U.S. History. America After the Civil War: 1865-1900 The West The West: frontier Farmers, ranchers, & miners closed the last of the frontier at the expense.

U.S. History

America After the Civil War: 1865-1900

The WestThe West:Farmers,

ranchers, & miners

closed the last of the frontierfrontier at

the expense of Indians

Mining was the 1st attraction to

the West; Miners created

“instant towns” in

areas where gold or silver

was discovered

Ranchers used the “open range” to move cattle &

sheep

The Farming Bonanza• In 1862, the U.S. government began the

Homestead ActHomestead Act which encouraged farmers to settle in the West by offering 160 acres of land to families who promised to live there for 5 years

2/3 of all homesteaders failed to farm their land

A pioneer sod house

Change in Immigration: • In the decades after the Civil War, more and more Europeans

immigrated to America. • They differed from earlier immigrant groups who mostly came from

northern and western Europe, were typically Protestant, spoke English, and arrived with the government’s welcome.

• In contrast, many of the new immigrants came from eastern and southern Europe, often were Jewish or Catholic, and usually spoke no English.

• The U.S. government welcomed the wealthy among these new immigrants but forced poorer people to pass health and welfare tests at government reception centers such as the Ellis Island Immigrant Station located in New York Harbor.

1st transcontinentaltranscontinental railroad connected the west coast to eastern cities in 1869

Chinese workers made up a large percentage of laborers

on the western leg

Irish workers made up a large percentage of laborers on the eastern section

America After the Civil War: 1865-1900

The NorthThe North:Experienced an “Industrial Revolution,”

mass immigration, & urbanization

America became the world’s leader in railroads, steel, & oil production

“Big Business”• The Gilded Age saw rise of monopoliesmonopolies (also

called truststrusts)—companies that controlled the majority of one industry:– Rockefeller’s Standard Oil

dominated oil production in the USA

– Carnegie’s U.S. Steel was the world’s largest steel company

The “Bosses” of the Senate

The “Bosses” of the Senate

Change in Immigration: • Whether Asian or European, these new immigrants

tended to settle in areas populated by people from the same countries who spoke the same languages and worshipped in the same ways.

• Because poverty and political instability were common in their home countries, the new immigrants were likely to be poor. They could not afford to buy farmland, so they worked as unskilled laborers and lived mostly in cities.

• There they created communities to imitate the cultures of their home countries, including foreign-language newspapers, ethnic stores and restaurants, and houses of worship. The new immigrants did not blend into American society the way earlier immigrants had.

American Federation of Labor & Samuel Gompers:

• Unskilled laborers were subject to low wages, long workdays, no vacations, and unsafe workplaces.

• Because individual workers had little power to change the way an employer ran a business, workers banded together in labor unions to demand better pay and working conditions.

• Then the labor unions banded together for even more power to change the ways employers ran their businesses.

• The American Federation of Labor, or AFL, was led by Samuel Gompers.

• He was president of the AFL from 1886 to 1894 and from 1895 to his death in 1924.

• His goal was to use strikes (work stoppages) to convince employers to give workers shorter work days, better working conditions, higher wages, and greater control over how they carried out their workplace responsibilities.

“New Immigration” & Urbanization• Northern cities grew larger (urbanizationurbanization) as

more factories, companies, & stores were created– “New immigrantsNew immigrants” from southern & eastern

Europe came to NY through Ellis Island to get jobs– Steel skyscrapers, subways, & trolley cars

transformed cities – Many upper class families moved into suburbs

“New Immigration” & Urbanization• Northern cities grew larger (urbanizationurbanization) as

more factories, companies, & stores were created– “New immigrantsNew immigrants” from southern & eastern

Europe came to NY through Ellis Island to get jobs– Steel skyscrapers, subways, & trolley cars

transformed cities – Many upper class families moved into suburbs

Before the Gilded Age, almost all European immigrants to the USA

came from Western Europe

During the Gilded Age, more Eastern & Southern Europeans

immigrated to the USA“New immigrants” arrived at

Ellis IslandEllis Island in NY

New York City in 1907

Workers in the Gilded AgeGilded Age• Working conditions in factories were unsafe &

workers were paid very little but worked long hours

• Many urban workers lived in poorly built tenement apartmentstenement apartments

• Unions were formed to try to help workers; the most successful was Samuel Gompers’ American Federation of LaborAmerican Federation of Labor (AFL) but this union was exclusive only allowing skilled, white, male workers to join

Anti-Asian Restrictions• As competition for jobs became more

difficult, Americans began to discriminate against Asian immigrants, especially in the West–Chinese Exclusion Act Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882

banned all Chinese immigration to the USA (lasted for 60 years)–Gentlemen’s Agreement with Japan

in 1907 led to fewer Japanese immigrants to the USA