Assignment 1.2: Industrialization After the Civil War
Strayer University- HIS 105
August 3, 2014
After the Civil War, the United States went through a period of rapid industrialization which affected the nation dramatically. Industrial growth, the spread of railroads, the rise of big businesses, and the appearance of labor unions during these decades created a modern industrial economy, and American workers and farmers faced new challenges in adapting to these changes.
There were three major aspects of industrialization that influenced U.S. society, economy, and politics; the emergence of big business, new technological innovations, and the spread of railroads. Between 1867 and 1920, the United States was transformed from an
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Soon other lines followed throughout the country. Railroads affected almost every aspect of American life. The rapid spread of the railroads provided the basis for a tremendous westward movement of population. It also carried raw material to, and finish product from factories to consumers in a more efficient way (The USA online, n.d.). The railways became highly profitable business for their owners. Five specific groups were especially affected by industrialization: Native Americans, African Americans, children, farmers, and immigrants. Due to federal and state policies, Native Americans were removed from their traditional land into reservations, which were often smaller, more undesirable land. The Dawes Act of 1887, which broke up reservation lands, was ultimately detrimental to Native Americans. Settlers and federal troops pushed the remaining free tribes off their homelands in the Great Plains, and killed most of the buffalo population on which Native Americans relied for survival (The USA online, n.d.).
African Americans moved from southern farms to the North. In the North, they lived in segregated neighborhoods, faced violence, and were given the worst jobs. Conditions in the South were even worse, because state laws deprived them of civil rights and segregated them from whites (Schultz, 2014).
Before the Industrial Revolution, children learned how to farm and perform other chores by helping their parents. After the Industrial Revolution, children in
The Industrial Revolution was of great importance to the economic development of the United States. The new era of mass production kindled in the United States because of technological innovations, a patent system, new forms of factory corporations, a huge supply of natural resources, and foreign investment. The growth of large-scale industry in America had countless positive results, but also negative results as well. Industrialization after the Civil War affected the United States in several ways including poverty, poor labor laws, and the condition of the people.
America had a huge industrial revolution in the late 1800”s. Many changes happened to our great nation, which factored into this. The evidence clearly shows that advancements in new technology, a large wave of immigrants into our country and new views of our government, helped to promote America’s huge industrial growth from the period of 1860-1900.
There were three key factors that impacted the American industrial worker between 1865 and 1900. The factors were the technological changes that improved the industrial workforce and how effective it ran, immigration into the U.S that increased the number of job opportunities, and labor unions that brought workers together to fight for one
Industrialization and urbanization that happened in America after the civil war, is a good manifestation that the country was moving along the right path. After the war, progress in terms of investments, industrialization and urbanization was inevitable. After the civil war in America, people from the south who had been displaced and the people who were free could now move to the west to work in the cattle drives, fight the Indians and also begin a new life as farmers. Social Darwinism philosophy was adopted, and everyone believed that the poor had the right to be rich. The paper will focus on the right path that the country followed in the feudalism period between 1865 and 1914 when the country became a feudal society based on the capital and not on the land.
The Civil War changed and molded the nation onto a path never taken before the Gilded Age, leading to the use of machinery, agricultural advances, and monopolies. Farmers and industrial laborers noticed something in common- the growth of the United States was rapidly moving westward: in size, population, opportunity, and technological advances. With this rapid growth steadily increasing, industrial workers became frustrated with the unsafe workplaces, limited rights, and long shifts with low pay. Farmers recognized the growing need for agriculture in the west as the nation was expanding, but ran into trouble as the realization set in that monopolies were influencing nearly every aspect of the United State’s government and economy. The Gilded
Throughout the US history, industrialization played a huge impact in society. But soon after The War of 1812, American nationalism increased, adding to the industrialization for the country overnight. Textile mills and other mills began to spring up, that created more jobs for people. Technology also increased, from 1815 to 1860 it showed a major shift from agriculture to industrialization. The economy started to show major differences between the north and the south, but it also brought them together.
American Industrialization emerged from the ruins of the Civil War and the … of the Reconstruction Period. Spurred by the new manufacturing technologies brought over from Great Britain, and the rest of Europe, factories and mills began emerging across the American landscape, slowly transforming the United States from an agrarian society to one increasingly industrialized and urbanized. From 1860-1900, the nation of rural towns, local crafts, family farms, and regional business, became dominated by sprawling cities, enormous commercial farms and powerful corporations. By the turn of the twentieth century, the United States of America, had become a major power base, with the birth of factories and mills, the burgeoning of cities, the continued westward expansion, and the creation of the transcontinental railroad. However, just as America was welcomed into her glory, the country was riddled with the evils of poverty, mass consumerism, labour disruption, and increasing political, cultural, and environmental conflicts.
American industries were dramatically changed after the Civil War. The Gilded Age, which lasted from 1865 to 1900, was a period in time when the United States population and economy grew rapidly. Because of technological advances within factories, homes, and businesses redefined how people worked. Farmers and industrial workers were both affected by railroads because the shipment of good across long distances was made possible and new advancements in technology, such as the telegraph, typewriter, and telephone, caused extreme growth in industrial activities.
The industrialization that occurred in the northern United States during the mid-to- late 1800's drastically changed the face of the working class and the urban landscape. "These years were some in which science and invention progressed rapidly and created a base for growth in all phases of the economy – transportation, communication, agriculture, mining, and manufacturing" (Axinn & Stern, 2005, p. 84). During the war there was an increase in the output of war goods and an increase in prices of food and clothing which encouraged industrialization. Since the demand for labor increased, there was influx of both immigrants from other countries and migrants from rural to urban areas. Industrialization, in conjunction with territorial expansion
The industrialization of America between 1865 and 1920 brought effects in political, economic and social systems. This progress had a significant impact on the lives of the American people.
Industrialization affected the life of an average working American in many ways. Industrialization changed the way people worked. People who used to work from home as their own boss began to work for someone else. They had more restrictions with work because someone was in charge, and they had to work long hours. They had to deal with horrible working conditions and poor pay, there living conditions weren’t that much better. Industrialization did have some positive effects on the average American though. The standard of living was changed. Consumer goods became more affordable which allowed household to have more material goods. Lastly industrialization changed the location for the average American. Most Americans lived in rural areas and small towns. After industrialization they moved to cities which were much larger and not close knit.
In the 17th Century there was a high level of competition for land and power between the European countries because the more land a country colonized the more money it could make off of that land. Britain colonized America in order to provide themselves with raw materials and in effect made agriculture dominant in America’s economy rather than industry. Without industry, the colonists were forced to import the majority of their goods from Britain instead of from domestic production (Reef 1). After the American Revolution, America was independent from Britain both politically and economically and Americans began to feel the pressure to industrialize in order to keep up with the demands of Americans and to compete with Britain (Peskin 1;
During the pre-Industrial Revolution, many children worked on the farms alongside their family members. A child working in the fields was not a problem at the time because it was normal
Industrialization is the process by which an economy is transformed from primarily agricultural to one based on the manufacturing of goods. There were several people involved in the industrialization process, such as Cornelius Vanderbilt, Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, and J.P. Morgan. The Industrial Revolution completely restructured the old America into a completely different place in which we now live in. These changes brought about railroads, manufacturing cities, and population growth; this also brought new inventions such as electricity and steel itself. Although it had some positive impacts, it also introduced new problems such as the dramatic difference between the rich and the poor. Overall, it led to the change from agriculture to machinery.
Industrialization was a massive beginning to many different types of changes. During the 1870s up through the 1920s, America experienced changes politically, socially, and economically. Correspondingly, founding ideals changed as well during 1870 to 1920. America also experienced many challenges throughout the years due to the rapid changing in America.