Topic: The
Transformation of America
Learning Objective:
You will be able to determine the causes and effects of the
“Second Industrial Revolution.”
Do Now:
Circle any People, Underline any Dates, Box the words “Steel,” “Revolution,”
or “Railroad.”
Be sure to fill in at least five columns in the Questions/ Main Ideas/ Key Words/ Thoughts
section.
From 1865 to 1910 the United States
experienced a surge of Industrial growth. These decades witnessed the
beginnings of a “second industrial revolution.” A “new industrial order” was
created with the development of cheap steel, the completion of a nationwide
rail network, and the invention of the many technological items.
A great reason for the surge in
industrial growth would be the ability to produce inexpensive steel. Steel that
was originally priced at somewhere near $100 a ton in 1873 had dropped
substantially (greatly) and was priced at around $12 a ton by 1890. With the
development of cheap steel those individuals funding the production of the
railroad had the “building blocks” they needed to start and eventually complete
construction. These “building blocks” consisted of the heavy machinery, rails,
and beams which were all made up of steel. With these tools now in hand the
task of completing this project came down to there was a better opportunity to
complete a large scale railroad, which spanned from coast to coast which.
Between the years of 1869 and 1900 the length of track that could be measured
went from 50,000 miles to 200,000 miles.
With the growth of railroads too
came the growth of technological advancement. Standards of safety were able to
be improved on locomotives (trains). One such innovation came from George
Westinghouse, in the form of a compressed air break which allowed trains to
stop more smooth and efficiently. This along with an alteration (change) to the
design of the actual rails, railroad travel had become substantially (greatly)
safer. With this a need for communication had been born and a telegraph system
which allowed trains to communicate with one another had been invented by
Graville T. Woods.
This growth in technology did not
stay just with the railroads, but there was a technological movement making its
way around the United States. Tough the telegraph had been around since it was
created by Samuel F. B. Morse in 1837; people saw little need for its use.
However, over time people began to see the telegraph’s practical use and by
1866, Western Union, the leading telegraph company had over 2,000 offices
nationwide. Just 10 years after that an inventor by the name of Alexander
Graham Bell presented his new invention, the “talking telegraph” or telephone
for short. Though controversial at first, in time this was seen as one of the
greatest invention in its time.
The United States was able to move
forward with the inventions of items such as the telegraph or telephone, as
well as the expansion of the railways in American. Through the advancement
technologically as well as the ability to navigate more easily from coast to
coast the United States had become structurally sound and unified through the
act of commerce (business).
Direct Instruction:
America’s remarkable transportation and communications
developments depended on abundant supplies of energy. In the late 1800s
businesspeople and inventors began to tap into two new sources of power, oil
and electricity.
I - Oil:
Oil’s early use:
Oil – Miracle cure to any illness.
- For some time in parts of western Pennsylvania people had known about the existence of oil. The use however was unknown to them.
- It was sold to make fast money as a miracle cure remedy that would get rid of a number of sicknesses.
- Benjamin Sillman had discovered that through refinement the oil that is found in the ground can be burned to produce light. Prospectors hurry to sink their own wells. By 1880 oil wells dotted Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia producing more than 25 million barrels of oil in 1880 alone.
Based on these two clips answer the following questions:
Film Questions:
1.
Why are all of the people gathering to hear the
“Oil Man” speak?
2.
What are some of the promises made by the “Oil
Man” to the people?
3.
What was one concern raised by the people?
4.
What are some dangers related with oil drilling?
Why?
II - Electricity:
Like oil people had known about electricity long before
putting it to practical use.
It wasn’t until a man by the name of Thomas Edison; an
inventor chose to harness its power.
Edison was an amateur inventor responsible for some of
the most important inventions today.
Light Bulb
Phonograph
Kinetoscope
Exit ticket/ summary
What is one need for these discoveries and how did they cause people to change?
