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Essay about Industrialization in America

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Mark Twain once called Industrialization an, “Era of incredible Rottenness.” Industrialization had both negative effects and positive effects on city life. While big businesses thrived, the gap between the rich and poor grew larger day by day. Progressive reformers sought to close this gap and bring together the nation. Industrialization was very beneficial to American business owners. Following the civil war, industries transformed into modern powerhouses. Big business owners who seized power in these industries became even bigger. New inventions led to new thriving industries. Iron, for example, was replaced with ultra-strong steel. Andrew Carnegie built the biggest steal business in the world. One main reason why steel was in such …show more content…

Big business owners benefited from industrialization because they became in such high demand during the peak of their thriving businesses. Although the standard of living was higher, the gap between rich and poor could not have been greater. With so many businesses expanding during industrialization, millions of jobs opened up throughout the United States. The good thing about this is that immigrant men and women (and even children) could earn money for their family and pay for food.
Factories could hire these immigrants because the work did not require much skill. These factories, however, had terrible working conditions. Cities became dirty and overcrowded. Tenement buildings were skinny, small, unsanitary, and housed sweat shops. For immigrants, working meant long hours, very low pay, and unsanitary conditions. Child labor supplied many children jobs in coal mines and factories. Because these factories were hazardous, many accidents happened inside- it was very common for people to lose fingers, toes, and even their lives. Many factory owners would even lock the doors of the factories so that the immigrants couldn’t get out. In the Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire of 1911, for example, 146 workers died in a fire when factory owners locked the doors (Roark). The average work week was 59 hours and the average hourly wage was 21.7 cents. Many young homeless boys would serve as bootblacks or newsboys. An immigrant named Jacob Riis

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