Andrew Carnegie - Andrew Carnegie started out as an average secretary for a railroad company. When he began investing in stocks and bonds, he became on of the first in the nation to make their fortune through the stock market. He eventually started his own business in the steel industry, and redefined the American view of big business. He used many techniques, such as buying out his competition and gaining as many resources for himself as possible, to make a huge business tycoon.
Social Darwinism - Social Darwinism, based on Darwin's principle of survival of the fittest, is a philosophy that ties in closely with the laissez faire doctrine. According to social Darwinism and laissez faire, the market need not be regulated. Social Darwinists believed that hard work would get you were you wanted to go, but it was really those who were in god's favor who made it big. The poor were obviously just lazy scum who deserved what they got, seeing as they were not in god's favor.
John D. Rockefeller - Rockefeller set up a new form of business - a group of businesses run by a committee of trustees who controlled all the stocks for those companies. Rockefeller used this method to totally take over the US' oil business. Rockefeller paid his workers extremely poor wages, but bought out competition by selling his oil at low prices. He then started raising the price of oil, earning huge profits for himself.
Sherman Antitrust Act - This act made it impossible to form a trust that the government deemed would interfere with the nation's free trade, whether it was between countries or states. However, it was difficult to put into effect because the trusts could easily disband and avoid prosecution if they felt they were under government scrutiny.
Samuel Gompers - Samuel Gompers was a leader of the Cigar Makers' International Union. He led this union to join with the other craft unions. He eventually became the president of the AFL. This was a new kind of union for the country: not just one kind of worker banding together, but many different kinds of workers coming together for the good of them all.
American Federation of Labor (AFL) - The AFL used techniques such as strikes to get better wages and hours for many different kinds of workers. They negotiated many treaties which regulated working conditions across the board. This combination of techniques worked surprisingly well, and the AFL had great success.
Eugene V. Debs - Debs formed the American Railway Union, a union for both skilled and unskilled laborers. It was the first of its kind; it quickly gained popularity. Debs began to support socialism, a belief that was spreading throughout the country at a rapid rate. Socialism called for the governmental distribution of wealth; it was a step down from the theory of communism.
Industrial Workers of the World - The IWW, also known as the Wobblies, was made up mostly of unskilled workers. It admitted African Americans, unlike many other unions, and although it never grew as large as the ARU or the AFL, it gave a sense of hope to the unskilled laborers who had previously been unspoken for.
Mary Harris Jones - Often referred to as Mother Jones, Mary Jones was an advocate for workers rights, especially women and children's rights. She is most famous for her organized walk of (maltreated and injured) mill children to President Roosevelt's house. This significantly improved child laborers' conditions.
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