Progressivism

Telegraph

Telephone

typewriter

oil and coal powerd machines

ice cooled railway cars

All of these steps forward demanded labor - much of this labor was immigrants

5.5 million people immigrated to the US in the 1880's; 4 million in the 1890's

Chinese immigrants made up 1/10 of the population in California

Many immigrant newcomers became the targets for attack (Nativism)

There were some rags to riches stories

a great majority of millionaires came from wealthy families

Rockefeller, Carnegie, JP Morgan, James Mellon

Mellon's father told him to buy a replacement in the Civil War, "There are plenty of lives less valuable [than yours]"

A great American achievement

US government helped make it happen

Central Pacific started in Sacramento and Union Pacific started in Omaha

For each mile, each company got 6400 acres of land and $48,000 in government bonds

Companies sold shares of their stock to Congress to avoid investigation

Hundreds died from exposure, landslides, diseases

Immigrant workers were often paid between $1 and $2 per day

90% of workers on the Central Pacific were Chinese

In 1864, Chinese workers were paid $26 for one months labor - 6 days per week

worked in a cotton mill as a boy - earning $1.20 per week

rags to riches story - rose the ladder of many businesses

became a ste