Chapter 2: Working, from "Office Work and Service Jobs" to end. 67 - 85
in Chambers,
Chapter 3, The Corporate Revolution pp. 54 - 79
Machines revolutionized work outside of factories, as well. In the case of office work, the typewriter and telephone made the modern office possible, and offered new opportunities for women in the job market. In the home, a revolution was around the corner, but not quite there as yet. New mechanical devices (like the carpet sweeper) were making housework easier, but the electrification of housework was yet to come. This had a far different effect on opportunities for women, as appliances made it easier for persons to do their own work.
We've seen some of this from the point of view of those working as we've read Schlereth. Here, we'll look at the big picture, and how the modern corporation, born during this period, concentrated economic power in the hands of the new industrialist class. We'll look at the way companies on a new scale "rationalized" entire industries: Steel and Oil, to name just two. We'll also think a little about the emerging field of "scientific" management, and how the new science of business changed the relationship of employee to employer.
Switchboard Operators at a telephone exchange. Women were preferred for this position because they were smaller and had more agile fingers. Men supervised. Click for a brief history of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (ATT).
As businesses set their sights beyond their localities, communications becomes vital and more complex. Click on the image above to read about the invention of the modern office.
Today we discover the joys and woes of working in two texts simultaneously. Sometimes I have fantasies of sitting the authors down in a room and getting them to mash up their ideas, but alas, we have to do the mashing up ourselves. The two books use different references in time and different thematic approaches.The reorganization has to come from us. This is why I'm beginning with chapter three of Chambers.
Consequently, I'd like to have you start working out a timeline--a chart which will let you put the main events from both books onto a common calendar. The simplest way to do this will be to put dates down the vertical axis and events, ideas, movements, whatever, on the horizontal axis. The glory of the word processor is that one can insert materials when he/she comes upon them and thus doesn't have to "guess" how many spaces to leave as those poor women above would have had to have done.
Not only are we spared that chore, but through a miracle of the Internet we can get the day of the week for any date in our period. We'll take as an arbitrary starting date January 1, 1870. Go to the Historical Calendarand determine on which day your birthday fell that year. Mine fell on Wednesday April 20, except in Bulgaria, when it fell on April 8.
For Monday, February 17
No Class! And for once the reason isn't a snow day. Happy President's Day. In my youth, we got the birthday of TWO Presidents off: One on February12, the other on February 22. This made sure that kids from their primary school years up knew the dates of Birth for Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. Now most students know neither date. Of course we all know the real patriotic duty falling on this day is to purchase a new car.
The illustration above is from Clemens' The Gilded Age--and the monument was completed just about the middle of that period. Read a bit about it by clicking on the link. To read the story of the dedication ceremony, click here.
No New Readings. I'm thinking that the double-up on readings discussions last class may mean we didn't do them entire justice. So review those readings and come prepared to give them a thorough discussion.
Come prepared, too, to introduce your character in brief. Here’s what you’ll need for yourself:
Yourself in 1876
Name:
Gender
Date of Birth (remember you need to be at least 10 in 1876)–Use the historic calendar to make this day “real”–a day of the week as well as a simple day, month, and year.
Ethnicity:
Place of Birth:
Place of Residence in 1876–(if different)I
Immigration Status (old family? 1st generation, 2nd generation, 3rd generation?)
Occupation (if you’re too young to have one, the occupation of your parent(s)
Education
Religion
Marital Status
If you’re in a treasure hunt mood you can look for picture to represent what you look like c.1876. I browsed around the New York Public Library Digital Archives for these.
Make a Blog Entry with the details, just in case we lack the time to introduce everyone.
Now all of these save gender are capable of change as the years pass. But you need a perspective to relate to what we’re beginning to discuss more closely, and I want that anchored just about now. You can store this in your Bridges Blog.
Read,
