Pennsylvania Steel

Paper Summary:

The paper outlines the background and history of Pittsburgh steel and discusses the immense growth of the U.S. steel production industry in the nineteenth century and early part of the twentieth century. The paper then examines the factors that contributed to the decline of Pennsylvania steel in the late twentieth century that were partly due to natural phenomena and partly due to management mistakes within the industry.


Outline:
Background and History of Pittsburgh Steel
Decline of the American Steel Industry in the Late 20th Century

From the Paper:

"Pittsburgh Pennsylvania developed a strong economy during the nineteenth century, due primarily to its proximity to natural coal deposits suitable for mining and the vast iron ore deposits in the Midwest north of Minnesota. By the end of the Civil War, the Pennsylvania Railroad Company had become the world's largest consumer of industrial steel. Henry Bessemer had developed the process for adding air to molten iron ore in a process and a final product, (Bessemer steel), that bore his name, and Andrew Carnegie helped build the industry that provided much of the material shipped to the rest of the country as demand for steel for use in the revolutionary new building process made possible by the strength of Pennsylvania steel."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Nevins, J., Commager, H.S. (1992) A Pocket History of the United States.New York: Pocket Books
• Hoerr, J. (1988) And the Wolf Finally Came: The Decline of the American Steel Industry. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press

More papers on Pennsylvania Steel:

• Essay # 68068 : "Pennsylvania's Natural Resources"
• Term Paper # 120691 : "American Industrial Revolution"
• Term Paper # 94290 : "Neighborhood Analysis: South Side Pittsburgh"

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