The Impact of Industrialization in America

During the eighteenth century, the world began to change. The Industrial Revolution began in the United Kingdom, with major developments in technology, agriculture, transport, mining, and manufacturing. Before the shift to powered machinery, basic machines and hand tools were used in people’s homes for manufacturing. The transition to industrialization had an influence on nearly every aspect of daily life. After the Civil War, industrialization spread to North America and the increasing number of factories transformed the United States from an agricultural to an urban nation, causing dramatic shift in the society, economy, and politics of the country. American industrialization impacted immigration, urbanization, and the growth of big businesses. The increasing number of factories created a higher labor demand. Immigrants, mainly from Europe and China, settled in the U.S. to take advantage of the work opportunities. In response to the factory worker demand, “America experienced an immigration boom, ‘the Great Wave,’ during which immigration averaged 600,000 annually… primarily by European immigrants; particularly, in its second half, with immigrants from southern and eastern Europe” (Progressives for Immigration Reform, 2012-2014). Immigrants were attracted by the idea of being able to support their families, which was an opportunity lacking in their home countries. However, Americans, despite the cheap labor, became overwhelmed with the cultural differences and competition for unskilled workers the immigrants brought to the country. Therefore, the government was forced to take action by enforcing policies that restricted immigration, such as the Immigration Act of 1882. In addition to immigrants increasing American population, they also contributed to the growth of urbanization. Immigrants and the working class of America began to migrate to the more urban areas where they could be closer to work. During this time, cities were becoming overcrowded leading to the spread of tenements. “In New York City–where the population doubled every decade from 1800 to 1880–buildings that had once been single-family dwellings were increasingly divided into multiple living spaces to accommodate this growing population” (History.com Staff, 2010). As the factories grew and the working class population boomed, urbanization spread across the northern part of the country quickly, leaving the rural areas to those who actually owned the factories. The separation of the working and middle-classes increased consequently with the increase in big businesses. The rich wanted, of course, to stay rich, because, along with riches, came power. This power, in turn, attracted corrupt politicians. Businessmen and politicians often made deals to benefit both parties. For example, “In order to obtain land grants, protective tariffs, tax relief, and other ‘favors’, many businessmen exchanged cash or stock options with the era’s politicians” (Shultz, The Industrial Revolution, 2014). In urban New York, politics were corrupted by “Boss” William M. Tweed’s allies and friends, known as the Tweed Ring, who were well-ordered by Tammany Hall. Tammany Hall was “a Democratic political organization known as a “machine” whose members regarded politics as an opportunity to get rich while providing favors to the urban underclass” (Shultz, The Industrial Revolution, 2014). The machine politics exploited workers in order to remain in power and sustain wealth. These opportunists created a clear social and political division in this new industrialized America. Many different aspects of life were rapidly changing. On a narrower scale, individual groups, such as women, children, and farmers, were experiencing negative impacts in their lives because of industrialization. Before the Civil War, a woman’s role was mainly performed inside the home, while the husbands worked outside the home. A woman’s time was more flexible, as they were able to parent while tending to the fields and knitting to produce food and goods, respectively. During the industrial era, as the shift in production changed to machine based, women were forced to supply the labor demand for factories, and less time was spent at home. As with women, children also became part of the labor force. Business owners were desperate for cheap labor, and children were just that, despite the unsafe working conditions. According to the staff at history.com, “Children were useful as laborers because their size allowed them to move in small spaces in factories or mines where adults couldn’t fit, children were easier to manage and control and perhaps most importantly, children could be paid less than adults” (History.com Staff, 2009). Children had to sacrifice education, in order to help support their families. Family time became more of an idea than a practice, as industrialization spread. As the production of goods transformed, farmers struggled to compete with the new machines. Mechanization, for example, increased production, but reduced the needs for farm labor. Therefore, farmers saw a greater opportunities for higher wages by working in the cities. Also consumer goods became accessible through mail order, which allowed the rural community to buy outside of their local farmers. The farmers who stayed in the agriculture business had to adapt to the changes. The new technologies and forms of transportation, like the railroads, increased farmer productivity. However, the machinery that was required to increase production, also required farmers to get loans to pay for the equipment, which, in turn, put farmers in debt. This debt was harder to pay off as the land prices rose, but crop prices plunged. In response to the lack of government help, several movements developed, such as the Grange Movement in 1867 in Washington, D.C. “Grangers demanded the regulation of railroad rates…and succeeded in having rate legislation in several states…” (Shultz, The Industrial Age: North, South, and West, 2014). Farmers united to keep some part of the agrarian life in this new world. As the United States transitioned into an industry based country, the lives of the workers in America changed as well. Other than adapting to the new technologies and machinery, workers experienced horrible working conditions, which led to even worse living conditions. The growth of big businesses introduced new ways of production. The factories, railroads, and steel companies, for example, had machines that declined the demand for skilled laborers. For example, skilled hand weavers were either unemployed or underemployed because they were not as efficient as the new textile machines. Since their education and training could not compete with the vast production of the machines, skilled workers were forced to take whatever job they could get, even if it meant harsh working conditions and cheap labor. “Most laborers worked 10 to 14 hours a day, six days a week, with no paid vacation or holidays. Each industry had safety hazards too; the process of purifying iron, for example, demanded that workers toiled amidst temperatures as high as 130 degrees in the coolest part of the ironworks” (Rosen, 2010). Skilled workers were in such low demand, so they had little bargaining power to change their conditions. Their lack of power, and income, forced the working class to live in unsanitary conditions. As stated previously, tenements formed to accommodate the workers and their families. The tenements were crammed with entire families, basically, sleeping on top of one another. These buildings also lacked proper sewage, which aided in the spread of diseases, such as typhoid, which “swept through city populations at a time when the connection between sewage and disease transmission was not widely understood” (Shultz, The Industrial Age: North, South, and West, 2014). The income was so low for these families, that they could not afford the medical attention needed to treat the diseases. American workers learned the hard way that not all changes benefit the entire population. Even though life seemed to have turned for the worst for some, industrialization did boost the United States economy. The Industrial Revolution was the period when Thomas Edison made the light bulb, and Alexander Bell invented the telephone. With advancements in technology and transportation, production was increased in a more efficient manner. For example, “By 1878, inventors had perfected the [railroad] cars, which permitted long-distance transfer of numerous perishable goods” (Shultz, The Industrial Revolution, 2014). Industrialization helped the United States create one of the best economies in the world. Before the Industrial Revolution, Americans made a living from small, personal businesses with skilled workers. It was more of a rural country. However, after the Civil War, industries were developed and the aspects of American life changed drastically. Small businesses became big businesses, immigrants flowed in, cities grew massively, and America was in transformation. Despite the economic growth, industrialization also had a negative impact on American society.

Bibliography
History.com Staff. (2009). Child Labor. Retrieved from History.com: http://www.history.com/topics/child-labor
History.com Staff. (2010). Tenements. Retrieved from History.com: http://www.history.com/topics/tenements
Progressives for Immigration Reform. (2012-2014). U.S. Immigration History. Retrieved from united States Immigration Policy- Environmental Impact Statement: http://www.immigrationeis.org/about-ieis/us-immigration-history
Rosen, W. (2010). The Most Powerful Idea in the World: A Story of Steam, Industry, and Invention. New York: Random House. Retrieved from http://webs.bcp.org/sites/vcleary/ModernWorldHistoryTextbook/IndustrialRevolution/IREffects.html#workingconditions
Shultz, K. M. (2014). The Industrial Age: North, South, and West. In K. M. Shultz, Hist Volume II: US History Since 1865 (pp. 310-332). Mason: Cengage Learning.
Shultz, K. M. (2014). The Industrial Revolution. In K. M. Shultz, Hist Volume II: US History Since 1865 (pp. 290-309). Mason: Cengage Learning.