DCA #1 Review Social Studies 1870–1890 – The Gilded Age – a period of time where some people were extremely wealthy, while many were very poor. During the Gilded Age, the richest 1% of Americans owned more wealth than the other 99% of Americans combined. Analyze how the expansion of the railroads changed the U.S. during the late 1800s and early 1900s? The Evolution of the Railroad Government’s Part – 1. 1862 Began by Congress passing the Pacific Railroad Act, giving companies land to build on 2. 1886 Supreme Court limits states’ rights to control interstate commerce in Wabash v. Illinois 3. 1887 Congress creates ICC (Interstate Commerce Commission) 4. Congress passed the Sherman Antitrust Act 5. 1904 Supreme Court rules in Northern Securities Co. v. U.S. that the federal government can divide a railroad monopoly 6. 1906 Hepburn Act allows ICC to set maximum railroad rates 7. 1910 Congress passes the Mann–Elkins Act to strengthen ICC authority 8. 1916 Congress passed the Adamson Act to grant railroad workers an 8‑hour workday 9. 1891 Populist Party created People and Events that helped – 1. 1878 refrigerated railroad cars 2. 1877 Great Railway Strike 3. 1883 Railroad companies began using 4 continental time zones 4. 1884 Pullman Company, a railroad manufacturer, builds a town for its people 5. 1892 Carnegie Steel Company is established 6. 1894 Pullman Strike occurs; 5th transcontinental railroad is completed 7. 1875–1915 Railroad saw much growth increasing each year the miles of track laid, the number of employees working for the railroad increased, the tons of freight carried and the revenue from the freight increased, the number of passengers who rode and the revenue from that increased. The increase in movement of goods and people led to this growth. Monopolies began The Modern Colossus of the Railroads (1879) by Joseph Keppler shows Vanderbilt tall above the intersecting railroads with puppet strings attached to everything to show his control. The flag over the railroad station says it all with “L Road. Many nickels stolen are millions gained by W.C. Fields.” Samuel Gompers wrote an essay “What Does the Working Man Want” where he stated that big business will never willingly give the working man what he deserves, so they must continue to fight for better working conditions Disruptions of building railroads – The main disruption was that the railway took away Native American land and most importantly their main source of life, the buffalo. The Natives used the buffalo for everything; food, clothing, shelter, bedding, saddles, ropes, etc. The only reason the Native Americans survived was because the U.S. government supplied them with beef and blankets. (FYI – Today, the FDPIR still distributes food to recognized Native American tribes.)