But the work in such factories was often dull and dehumanizing, and until child labor and worker's compensation laws were passed, horrific abuses often occurred within factory walls. The boon of technology for American labor, and the diversification of American society are interlinked. Without American industrialization, America would not have proven such an attractive nation for Irish, Italian, German, Asian, and other waves of immigrants seeking to find refuge from persecution and poverty in their native lands. Some of these immigrants, or their children, became quite wealthy as a result of American technology and industrialization. Even those who did not financially prosper beyond their wildest dreams added their cultures to America, in the form of more diverse foods and products. Every time someone orders in Chinese, orders a Guinness, or celebrates St. Patrick's Day, they are experiencing part of the legacy of American industrialism and technological expansion.

But for all of the mobility propagated by industrialization, even today, as the result of technological entrepreneurship, the rich continue to get richer and the poor get poorer. The so-called digital divide has only broadened, as the richest man in the world, Bill Gates, profits off of his technological system, but the poorest of the poor cannot even afford basic necessities, much less a computer. Although new communicative technology and means of travel, such as the telephone, telegraph, trains, airplanes, cars, the Internet, etc. have brought Americans closer together...

Industrialization has allowed for the creation of increased wealth, but also increased speculation -- as witnessed by the collapse of the American economy during the Great Depression. Even the most recent boom and bust, that of the notorious dot.com bubble was propelled by the belief that technology held the promise of infinite profits.
Of course, technology has improved many American's lives in much smaller ways. Technology has made it easier for the disabled to be mobile and employed in mainstream society, and helped many people fully recover from formerly terminal illnesses, like a heart attack or cancer. Technology like the washing machine has made life easier and even people who despise technology find it difficult to completely divest themselves of modern conveniences. Technology and industrialism's impact upon American society is pervasive, at times invisible, and no matter how ambivalent one might be about their existence, their rate of innovation unlikely to slow in at any foreseeable time in the near future.