Industrialization after the Civil War
Jane Doe
HIS 105 Contemporary US History
Caren Stayer
February 7, 2016

The phase between the year 1865 and 1920 saw an increase in industrial activity. The reason behind the industrialization was the movement of goods and people across the country. The railroad construction had decreased the time of travel from one place to another. Her quick movement of goods and people helped in the flourishing of businesses. The creation of factories have been supplemented by the delivery of the building materials and the equipment through the railroad network (Dubofsky, 1975).
The factories which have been developed help in the economic up lifting of the area. It was the source of employment of millions of people and thus they sustained a livelihood. The hope of work to many of the immigrants and the demand in the low skilled labor in various jobs had increased. The development in the transportation sector had decreased the cost of living and also the product prices. This was due to the mass production and the products were of better quality than the homemade ones.
The lowering of the prices helped to increase the buying capacity of the individual. The people can now afford to buy cars, washing machines and others. The growth in technology was seen all throughout with Henry Ford's assembly line had revolutionized the whole machinery and increased the speed of production. This also marked the era of consumerism and the increasing of the wealth of the factory owners.
The industry stalwarts like Andrew Carnegie and Rockefeller had used their great wealth to philanthropic purposes. They have built libraries and universities to educate the people and also donated millions to charity to help humanity.
The American economy had turned into a capitalist one with competition which had permeated the industry. The price cuttings were dominant and the economic contraction has phased out the expansion. The industrialists had started to monopolize the industry which had decreased the opportunities of growth. The larger firms had exerted full market control in various sectors like coal mining, meat packing and iron steel along with others. The large scale industries had reduced their output to reduce their profits. The investment bankers had huge control on the monopolized industries along with the life insurance companies. The prices were controlled by the firms to increase their profits and they did not understand the consumer point of view.
Social Darwinism was prevalent which occurred when the big companies had taken over the small companies and had shut down their operations. The loss of business of these small companies compelled them to join the larger firms.
The government became corrupt with the huge inflow of money. They had negotiated with the large firms and made dealings for huge sums and thus they were controlled. The influence of these firms was thus overwhelming (Welke, 2001).
The condition of the labor was deteriorating day by day. The immigrants and worked for long hours with a minimal wage. There were no policies for the minimum wage and the maximum work hours. Child labor was present at that time as the kids were forced to work in harsh conditions for their family to survive. The condition of livelihood of the workers were poor as many of the families were cramped in small accommodations. The inner cities which grew up did not have the proper sanitation and hygiene facilities which were required.
The demands of fresh water and other basic amenities grew as the number of people settling in these cities multiplied to find jobs. The factories worked all round the day with no safety policies and they were very dangerous and filthy. The premises were poorly lit and there were unprotected running machines which proved to be hazardous for the lives of the workers.
The industrial revolution had resulted in the growth of certain groups of people who had questioned the various acts of the government and the large corporations. The muckrakers as they were called had exposed the economic and political corruption which was taking place like Ida Tarbell wrote the Standard oil Corporation and Upton Sinclair the Jungle to name a few. The farmers had risen against the policy makers with the formation of the Populist Party and the Grange movement had called for the regulation of the businesses and government reforms. The passing of 17th Amendment for the direct election of the US senators disturbed the illegal connections of the government officials and the large firms. The Progressives had called for the business regulations to wipe out monopoly and also the redistribution of income with the federal income tax according to the 16th Amendment (Moore et al., 2002).
The Government took actions based on the actions of the groups and passed the Sherman Act. This was an Anti-trust act which was passed in 1890 and then it eventually lead to the passage of the Clayton Anti-Trust Act in the year 1914.The Pure Food and Drug Act was passed which controlled the rate of production. The Interstate Commerce commission was created which monitored the activities of the larger corporations. The President, Theodore Roosevelt came to be known as the Trust Buster as he had broken the bad monopolies and controlled the good ones.

Citations
"The first general order issued by the Father of his Country after the Declaration of Independence indicates the spirit in which our institutions were founded and should ever be defended.".(n.d.). Life After the Civil War. Retrieved July 19, 2015, from http://www.civilwar.com/overview/soldier-life/148559-life-after-the-civil-war.html
Economics and the Civil War.(n.d.).Economics and the Civil War. Retrieved July 19, 2015, from http://www.historycentral.com/CivilWar/AMERICA/Economics.html
American History Since 1865: Major Events and Trends. (n.d.).Article Myriad. Retrieved July 19, 2015, from http://www.articlemyriad.com/american-history-1865-major-events-trends/