fake IDs to show that they are already residence in the country. Also there were many Chinese picture bride, they were women who married American men so that way they had established relations in America. There was a lot of discrimination and racism against immigrants. Sometimes they couldn't own or buy land or become real citizens.  Many whites didn't hire them because they were racist, and if they were hired they would have to work for low wages and were treated unfairly.

The fifth and last group to present was American Imperialism. The Monroe Doctrine, the Spanish American War, and the Treaty of Paris, allowed America to take Spanish land and expand their power. America had a feeling of nationalism, meaning that people were devoted to their country. As a result a Senator decided that they should try to push out Native American tribes and continue to expand their power. Also Western European countries expanded into Africa, so America must have felt some pressure to compete. They were working to become a major world power, so in order to be seen as one they would have to follow the path of the other European countries.

Overall I learned a lot about the theme People, Places, and Power from the other five presentation and from my own research on the topic Labor v. Big Business. We were able to see the different perspectives from people on the same topic. For example in Labor v. Big Business we learned about both the people who owned these big businesses and the people who worked for them. This gave me a better understanding of how things were back them, and how people were treated. I think every group did a good job on getting the main idea of their topic across and relating them to the theme People, Places, and Power.

The Past Remains in the Present #3

Our groups topic was Labor v. Big Business, and we had a group of four people. They really helped me understand the power aspect of the theme. The people and the places were pretty straightforward and I understood those well, but I didn't quite understand the power part. My group members helped me understand the significance and emphasis on Rockefeller, Carnegie, and Morgan. They explained what Vertical and Horizontal Consolidation were and their role in big business. I also had a better understanding of the difference between inventors and investors. Both are very important, but I learned through my group that the investors were the ones that created these huge businesses. Also my group helped expand my knowledge on the difference and similarities between Trusts and Cartels. We all worked together to come to a common understanding of each word and their significance. Overall working in a group was not only enlightening but also quite entertaining. It is a lot more fun to be able collaborate and share ideas with your peers rather than just keeping it to yourself in your own mind.

The video essay was something I've never really experienced before. It was interesting to do any I think my group did a good job on it. The whole thing was quite a learning process, we learned that we could only have a maximum of 10 pictures, and a maximum of a 60 second presentation. This created a few problems for our group that we had to work together to solve. The reason it was a problem was because our group had already started to find a ton of pictures and we had already wrote the script. As a result we had to cut down the pictures and shorten the scripts which was a little difficult. Also we learned that our pictures had to be wide screen, so then we had to go and edit all our pictures so they would fit properly in the application. Overall I thought that the idea was great, if we knew about the limitation before hand we could have planned accordingly. But overall I thought that it was a good experience and that it taught us as a group that we have to be able to be flexible and make changes. Next time I personally would like to make sure I get a role in the presentation part of the project. This time I spent a lot of time getting pictures, cropping them, and making the Survey Monkey. As a result I didn't get to really work on the background presentation, or on the script for the video essay. Overall it was nice working in a group and the video essay was a great idea.

The Past Remains in the Present #2

Introduction:

In class we did an interactive activity online, the objective of the activity was to read and analyze 10 documents and sort them into three categories. Based off the documents you have to decide what those three categories are and which document falls under which. All 10 documents were based on the Homestead strike, where workers at Carnegie Steel Company protested against their low wages and unhealthy working conditions. The three categories were the three perspectives of the strike, the workers perspective, the companies perspective, and the newspapers perspective. This activity gave an overall understanding of the experience of working for a big business.   


Key Terms:
Patents- license that gives an inventor the exclusive right to make, use, or sell an invention.

Productivity- the amount of goods and services created in a given period if time

Steel- is lighter stronger and more flexible than iron

Thomas Edison- made the energy source of electric power widely available

George Westinghouse- improved upon Edison's invention to invent alternating current

Samuel Morse- created the telegraph

Alexander Graham Bell: invented the talking telegraph in 1876

Railroads: transcontinental railroad connected Nebraska to Sacramento. Two railroads companies contracted to build it, the Union Railroad and the Central Pacific Railroad.

Bessemer process- made it easier and cheaper to remove the impurities in steel and made it possible to mass produce steel

Henry Bessemer- he created and patented the Bessemer process

Brooklyn Bridge- the longest in the world at the time. It was designed by a German immigrant, John A Roebling and was made out of steel

Robber barons- used to describe the powerful industrialists who established large businesses in the late 1800's.

John D Rockefeller: Formed the standard oil company in 1870. He used certain tactics and deals to drive his competitors out of business and then he bought their refineries. He spread his wealth by moving into copper, iron, coal, shipping, and banking industries.

Andrew Carnegie: embraced the concept "money could make money". 

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.

J.P Morgan- controlled 4 completed or almost completed railway systems. He had started before the war, was the son of a banker who began selling stocks for the railroads.

James Duke-  used a new cigarette rolling machine that could roll up to 100,000 cigarettes a day, in 1890 he combined the four biggest cigarette producers to form the American Tobacco Company.

Gustavus Swift- a Chicago butcher put together the ice cooled rail way car with the ice cooled warehouse to make the first meat packaging company.

Edwin L Drake- worked for Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company, he was sent to drill for oil, a new concept that would make obtaining oil much cheaper

Piecework:-workers received a fixed amount for each finished piece they produced. Forced workers to work fast and efficiently

Sweatshop- a place where most piecework occurred, workers worked long hours for low wages.

Division of Labor- factory workers performed one small task over and over to improve efficiency

Frederick Winslow Taylor- set out to improve worker efficiency in steel plants and therefore increase profits

Socialism- an idea that some were drawn too in this time, system that favors public instead of private control of the means of production.

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 price 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.

Pinkerton Detectives: The Carnegie Steel Mills in Homestead hired these men in order to protect and take back their mills against the strikers. They hired these men because the town Sheriffs tried to bring order to the strikers but were unsuccessful. As a result they decided to not get involved because if anything wrong happened they would be blamed. But even the Pinkerton men were unsuccessful in taking back the mills; it got to the point that the Governor of Pennsylvania had to call the whole state Nation Guard to bring order to Homestead.

Enduring Understandings:  

1. Lots of the new inventions had a lot to do with communication, transportation, and production. It was becoming easier to communicate with far away places, making America a little smaller and more easily accessible. This allowed businesses to expand and be able to operate in more than one location, as well as giving them the ability to sell their product to more than one market.

• Samuel Morse patented the telegraph and perfected it, send first message in 1844. Many telegraph companies joined together and created the Western Union Telegraph Company, in 1870 they had 100,000 miles of wire and sent 9 million messages, by 1900 they owed over 900,000 miles of wire and were sending 63 million message per year. (American History: Pathways to the Present Chapter 13)
• The federal government financed and invested in the transcontinental railroad that went from the east coast to the west coast they contracted two private companies, the central pacific railroad company and the union pacific railroad company. (American History: Pathways to the Present Chapter 13)
• Henry Bessemer patented the Bessemer process that made it easier and cheaper to remove the impurities in steel. Before the nation depended on iron for railroads and buildings but now that it was easier to use steel the tides will turn. (American History: Pathways to the Present Chapter 13) 

2. Many families had no other choice but to work long hours in the factories and have their children work as well, therefore the kids wouldn't get a good education and get a better life or job. This made the poor, poorer, and the rich, richer. It was a cycle of people who couldn't afford to get a good education and improve their life style or their children's lifestyle. These big corporations paid their employees low wages and made them work so many hours that they didn't even have a chance to work their way, or educate their way out of this terrible cycle. 

• In 1890 the richest 9% of Americans held nearly 75% of the nations wealth. Many people suffered. (American History: Pathways to the Present Chapter 13)
• Children who worked in the factories often became stunted in both body and mind. Factory workers were ruled by the clock, discipline in the factories was strict. Often fined and fired workers for being late or talking. (American History: Pathways to the Present Chapter 13)
• In the 1880's children made up more than 5% of the industrial labor force! nearly one in 5 children between the ages of 10 and 16 were employed. This meant they had to leave school and never got a good education. (American History: Pathways to the Present Chapter 13)
• The working conditions and wages were so bad at these big companies, that the workers created unions. A Union is an organization of workers in certain trades, they helped members in bad times. They called for shorter workdays, higher wages and better working conditions. The reasons they formed Unions is because it because it gave the workers more power and say.

3. In ordered to start a company and compete with the other big businesses it was necessary to either have a lot of money to begin with, or to have a new invention that starts its own industry.

• Carnegie Steel: Andrew Carnegie invested his 50,000 salary into a steel company.
• 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.
• Samuel Morse the inventor of the telegraph founded Western Union
• Alexander Graham Bell inventor of the telephone founded AT&T
• Thomas Edison inventor of the light bulb founded General Electric

Reflection:

The people at the bottom of the power structure were the workers, they were paid low wages and were forced to work in terrible condition. They were all poor and uneducated, they didn't have time to go to school because they had to work all day in order to make enough money to eat. As a result, the workers came together to form a labor union so they could empower themselves with numbers. They believed that if they all united together they could force the company into paying them more and given them better working conditions. This worked a little, things were getting better slowly and the company and the union negotiated contracts. But finally the company had enough with dealing with the union and decided going back to the old ways. The Carnegie Steel Company fired all their workers in Homestead, and told them to reapply individually. The workers were all out of jobs, had no education, and barely had any money. They had no where else to go and nothing else to do, so they decided to protest, strike, and riot. The union and the Carnegie Steel Company tried to negotiate a deal, but the CEO of the company was very stubborn. From the worker perspective they had no power of the rich big businesses, except in numbers. The workers took over Homestead and rioted, the Governor had to send in the national guard to control the riots. Overall the workers in those days were stuck in an endless cycle, they had to work long hours for low wages in terrible conditions, and they couldn't get education because they had to work in order to make enough money to buy food.  

The Past Remains in the Present #1

The assignment of this project is to learn about a certain group of people in post Civil War America. The three major themes that we will be focusing on are People, Places, and Power. Meaning who were the people involved, where did these events take place, and who had power over what. My topic is Labor v. Big Business, this is a topic that I find very interesting; especially because these companies are still relevant in today's society. These corporations are still big businesses, and its very interesting to learn how and where they came from. 

Key Terms:
Patents- license that gives an inventor the exclusive right to make, use, or sell an invention.

Productivity- the amount of goods and services created in a given period if time

Steel- is lighter stronger and more flexible than iron

Thomas Edison- made the energy source of electric power widely available

George Westinghouse- improved upon Edison's invention to invent alternating current

Samuel Morse- created the telegraph

Alexander Graham Bell: invented the talking telegraph in 1876

Railroads: transcontinental railroad connected Nebraska to Sacramento. Two railroads companies contracted to build it, the Union Railroad and the Central Pacific Railroad.

Bessemer process- made it easier and cheaper to remove the impurities in steel and made it possible to mass produce steel

Henry Bessemer- he created and patented the Bessemer process

Brooklyn Bridge- the longest in the world at the time. It was designed by a German immigrant, John A Roebling and was made out of steel

Robber barons- used to describe the powerful industrialists who established large businesses in the late 1800's.

John D Rockefeller: Formed the standard oil company in 1870. He used certain tactics and deals to drive his competitors out of business and then he bought their refineries. He spread his wealth by moving into copper, iron, coal, shipping, and banking industries.

Andrew Carnegie: embraced the concept "money could make money".

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.

J.P Morgan- controlled 4 completed or almost completed railway systems. He had started before the war, was the son of a banker who began selling stocks for the railroads.

James Duke-  used a new cigarette rolling machine that could roll up to 100,000 cigarettes a day, in 1890 he combined the four biggest cigarette producers to form the American Tobacco Company.

Gustavus Swift- a Chicago butcher put together the ice cooled rail way car with the ice cooled warehouse to make the first meat packaging company.

Edwin L Drake- worked for Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company, he was sent to drill for oil, a new concept that would make obtaining oil much cheaper

Piecework:-workers received a fixed amount for each finished piece they produced. Forced workers to work fast and efficiently

Sweatshop- a place where most piecework occurred, workers worked long hours for low wages.

Division of Labor- factory workers performed one small task over and over to improve efficiency

Frederick Winslow Taylor- set out to improve worker efficiency in steel plants and therefore increase profits

Socialism- an idea that some were drawn too in this time, system that favors public instead of private control of the means of production.

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 price 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 Understandings:  

1. Lots of the new inventions had a lot to do with communication, transportation, and production. It was becoming easier to communicate with far away places, making America a little smaller and more easily accessible. This allowed businesses to expand and be able to operate in more than one location, as well as giving them the ability to sell their product to more than one market.

• Samuel Morse patented the telegraph and perfected it, send first message in 1844. Many telegraph companies joined together and created the Western Union Telegraph Company, in 1870 they had 100,000 miles of wire and sent 9 million messages, by 1900 they owed over 900,000 miles of wire and were sending 63 million message per year. (American History: Pathways to the Present Chapter 13)
• The federal government financed and invested in the transcontinental railroad that went from the east coast to the west coast they contracted two private companies, the central pacific railroad company and the union pacific railroad company. (American History: Pathways to the Present Chapter 13
• Henry Bessemer patented the Bessemer process that made it easier and cheaper to remove the impurities in steel. Before the nation depended on iron for railroads and buildings but now that it was easier to use steel the tides will turn. (American History: Pathways to the Present Chapter 13) 

2. Many families had no other choice but to work long hours in the factories and have their children work as well, therefore the kids wouldn't get a good education and get a better life or job. This made the poor, poorer, and the rich, richer. It was a cycle of people who couldn't afford to get a good education and improve their life style or their children's lifestyle. These big corporations paid their employees low wages and made them work so many hours that they didn't even have a chance to work their way, or educate their way out of this terrible cycle. 

• In 1890 the richest 9% of Americans held nearly 75% of the nations wealth. Many people suffered. (American History: Pathways to the Present Chapter 13)
•  Children who worked in the factories often became stunted in both body and mind. Factory workers were ruled by the clock, discipline in the factories was strict. Often fined and fired workers for being late or talking. (American History: Pathways to the Present Chapter 13)
• In the 1880's children made up more than 5% of the industrial labor force! nearly one in 5 children between the ages of 10 and 16 were employed. This meant they had to leave school and never got a good education. (American History: Pathways to the Present Chapter 13) 
  
  
  Reflection:
  The major theme of this project is of course People, Places, and Power. My topic is Labor v. Big Business, so far my understanding of the topic is that in the late 1800's there was an surge in the number of new inventions. These inventions led to the founding of these mega- cooperation that are still around today. Companies like AT&T, Western Union, General Electric, Westinghouse, and many more were started during this time period. These companies were founded by the inventors who created the technology. For example, Alexander Grand Bell the inventor of the telephone started AT&T. Samuel Morse the inventor of the telegraph founded Western Union. These companies developed a monopoly in their given industry. The reason for this is because the inventors were the ones who started the actually industry. Their was no such thing as the telecommunication industry until Samuel Morse and Alexander Grand Bell invented the telegraph and telephone. Having a monopoly over an entire industry not only makes individuals very rich, but it also gives them a lot of power. It gives them power over other people and the money they make allow them to expand to different they company to other places. Overall my topic is about big businesses (including their founders) and their interaction with the common people all over America.