Industrialization in the 19th Century
In the late 1800s and early 1900's, America entered an industrial revolution, meaning that people moved from living and working on farms to working in factories and living in cities. This movement had both positive and negative effects on people.
On the positive side, more, better, and inexpensive goods, transportation, and communication were possible. However, industrialization also brought pollution, child labor issues, and crowded cities.
Social Changes and Conflicts
As old industries expanded and new industries, such as petroleum refining, electrical power and steel manufacturing, were created, America changed in many ways. Railroads were expanded immensely, making even remote areas a part of the national market economy.
Industrialization changed American society in many ways, which created many social conflicts. A new class of wealthy industrialists and a prosperous middle class were created, as was an expanded blue-collar working class. The labor force created by industrial growth was made up of immigrants and rural migrants, which made American society more diverse than ever.
However, while times were good, not all Americans enjoyed economic prosperity. Many workers were paid low wages and many others were unemployed for much of the year. Workers at this time joined labor unions to protect themselves.
In addition, farm workers were suffering. Many farmers lacked the skills and resources to compete with the rapidly advancing technology and increases in production. The prices for farm products dropped and many farmers moved to cities in order to find better employment...
Noise, traffic jams, slums,
air pollution, and sanitation and health problems were created by industrialization. Mass transit, such as buses and subways, was built, and skyscrapers began to appear all over cities.
New communities, called suburbs, began to be built just beyond the city to accommodate the masses of migrants moving from rural areas. Commuters, those who lived in the suburbs and traveled in and out of the city for work, began to increase in number, depending on trains, buses and automobiles to get to work.
Many city residents lived in rental apartments or tenement housing. Neighborhoods, particularly for immigrant populations, were places where residents formed communities and attempted to hold onto and practice cultural traditions. Even today, many neighborhoods or sections of some of the great cities in America reflect those ethnic heritages.
It is important to recognize that Americans born in the 1800's experienced major changes within their lifetimes. As the 19th century progressed, they were using electric light bulbs rather than candles; driving automobiles as apposed to steam-powered locomotives; and experiencing life amidst an industrial revolution that radically changed the ways millions of people worked and where they lived. Industrialization created a new class struggle, a
conflict between the different classes of people, which had an impact on the changes that occurred in American society.
The Industrial revolution brought on more technology,
wealth and power, but many people were living in filth, working long hours and being paid very little. The revolution shaped modern society to what it is today. Many complained that machines were invented to do all the work, making human beings less important to the
job market.
Industrialization and the
Civil War
By 1861, the northern and southern states of America had become extremely different in many ways, including socially, economically and politically. The northern states were now very industrial and commercial, while the southern states were still mainly agricultural. There was an even greater difference than any of these, however, regarding African-American slavery.
Northerners generally believed that
slavery should be limited or abolished. Southerners, who depended largely…
