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1.) Natural Resources

2.) Large Workforce

3.) New Inventions

4.) Free Enterprise

5.)Transcontinental Railroad

6.) Railroad Spur Growth

7.) Robber Barons 

8.) Rise of big Businesses

9.) Powerful Entrepreneurs

10.) Workers in Industrial America

11.) Strikes

12.) Knight of Labor

13.) American Federation of Labor

14.) The Entire Period was called the Gilded Age

Imagine a life without electricity, 

refrigeration, cars, TVs, and computers. Hard 

to picture, right? But not for people living in 

the U.S. less than 200 years ago. All of this 

changed with the Industrial Revolution, which 

changed parts of everyday life, from how we 

wash our clothes to how we work, how we 

communicate, and how we travel. 

NATURAL RESOURCES

A good supply of natural resources is needed for an 

industrial revolution.  

Without natural resources it would be impossible for a 

nation to enter into an industrial revolution.  

Natural resources are needed for a variety of things, 

such as energy sources and material used to make 

goods.  

Also natural resources are needed to build equipment to 

be able to produce goods.  

The Industrial Revolution had a big impact on the 

human population. 

The population doubled during this time. 

This is because of more food being made, better 

medicine, better sanitation, many immigrants, and 

more children being born. 

These things helped people to live longer. 

All these people would contribute to the workforce.

NEW INVENTIONS

*In 1876 Alexander Grahm Bell Invented 

telephone. This opened way for worldwide 

communication via telephone. Soon after, the bell 

telephone company was known as the American 

telephone and telegraph company.

*In 1880 Thomas Edison Invented light bulbs and 

system to produce and distribute electricity.

By 1889 several Edison companies merged to form 

the Edison General Electric Company.

FREE ENTERPRISE

free enterprise- A business that is free from 

government involvement

In the late 1800's plenty americans embraced 

"laissez faire"which means the government is 

"hands-off" with the economy.

During the time people known as entrepreneurs 

began to invest in factories and railroads.

TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD

In 1862 President Abraham Lincoln signed the 

Pacific Railroad Act into law. 

The act said that there were two main railroad 

lines. 

The Central Pacific Railroad would come from 

California and the Union Pacific Railroad would 

come from the Midwest. 

The act gave the railroad companies land where 

they could build the railroad.

RAILROADS SPUR GROWTH

Cornelius Vanderbilt began the first direct rail 

service from New York City to Chicago. 

In 1871, he began building New York City's central 

terminal.

In 1883, the American railway Association divided 

the country into four different time zones 

ROBBER BARONS

Robber Barons: a person who acquired wealth by 

unfair business practices and was insensitive to the 

common worker.They also drove their competitors 

out of business by selling their products cheaper 

than it cost to produce it.

Ex.- John D. Rockefeller, Cornelius Vanderbilt, 

Andrew Carnegie, and J.P. Morgan.

RISE OF BIG BUSINESSES

Corporations: businesses that are owned by many 

investors who buy shares of stock. 

People who own corporations are known as 

stockholders.

The era of Big Business began when entrepreneurs 

in search of profits put their businesses into big 

corporations, which were so large that they could 

force out competition and gain control of a market. 

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