America During The Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution was an amazing turning point in American history. Between the 1820-1840, the growth of manufactured machine changed our economy tremendously. The transition from hand production to machines changed efficiency hand quantity. Not only did production become faster, and easier. It also, opened the door for more jobs, and pay increase. Standard living grew which influenced the breakdown between higher, middle, and lower class. The Industrial Revolution impacted a lot of things. New industrial cities came about such as Manchester and New York. The Industrial Revolution allowed for both food and clothing to become cheaper in society. The Industrial Revolution played a role not only in our nation, but other economy as well.

The industrial revolution was not only technological revolution but a social one that would lie foundation that would grow the word “revolution” exponentially. The industrial revolution brought with it change, whether that change was positive or negative is questionable however it did change the world as it was known. In both England and the United States of America strong industrial revolutions struck, the revolutions would change roles in the household and society for both women and me and the ideologies held about gender roles. In both countries effected by the revolution, industrialization challenged religion and authority, the impact of which can still be seen today.

Paradoxes as well as contradictions have been expressed in describing previous time periods. Stated from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...for the good or for the evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only” (Dickens 1). Specifically, Dickens had referred this quote to a French revolution, but the statement can pertain to many other historical events and continues through today. In the American Industrial Revolution, the outcome left multiple views of whether it was considered a pro or a con. However, the American Industrial Revolution has demonstrated both numerous challenges along with countless benefits to the country.

The period from 1877-1900 mark the years of Industrialization America. Rockefeller, Carnegie, and J.P Morgan were the people that shaped this time period. Rockefeller created the oil company Standard Oil, Carnegie created Carnegie steel, and J.P Morgan was a powerful banker. These successful people brought America to surpass many of the European global powers.

In 19th century America there were many changes in industrialization and capitalism which impacted the working class. One such change was the rise of unskilled labor; before the industrial revolution most people if not employed in agriculture relied on skilled trade. Meaning people had to have training and skill in order to create merchandise of a higher quality. However, with the rise of industrialization large factories began to take over the production of goods. These big businesses also began to turn to unskilled labor due to the fact that it was easier than hiring skilled laborers. Factories employed unskilled laborers because they were cheap and easily replaceable. This allowed factories to significantly grow in size and dominate the market. Such domination of the market forced the majority of smaller business to close their doors due to the fact that the factories could produce a higher quantity of goods for a smaller price. This affected the working class because their options for employment quickly decreased to the extent that their only option was to work for these big businesses. Due to the fact that unskilled laborers were easily disposable, large factories began to take advantage of their employees. Big businesses would take advantage of their workers by forcing them to work in unsanitary, unhealthy, and even dangerous conditions for very little pay. The life of a working class citizen was a difficult one, and the lives of these workers are reflected in the

Industrialization in the Unites States occurred between 1850 and 1950. It was the approach from the United States to become larger with enhanced technology to produce a life which cost less and was more efficient. While some might dispute that Industrialization had primarily positive consequences for society because of an abundance of job opportunities, it had a negative impact on society. Therefore, industrialization’s negative effects were atrocious working conditions, children’s little or no education, and pollution from factories.

During industrialization many changes took place that were difficult for American workers to adjust to and accept. Workers were replaced by machines, worked very long hours, and received little pay. Large businesses and corporations that grew out of the industrial age did not care about the individual employee and only cared about how much money they could make. Employees were no longer valued and bosses believed that any employee could easily be replaced by another body. The extremely low wages, unsafe working conditions, and long hours eventually led to many people trying to organize unions to stand up to the large corporations. Businesses did not want the workers to organize because they wanted to keep wages low and keep the workers powerless.

During the Industrial Era, there were twelve million immigrants who longed for the idea of freedom and to live among the free. Many immigrants came to America to live their lifelong dream, but instead they realized that America was not as utopian as it seemed from afar. America had been a countryside agricultural nation and had transformed into an industrial, urban, fast paced life in the city. There was a sudden change from farms to factories in a matter of years. Immigrants traveling from all over the world to California, New York, Chicago, Florida, and New Jersey, made these cities become the most popular unauthorized populations in the United States of America. More than two-thirds of the immigrants landed in New York. Most of the immigrants came from either Ireland, Germany, or England. A big chuck of their people fleeted because of crops dying due to natural causes, not enough land or job for works, famine, or religious and political persecution. Since 1880 the number of foreign born immigrants increased to nearly 14 million. These immigrants had to work tremendously hard in order to receive a small paycheck in the end of the day to support themselves or their entire family. Rather than being received with welcoming arms, along with a wealthy lifestyle, these immigrants instead found themselves living in a vicious cycle of poverty.

Following the assassination of Lincoln, America demonstrated their supremacy in economic and industrial growth. Several factors greatly impacted growth of the American industrial worker between the years of 1865 and 1900. During this era, however, advances in technology, labor unions, and immigration were the prime influential contributors.

The subsistence strategy of Industrialism has changed the entire landscape of the way Americans eat food. As a result of industrialism there is now a surplus of food. This has contributed to alarmingly high rates of obesity and with the “recent increases in food prices and food safety scares have resulted in popular discourse extolling the virtues of local food” (Janssen 2010). In an effort to not eat food ridden with toxins many consumers turn to locally grown food. Mainly their goal is not to eat food with “extensive herbicide and pesticide use by intensive conventional agriculture” (Andreatta 2000). This is because extensive amounts are dangerous when consumed. As there is increasing popularity in eating local and organic food, this results

The Industrial Revolution brought about an overwhelming amount of economic change to the United States. The first Industrial Revolution started in Great Britain and in Europe in the latter part of the eighteenth century and, it then spread to the United States and Germany. The Industrial Revolution itself refers to a change from hand and home production to machine and factory (Kelly). During this time period, America was growing in knowledge. The industrialization of America involved three great developments. Transportation was expanded, electricity was effectively harnessed and many improvements were made to several industrial processes (Kelly). Although this change greatly helped the United States economy, it had both a positive and negative impact on the lives of the American people.

America has been expanding and growing since its birth out of Great Britain. The Industrial Revolution has been an influence in the American life since it first in the 1700s. “Most families did not have enough to sell at the market- they had just enough for their own needs.” Up until the factories started booming and employment rates skyrocketed, people really couldn’t become wealthy and live a decent life. As the ways of farming grew the English at the time began to use up more and more land efficiently. “Unusable swamplands could be drained and used for crops.” That’s absolutely amazing that in this era they could turn swamps into areas to raise more crops so they can naturally make more money at the markets and become a bit wealthier. Farming is one of the most important lively hoods of mankind; no matter what argument anyone tries to make. If we didn’t have farming and agricultural production we wouldn’t have all the different sorts of food products we do, nor would they be as abundant. Life would be like it was before the Industrial Revolution came about and most of us would still be growing our own food and barely scraping by in life. With all this agricultural expansion of the time population in England start expanding drastically as well. Thanks to population growth people started to worry more about new inventions and producing stuff for us to make our day to day lives easier than we could have ever before. With all the technological advancements leading up to

I believe the Industrial Revolution post civil war needed to happen. I believe the US needed to catch up to other countries such as England who had their Industrial Revolution in the 1700s. The advances the US made in this time were great. It opened up more jobs, easier travel, which made it easier to buy and sell in distance. The city became a place for people who didn’t want to make a living farming.

Think about your life for one second: you communicate with people, travel, make purchases, and utilize those commodities. But have you ever wondered what made those things possible? After all, you go to the store to buy things you need. You drive a car to work and to visit your friends. If you need to talk to someone, you simply pick up your phone or computer. However, none of this would be possible without a means of communication, factories to manufacture the products you need, places to work, and ways to travel and transport goods. And what made these possible? The answer is the Industrial Revolution, which started in Europe around the year 1730. A revolution is a major change or turning point in something. The Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution was the quintessence of capitalistic ideals; it bred controversy that led to Karl Marx’s idea of communism as a massive grass roots reaction to the revolution’s social abuses. Firstly, the Industrial Revolution featured the construction of machines, systems and factories that allowed goods to be manufactured at a faster rate with a lower cost. The seed drill made it so there could be “a semi-automated, controlled distribution and plantation of wheat seed”(Jones 2013). Secondly, there was a great social and economic divide between the wealthy owners and the poor workers, which gave rise to the mass’s vulnerability to the advent of extreme socialism. Figures of authority severely oppressed their employees by giving them insufficient pay, a treacherous work environment, and even making some children work more than 12 hours per day (Cranny 150). Finally, far right capitalism created a brutal boom and bust cycle of economics that made, for the multitude at the bottom, a perpetual nightmare of poverty and death. People responded to this social situation by taking part in violent protests; oppression sires rebellion. The Industrial Revolution was the chassis of great imagination and progress of political, economic, and social force that still affects this world today.