Rise Of The Middle Class In The 19th Century

During the 1800s, the social structure changed due to the Industrial Revolution. The middle class expanded. Although not all the members of this class were of the same status, they all shared the same values. They all believed in the importance of hard work and morality. One very important value was family togetherness. During this time period, middle-class families worked to preserve this family togetherness, as well as their prosperity, which they did by raising their children well. Women were more involved in maintaining family unity and the raising of children than men.

Social classes in America changed greatly in the 18th century because of the economic success that occurred at this time. “Expanding trade made possible the emergence of a powerful upper class” (Foner, 123), which also made possible the emergence of a weaker lower class. The upper classmen of the colonies, also known as the colonial elite, were the ones who planted staple crops or the ones who rule colonies. Although there were no set social rankings, it was clear that prominent men controlled the colonies’ governments. Planters of the colonial elite no longer had to worry about if they were going to be able to pass their wealth down to the next generations in their family; prominence in the 18th century became possible through family relations.

In the nineteenth century, middle class white men had the most sexual, financial, and political freedom. The role that men played in society grew during the industrial period, as white families in the middle class no longer needed to rely solely on farms to make money; they had other options for work, with factories beginning to appear all over. White men could also travel to the frontier communities or join a political career. They were also the only ones able to vote at the time. The role of women in middle class families also grew as there was a greater need to control sexuality. In the early nineteenth century, however, sex was seen as impure and a waste of energy. Women were put on a pedestal of purity and were told that the woman

The late nineteenth century (1875-1900), having just witnessed the long years of Reconstruction, left America in the spirit of change. This ardor led to the creation of new technological advancements such as the remodeled sewing machine but most importantly it changed the way workers wanted to be treated and payed. But during this time, organized labor was unsuccessful in improving the working conditions of laborers due to the abundance of violent attacks and the inability to overcome different backgrounds.

Social class systems in the nineteenth century were comprised of the upper class, the middle class, the working class, and the underclass. The different social classes can be “distinguished by inequalities in such areas as power, authority, wealth, working and living conditions, life-styles, life-span, education, religion, and culture” (Cody). The poor, also known as peasants, were usually mistreated and segregated from the wealthy, or those of higher class. During his time, Charles Dickens “seen as a champion of “the poor” by some of the poor themselves” (“What was”). It is said that one of his greatest achievements “was to bring the problem of poverty to the attention of his readers through introducing varieties of poor persons into almost all of his novels, and showing the “deserving” majority of the poor, bravely struggling against the forces arrayed against them” (“What was”). This is clearly evident in A Tale of Two Cities. During the nineteenth century Victorian era, social class systems were a common excuse for the division and mistreatment of many individuals, as evidenced in Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities.

There are many causes and effects of America’s Industrialization, some of the main reasons include: migration to cities, improved transportation, and laissez-faire philosophy, while the primary effects generated by these causes include; consumerism, expansion of the market, and changed working conditions.

The early nineteenth century in the United States was a period defined by exponential growth both socially and economically as well as major westward expansion and urbanization. This time is referred to as the Industrial Revolution because of the heightened interest in manufacturing and production. Industrialization in the North was on the rise mainly as a result of the Embargo Act of 1807, a law that barred the United States from trading with other nations, as well as the war of 1812. The government policies during this time allocated more attention towards projects of inward improvement such as creating roads, canals and building infrastructure. As for foreign policy, the United States remained relatively neutral during this time which

For decades now, our political and economic policy have been constructed around one idea: that if taxes on the rich go up, job creation will go down. This idea has been the backbone of Republican trickle-down Reagan-economics and has been scarcely challenged by Democrats. America’s economy as well as the global economy as a whole are facing extreme income inequality and this idea has only widened the gap. Our political system has been flooded with the money of the rich through lobbyists or super PACs, who then are the ones receiving the tax cuts and are garnering political favors by doing so, effectively moving us farther from a free and fair democracy, but rather towards oligarchy. The middle class has been fading away due to stagnating

Throughout the Industrial Revolution, everyday lives have improved. More specifically, the classes in Britain of the late nineteenth century. For the average person, the standards of living increased outrageously. Moreover, real wages for British workers doubled within 1850 to 1906. However, greater wages did not eliminate the faults in society. For instance, the wages did not make the rich and poor equivalent. Standards of living such as housing, employment, and fellowship were three improvements for the middle and working class in Britain of the late nineteenth century.

The United States government has effected huge social changes in the last four decades. During 1940s United States emerged as a world leader. The past years of the 1900s many factors have happened that resulted in the change of the United States history and future. It changed the everyday lives of Americans of how they survived and supported themselves and their family, in both positive and negative ways that affected them daily. For instance, the political affairs of the government and the election of candidates for certain parties like democratic or republican can affect the history of the country, on how the government or Congress passed laws that were of equal protection to its people and how it helps benefit both civilians and the nation itself. On social occasions this could affect the United States history because it is solely based on how the people will react and respond to a certain topic, action, or movement. Their opinions may differ depending on where they stand, on how they look at it from their perspective in their belief on morals, religion, or sense of patriotism to the United States. Advancements in technology affect the nation’s history as well because the improved technology in the 1900s provided many uses for the Americans. The basis of these technologies were to offer entertainment, transportation, communication, military, and also for labor tasks and work.

The second Estate held the highest position in church in court and in the government don’t pay taxes the bourgeois’s urgeoisie, the social order that is dominated by the so-called middle class. In social and political theory, the notion of the bourgeoisie was largely a construct of Karl Marx (1818–83) and of those who were influenced by him. In popular speech, the term connotes philistinism, materialism, and a striving concern for “respectability,” he term bourgeois arose in medieval France, where it denoted an inhabitant of a walled town. Its overtones became important in the 18th century, when the middle class of professionals, manufacturers, and their literary and political allies began to demand an influence in politics consistent with their economic status. Marx was one of many thinkers who treated the French Revolution as a revolution of the

The economy is mostly made of money, processed goods & services, and it also controls the production and consumption activities. So how did these changes affect the rest of the country? All these components of the economy play a big role on the common people’s way of life. Most people in the United States during the 19th century had many challenges they had to face and overcome in order to be “successful”. In attempt to make the country better , there had been many changes in the economy. The common people in this era had been negatively affected , due to bad working conditions/wages, bad living conditions, discrimination, and job competition.

Almost every American adults in the United States of America has to fill out a tax return to see if those still owe the government some money, or if those will get some back from the government. A recurring thought in the mind of many of these adults is,” How can my taxes be this high”. The middle class is supposed to be living comfortably and not have to live their lives worrying about money. But, in today’s United States the middle class has to worry about money every single day. The upper class is almost being penalized for earning too much money based on the percentages that they have to hand over to the government. The businesses that once were able to create jobs are now having to cut jobs because of the astronomical percentages

Technological innovations replaced people with a specific skill with semiskilled or unskilled factory workers . This gave opportunities to Americas lower class that they didn’t have before. They had a chance to move upward from unskilled to skilled positions. While many of the middle and upper classes didn’t work many hours or do much physical work and his salary might have been upwards of 1600, skilled factory workers would only make about 600 at best and work long hours in difficult conditions. The middle class was a term introduced in the century dictionary in 1889. It reflected the new awareness that the American society had a hierarchy. Professionals were the backbone of the new middle class. Cahiers, clerks, government employees mostly

Post-World War II United States was a significant period of time when the lifestyle of American people changed dramatically. Long period of economic booms brought mass suburbanization and people purchased their own home appliances, houses, and automobiles. As a matter of fact, in the background of the change of American lifestyle, there were repeated technological innovations. Successful mass productions of goods accelerated buying activities, which promoted the economic development in the United States. This was the beginning of expansion of the middle class; some people get enough money to succeed in having a happy life in the United States with family. However, when the status of family in a community was considered, proper management of money was necessary to keep their lives. Handful choices of buying goods or products with satisfaction made American Dream possible, but buying activities changed the social status of people for better or worse at the same time.