Analyzing late 19th Century America

Analyzing late 19^th Century America

The Spanish-American War was a clash that arose between the United States and Spain in 1898. The primary issue was independence for Cuba from Spanish dominance, but an armed conflict between Spain and Cuba began following the sinking of U.S. Navy ship, USS Maine (ACR-1), in February 1898 (Field). The conflict ran for close to two weeks both in the Caribbean and Pacific. The war is essential as it led to Spain signing the Treaty of Paris, which led to the U.S. temporarily seizing control of Cuba as well as the Philippine Islands and Puerto Rico.

The Great Railroad Strike 0f 1877 kicked off on July 14 in West Virginia. Railroad workers were protesting the cut back of their wages by Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) company. Railroad workers from other cities, including Pennsylvania, Missouri, New York, Illinois, and Maryland, also joined the strike due to pressure on wages and economic challenges (Field). Federal troops and the National Guard put an end to the month and a half long strike.  Significantly, it led to B&O launching an Employee Relief Association offering health care benefits in 1880.

The Haymarket protest refers to the labor demonstrations that took place in Chicago’s Haymarket Square on May 4, 1886. It was a protest supporting an eight-hour working shift per day. A bombing that occurred during the rally turned the peaceful protest chaotic, resultantly leading in gunfire. Several police officers and civilians died (Field). Multiple others sustained injuries.  The protest is assumed to lead to the founding of International Workers’ Day that is globally recognized on May 1.

The Black Codes were policies and laws enacted to control the conduct of free blacks. The Southern States passed these laws in 1865 and 1866 following the American Civil War. The Northern states, however, had implemented such laws before the war in 1832 (McCarthy). New York, Connecticut, Illinois, and other Northern states that had abolished slavery before the Civil War, enacted laws restricting African Americans from living in these states. African Americans were also prohibited from voting, attending public schools as well as acquiring similar conduct as the white man under the law. The Black Codes were essential in suppressing and politically dominating the free blacks to work for low wages.

Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish born American immigrant hailed for escalating the American steel industry during the late 19^th century. Carnegie is among America’s richest men accumulating wealth from his investments in railroads, bridges, railroad sleeping cars as well as oil derricks. He founded Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Steel Company that was later acquired by J.P. Morgan in 1901 (Field). Carnegie died in August 1919. Carnegie is significantly recognized for promoting large-scale philanthropy, encouraging the rich in society to use their resources to better communities.

The Gilded Age saw America transforming into an urban country from a rural nation during the late 19^th century. Alexander Graham, through his telephone invention in 1876, quickened the economic and social lifestyle of citizens. Sixteen million telephones were operating in America half a century after its invention (Field). Mergers and corporations in the steel and iron industries were formed, changing the monopoly of dominating companies in these industries. The United States Steel Corporation and the standard Oil Company are among the initial and robust corporations of the Gilded Age. Amalgamation was a trending change in the industrial fields. Aggressive businessmen began to set apart individual industrial domains.  A 1904 survey indicates over 5000 previously independent concerns were merged down to about 300 industrial trusts.

Different factors led to the quick industrialization during the late 19^th century, including the wide railroad expansion, which led to rail companies receiving substantial capital and land, close to 200 million acres, from the government. Furthermore, George Westinghouse air brake invention made these trains dependable and safe. Also, as America turned into an industrial nation, a huge number of immigrants moved into the cities, including New York and Chicago searching for work, resultantly contributing in the rapid urbanization of America. By 1900 close to half of America’s population resided in major cities (Field). Another factor is the emergence of corporations from dominating companies merging. It contributed to industries controlling both production and markets, enhancing profits in these industries.