Essay On The Second Industrial Revolution

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Between 1870 and 1914, America endured a phase of rapid industrialization. This time period became known as ¨The Second Industrial Revolution.” During this revolution railroads expanded due to the more industrialized production of steel, and many new inventions were introduced to the world. Electricity replaced the use of coal as an energy source, and technology became much more advanced. Some examples of these technological systems were telegraph lines, water supply, and sewage systems. However, the Second Industrial Revolution had an effect on workers, farmers, women, and minority groups. Social Darwinism was a very prominent idea in this age. It was the theory of ¨natural selection¨ and the belief that only the strong will survive. Andrew Carnegie was an industrialized, hardworking, Scottish man who made a fortune in the steel industry. Many of Carnegie's ideas were based off of Social Darwinism. With a majority of his wealth, he built facilities around the United States to give back to others. His aggressiveness towards the steel, oil, and railroad industries during this Revolution shaped today's economy. Another influential character in this time period was John D. Rockefeller. He founded the Standard Oil Company in 1870, and revolutionized the petroleum industry. Each of…show more content…
In the late 1800s, Texas farmers came together to form the National Farmers Alliance and Industrial Union. Their goal was to create a cooperative economic program, restore democracy, and to challenge the disproportionate power of the governing class. The Alliance was highly influential and was a major power in several states. Other farmers in the midwest were fighting the expanding railroads. It was far too expensive for them to ship their goods through the railroad system, which put farmers in a cycle of debt. Farmers across America united to fight the railroad as well as the

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