US.6 Describe the changes in American life that resulted from the inventions and innovations of business leaders and entrepreneurs of the period: (C, E) Henry Bessemer, George Pullman, Alexander Graham Bell, Andrew Carnegie, Thomas Edison, J.P. Morgan, John D. Rockefeller, Swift and Armour, Cornelius Vanderbilt
5. (US.6) Industrial Leaders
a. Henry Bessemer
b. George Pullman
c. Alexander Graham Bell
d. Andrew Carnegie
e. Thomas Edison
f. J.P. Morgan
g. John D. Rockefeller
h. Swift & Armour
i. Cornelius Vanderbilt
One reason that the industrial revolution was able to occur in America was because of the natural resources that were plentiful in the United States. There were abundant deposits of iron in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, Alabama, Tennessee, Pennsylvania and along the Appalachian Mountains.
Iron is a dense metal, but it is soft and tends to break and rust. It also usually contains other elements, such as carbon. Removing the carbon from iron produces a lighter, more flexible, and rust resistant metal known as steel. The raw materials that were needed to make steel were readily available, all that was needed was a cheap and efficient manufacturing process.
The Bessemer process, which was developed by Henry Bessemer and around 1850 it soon became widely used. This technique involved injecting air into molten iron to remove the carbon and other impurities. By 1880, American manufacturers were using this new method to produce more than 90% of the nations steel.
Like most technology, the Bessemer process didn’t last very long before something better came along. In the 1860's a new process known as the open hearth process enabled manufacturers to produce quality steel from scrap metal as well as from raw iron.
Edison is referred to by historians as “America’s Greatest Inventor.” He invented many things including the light bulb (electric light), the phonograph (sound recording and playback), and film (used to produce movies). He was also one of the people most responsible for the spread of electricity to homes and businesses across the nation.
The meat packing industry handles the slaughtering, processing, packaging, and distribution of animals such as cattle, pigs and other livestock. Poultry (chicken) is not included. In the U.S. and some other countries, the facility where the meat packing is done is called a Slaughterhouse, packinghouse or a meat packing plant. The meat packing industry grew in the late 1800s with the construction of the railroads and methods of refrigeration for meat preservation. Railroads made the transportation of meat possible all across the country.
“The Meat Kings of Chicago”, Philip Armour and Gustavus Swift arrived in Chicago in the same year, 1875, and their careers as meat barons were closely linked. Swift and Armour both headed large American corporations that revolutionized the meatpacking industry by using refrigerated railroad cars, strict cost controls the plants, and "vertical integration."
In the early 1900’s, Swift and Armour merged their companies. This new larger company began acquiring other smaller meat packing companies in an effort to become the largest meat packing company in the United States. Swift and Armour eventually wanted to control the entire meat packing industry, resulting in a monopoly.
Once Swift and Armour controlled the majority of the meat packing industry, they began to raise their prices. Since there was not much competition in the industry, they could charge as much as they wanted and everyone just had to pay it and this upset consumers.
In 1905, the US government filed an antitrust lawsuit against Swift and Armour. The Supreme Court ruled that the federal government has the right to regulate monopolies if it has a direct effect on commerce. The Court's decision halted price gouging by Swift and Armour, and it marked the success of President Theodore Roosevelt’s “Trust Busting” program.
Cornelius Vanderbilt was a leader in the field of transportation and one of America’s first great businessmen. He first owned steamboats and later owned a railroad empire. His nickname was the “Commodore.” Vanderbilt University in Nashville is named after him.