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Class Date: March 25th, 9:30am
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Go West
Go West
As the United States grappled grew, so did ways to disseminate information. The press became more widespread as more people had access to information and could read it. As journalism developed, more reporters began to change the way articles were presented. This week we will look at the life of Ida Tarbell, a journalist famous for exposing corporate corruption. Before we look at her life, here is a brief overview of the development of journalism.
1769 - Father Junipero Serra establishes the first mission in California
The Spanish were eager to begin settling what they named ‘Alta California’ and convert the Natives to Christianity. Russian and English explorers had continued to make contact in California and Spain was eager to stake a more decisive claim on the area.
Though the California mission period has long been romanticized in California history, many have sought in recent decades to tell a more balanced story of the time period.
For an alternative view of the mission system and its effects on the native populations, see this 23-minute video put together by a tribal organization:
1841 - The first wagon train heads for California
On May 1st, the wagon train departed from Independence, Missouri with 69 adults and several children. John Bidwell led 32 people and 9 wagons as they broke off from the main group in Idaho to head into uncharted territory bound for California. Bidwell logged details of the trip in his journal which would later serve as a guide for future wagon trains. Bidwell also later worked for John Sutter and delivered the news of a discovery of gold at Sutter’s mill.
September 9, 1850 - California becomes the 31st state
After the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill in northern California, the huge influx of people necessitated more formal government structures. In 1849, a Constitutional Convention convened in California to discuss statehood. During the discussion, they unanimously outlawed slavery. The Compromise of 1850 was engineered to admit California as a free state and Texas as a slave state.
1857 - Overland Mail Route to San Diego opens
The San Diego Herald claimed that the main delivery service connecting California with San Antonio was “the most important event which has ever occurred in the annals of San Diego…”. To read more about the mail route and see what parts of if you can visit in San Diego, click here: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=24437
1859 - The first oil well is drilled in Pennsylvania
Named the Drake Well, it was drilled to a depth of 69 feet. Though other wells had found oil, which was beginning to gather momentum as fuel, this was one of the first commercial oil wells dug expressly for that purpose. It also remains significant as the first well that attracted a wave of investment in oil drilling, refining, and marketing.
1869 - Transcontinental Railroad completed
Constructed from 1863 - 1869, the railroad became the first continuous railroad line across the United States.
To watch a 6-minute CBS special on the steam locomotive rebuilt to celebrate the centennial of the Transcontinental Railroad, click here:
1886 - Samuel Gompers founds the American Federation of Labor
A variety of small craft unions united under the leadership of Samuel Gompers to form the American Federation of Labor (AFL). The AFL gave each of the more 100 unions in the organization ‘exclusive jurisdiction’ over a craft. They did not engage in national political issues, but focused on collective bargaining for wages, benefits, hours, and working conditions.
1887 - Interstate Commerce Act of 1887
This law created the federal Interstate Commerce Commission, the first independent federal regulatory agency in the nation. This body would eventually be able to set safety standards, maximum prices, and service levels, first for railroads, then later for bus and trucking companies. It also included the regulation of telephone, telegraph, and wireless companies. This Act was a step toward promoting regional equality and the interests of small businesses.
1870 - John D. Rockefeller incorporates Standard Oil
Rockefeller utilized the idea of horizontal integration, meaning his company controlled the manufacture and processing of almost all oil production, processing, marketing, and transportation. At one point, Standard Oil controlled 90% of the nation’s refineries and pipelines. They even built their own oil barrels as a company. This consolidation and control helped kickstart industrialization and the Gilded Age.
To see an 11 minute overview of John D. Rockefeller and his life, check out this video here:
1877 - The Great Railroad Strike of 1877
The first major strike in the United States among laborers. Crossing multiple states, this strike and violence spread across states and led governors in 10 states to mobilize 60,000 militia members to break the strike and re-open rail traffic. Unfortunately, this strike helped to create conditions for violence against laborers in the 1880s and 90s. To read an overview of the strike and its impacts, check out this article from the Library of Congress: https://guides.loc.gov/this-month-in-business-history/july/great-railroad-strike-1877
1890 - Sherman Antitrust Act passed
The Sherman Antitrust Act was the first Congressional move to limit businesses in forming monopolies through trusts. Many Americans were growing concerned about companies like Standard Oil, who were dominating the marketplace and stifling competition. While large business owners were growing rich, workers were struggling with poor working conditions and limited pay.
1899 - Newsies Strike
Pulitzer and Hearst raised the wholesale price of papers from 50 cents per 100 papers to 60 cents, the young boys who worked selling papers as ‘newsies’ joined forces and planned a strike. Though the price ultimately stayed at 60 cents, the owners did agree to begin buying back unsold papers. To see a musical rendition of this event, check out the movie “Newsies” on Disney plus.
1890s - Yellow journalism becomes popular
The term comes from a popular comic called “Hogan’s Alley” which featured a character dressed in yellow named ‘the yellow kid’. The term came to mean writing sensational stories for the sake of selling papers. William Randoph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer used drama, romance, and hyperbole to sell millions of their newspapers.
1902-1904 - Ida Tarbell published “The History of the Standard Oil Company”
Ida Tarbell was a famed investigative journalist, known as a ‘muckraker’, who often wrote about unethical business practices. She studied John D. Rockefeller and his creation of Standard Oil Company for years before publishing about the aggressive techniques he employed to create a giant monopoly. McClure’s Magazine published the work in 19 installments and it caught national attention.
That is where our timeline leaves us for this week! Check below for additional reading resources!
Recommended Reading
Recommended Reading
To read more about this period, here are some great books to get you started:
All About Mines: Cool Mining Facts for Kids by Lindsay Hutton
Are you ready to learn all about mines? "All About Mines: Cool Mining Facts for Kids" invites young explorers to uncover the wonders that live beneath the Earth's surface.
Learn all about the four main types of mining
Meet mighty mining equipment like excavators and drills, and discover the vital role of safety gear for miners
Find out how mine railways still play a huge role in the mining industry
Delve into the diverse world of mining products, including coal, iron ore, and gypsum.
Unearth the mesmerizing world of gemstones, from diamonds to Kyawthuite, the rarest gemstone in the world.
Grab your hard hat (safety first!) and get ready to embark on an exciting journey underground. Let's dig in!
California History for Kids: Missions, Miners, and Moviemakers in the Golden State by Katy S. Duffield
The story of California is the story of dreamers — explorers, gold miners, immigrants, ranchers, moviemakers, farmers, and everyday Americans who headed west for a fresh start. The first native inhabitants arrived 9,000 years ago, ancestors of the tribes who would greet the Spanish in the 1700s. Father Junípero Serra later established a chain of missions along the coast, expanding European and Mexican influence. But when gold was discovered in 1848, the rush was on, and two short years later California became a state. After the gold ran out, other rushes followed, from agriculture to industry, Hollywood to Silicon Valley.
California History for Kids includes a time line of significant events, a list of historic sites to visit or explore online, and Web resources for further study. And to get a better idea of the scope of California history and the lives of its citizens, readers can:
* create a Chumash rock painting
* play the Miwok Hoop-and-Pole game
* bake and eat hardtack like a gold miner
* design a cattle brand
* decode a railroad cipher
* immortalize their handprints in plaster
* assemble an earthquake preparedness kit
* and more
Author Katy Duffield tells the rich story of the men and women who, despite challenges and occasional hardships, settled and built the vibrant cities and bountiful farms, ranches, and orchards of the Golden State.
For adults:
History of Tesla, A California Coal Mining Town by Dan L. Mosier and Earle E. Williams
The life and death of a coal mining town, Tesla, California. It was founded in 1890 by John Treadwell, who turned the Tesla coal mines into the largest producer in California for nearly a decade. The historical significance of Tesla is documented for the first time. Over 160 photographs depict life at Tesla during its heyday.
The Inside History of the Carnegie Steel Company: A Romance of Millions by James Howard Bridge
"For years I have been convinced that there is not an honest bone in your body. Now I know that you are a god-damned thief," Henry Clay Frick reportedly told Andrew Carnegie at their last meeting in 1900, just before J. P. Morgan bought the Carnegie Steel Company and founded United States Steel. Three years later, James Bridge, who had served as Carnegie's personal secretary, published this book. In it he recounted the events that led up to the final confrontation between two of America's most powerful capitalists. The book created a sensation when it appeared in 1903. Not only did it describe the raw emotions of Carnegie and Frick, those most brilliant and uneasy of business partners, it also told of the history and inner workings of the industrial giant, Carnegie Steel. Bridge was an open partisan of Frick, and the portrait of Carnegie that emerges from this book is not flattering. But he was an experienced journalist, and he uses sources carefully. His book remains a striking insider's narrative of the American steel industry in the last decades of the nineteenth century-as well as the most revealing account of the emotions of some of its major owners. The introduction by John Ingram places the book in perspective for both the historian and general reader.
Works Cited
Works Cited
https://www.library.illinois.edu/hpnl/tutorials/antebellum-newspapers-introduction/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associated_Press
https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/newsboys-strike/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_peoples_of_California
https://www.britannica.com/place/California-state/History
https://cal170.library.ca.gov/november-4-1841-first-wagon-train-arrives/
https://www.ereferencedesk.com/resources/state-history-timeline/california.html
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