Economic Change

1
Economic Change the Crisis of the 1890s

• Chapter 19

2
Economic Growth in US (1890s)

• Alexis de Tocqueville visits U.S. (1831)
• - What did Tocqueville notice?
• Importance of Railroad
• - most important agent of economic growth
• - transportation employment
• - increase from 72k in 1893 to 220k miles of
  track by 1900
• Conflicting state laws / creation of ICC (1880)
• - time zones (1883)

3
1876!

• The Philadelphia Centennial Exposition of 1876
• US celebrates 100th anniversary
• Over 30,000 exhibits on 300 acres of land
• Bells telephone Sholes Typewriter on display
• 10 million visit fair

4
Exposition of 1876

• Displays
• Generator, Elevators, linoleum floors
• First timers foods canned food, popcorn, bananas

5
Growth of U.S. Cities

• Rural to Urban movement doubled in 1880s 1890s
• - Chicago- 30k in 1850 / 500k in 1880 /
  1.7 million by 1900
• - streetcars urban noise (p 485)
• Department Store established (1876)
• - mail-order catalogs / advertisement
• Natural History Museums

6
Rise of African American Middle-Class

• Racial tensions forced African Americans to cater
  to their own race (plessy)
• - rise in middle class infrastructure banks,
  barbers, magazines etc

7
Women at Work

• Traditional roles of women in workforce
• Women at work
• A. department store employees
• B. need for education (corporate America)
• - telephone operators / office jobs
• C. rise of female high school graduates
• - 9k to 57k from 1870 to 1900
• D. economic freedom

8
Chicagos World Fair 1893

• 30 million attend / 700 acres
• Futuristic model homes on display
• 1st Ferris Wheel (246 ft high)
• What did Francis J. Bellamy introduce at this
  Fair?

9
Gilded American Life

• Hard-working Americans
• Rise of Inequality
• - 300 millionaires in 1860 / over 4k in 1892
• - monopolies robber barons
• - What did these robber baron do to
  competitors?
• Robber barons created wealth, just poorly
  distributed

10
Industrial Power of U.S.

• By 1913, Industrial strength surpassed next 3
  nations combined
• A. Labor accidents at all time high
• 1. Bureau of Labor (1884) / Labor Day
• B. Knights of Labor (1880s)
• 1. increase in strikes
• 2. membership ceased by 1900
• 3. new labor organizations (AFL)
• - million members by 1900

11
Election of 1896

• Depression (mid-1890s)
• - voter registration increased 15
• Democrats nominate William Jennings Bryan /
  whistle-stop campaign (p 501)
• Republicans nominate William McKinley
• - front-porch campaign / wild man
• Americans believed fate of the nation was at risk

12
Election of 1896
13
Conclusion

• Election of McKinley spurs Republican dominance
  of presidency for next 20 yrs
• - economy out of depression
• Strikes protests hit home many Americans
  support a bigger govt reforms
• Century of change