Ch. 4 People Flashcards
Henry Bessemer
Englishman that developed process for purifying iron= strong, lightweight steel> American industries adopted process-1890- outproduced Britain
Samuel Morse
1844- perfected telegraph> by 1900 more than 100,000 miles of telegraph wire linked the US
Alexander Graham Bell
1876- patented the telephone> by 1900 more than 1 million telephones in US
Thomas Edison
Established research lab at Menlo Park, NJ> more than 1,000 patents + invented the light bulb & developed central power plants
John D. Rockefeller
an oil tycoon, made deals with railroads to increase his profits> revolutionary business practices, maximum profits, far ahead of his time
Andrew Carnegie
Scottish immigrant who made his fortune in steel industry> advocated “The Gospel of Wealth,” encouraging philanthropy by wealthy businessmen
Uriah Smith Stephens
a tailor who had lived & worked around the country> founded Knights of Labor (1869)- labor union that included all workers of any trade, skilled or unskilled, largely included African Americans, Secret Society> social reform
Terrence Powderly
son of Irish immigrants> worked in a menial job on the railroad before becoming mayor of Scranton, PA
Took up leadership of Knights (1881)> less secrecy- over 700,000 members (1885), abandoned it later, continued to pursue broad ideological reforms
Samuel Gompers
poor English immigrant who had worked up to head of the local cigar-maker's union in NY Formed AFL (1886)- looses organization of 100 local unions devoted to specific crafts, less inclusive than Knights
Eugene Debbs
Leader of the ARU, condemned the railroad strike of 1877, organized nationwide strike (Pullman Strike)> halted railroad traffic & mail delivery-> later got him imprisoned for conspiring against interstate commerce- became a socialist
