27.00 Writing: Big Business
Industry
The railroad allowed raw materials to reach factories in the East and consumer goods to reach all parts of the United States in a timely manner. Railroads helped to create the cattle industry on the Plains immediately after the Civil War. Cattle brought low prices in Texas, but demand was higher on the East coast.
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Towns and cities that sprung up along the railroad further encroached upon what had been wild areas. And the railroad and other rail routes that followed made it easy for large numbers of hunters to travel westward and kill millions of buffalos. That slaughter impacted Native Americans, who had hunted buffalo in moderation, and weakened their resistance to a settlement of the west.
People
It increased racial conflicts. The completion of the transcontinental railroad led to heightened racial tensions in California, as white workers from the East Coast and Europe could more easily travel westward where immigrant laborers were prevalent. Â
Upon completion of the railroad, many Chinese workers returned to California in search of employment. The flood of goods and laborers who arrived in the West, combined with the boom and bust economy of the late-19th century, put pressure on the labor market. The presence of Chinese immigrants did not create the economic uncertainties of the 1870s, but they were often blamed nonetheless. Growing prejudice against and fear of the Chinese eventually manifested itself in Congress’ passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the first of several laws that blocked Chinese laborers from entering the United States until 1943. Â
The railroad changed the way people view of the west and distance in general. When you’re walking or riding a horse, you experience the world one way, but when you’re sitting in a railroad car, you see it differently. In the West, where the distances are so great, the railroad brought near and far closer together. This also lead to the adoption of the standard time zones in 1883.
Growth of Big Business
The American Industrial Revolution and the growth of big business were fueled by innovations in energy, transportation, communications, manufacturing, and business strategies, and had both positive and negative effects on the American way of life. As factories moved into cities, people followed them. Urbanization and industrialization directly affected each other’s growth. The rising city population fed the ever-expanding market. The strong market, in turn, stimulated greater production, which created more jobs. Railroads were America’s first big business and did much to advance industrialization. Between 1870 and 1890, the amount of railroad track laid in America grew almost 200%.When America’s first transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869, it allowed people and products to travel across the country faster and cheaper than ever before.
As technology continued to advance, skilled workers began to lose their jobs to machines. Unskilled labor, through the division of labor and assembly lines, also took away jobs. The balance of power between labor and business was tipped to the side of the latter. Workers were forced to form trade unions to represent them against the powerful industry bosses. America continues to be affected by the Industrial Revolution and the rise of big business. Many lessons have been learned and new laws continue to be passed in order to keep big business in check. The industry continues to develop new products to make our lives easier and more rewarding. The impact of this period in American history will continue to be felt for many years to come.
The Union
Unions are hated because they force business owners to do the right thing. Sometimes what is right keeps them from maximizing their profits. Business owners hate unions because it gets in the way of them. There are labor laws, however, they can be ignored when greed is involved. Most employers get away with it as opposed to employers who have employees with unions. Unions have a substantial impact on the compensation and work lives of both unionized and non-unionized workers. This report presents current data on unions’ effect on wages, fringe benefits, total compensation, pay inequality, and workplace protections. There are still a very small number of unions within the united states that do work for the benefit of the workers.
