es and industries would grow in the 1800s, making the United States a world power.
             As a result, the United States experienced "growing pains" in the 1800s. The economy was booming and unemployment was fairly low. Unfortunately, all jobs were not glamorous, safe, or fair. Throughout the 1800s, labor movements and unions were formed to try and fight these inequalities. Workers wanted fair wages, an eight hour workday, and the overall health conditions at work to improve. For example, successful strikes in Rockdale resulted in a ten hour workday, child labor was reduced, and education was increased. Consequently, labor and social reform were products of each other and usually went hand in hand. Furthermore, reform did not come cheap or easy. If reform did not come from politicking, workers used strikes which often ended in violence, with people paying with their lives.
             After the Civil War, the railroad was big business in the United State's economy. The railroad industry had spin-off industries, like mining, iron, and steel, that also became big. These industries practiced economies of scale which involved large investments of capital and labor. While the costs of production decreased, the production and profits increased until the point of diminishing returns was achieved. For example, Andrew Carnegie employed these tactics and Carnegie Steel help to literally build the United States into a world power. As a result of these business practices and large number of immigrants, labor was seen as an expendable commodity. Frederick Winslow Taylor applied scientific management techniques to the way labor was performed. In turn, factory owners and foremen used "taylorism" to determine the most efficient way to perform a task in a factory. Thus, creating a quota system for workers. At Carnegie Steel, savvy managers would use this quota system to create competition between furnaces at the mill. The w...