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Industrial Revolution

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Abstract
The second U.S. Industrial Revolution had a great impact on American lives. This assignment will discuss two positive and two negative effects of industrialization in the United States. I will also discuss whether industrialization was beneficial or deter mental to the lives of Americans and the history of the United States.

Industrialization in America
The second Industrial Revolution was also known as the Technological Revolution and followed the first Industrial Revolution. France, Germany, and the United States were the main countries involved in the second revolution. Historians wanted an industrial system. This meant they needed a “set of arraignments or processes – whether of extraction, production, transportation, distribution, or finance – organized to make the whole industrial order function smoothly.” (Davidson, Stoff , DeLay, Heyman, & Lytle, 2011) To gain the industrial system they desired new technology needed to be invented. One of these inventions came in the form of communications.
“In the early 1840’s newspapers were the form of communication” however it took too long for newspapers to reach people. From New York to Indiana, it took 10 days to get there and if by ship, it took three months to arrive in San Francisco. This was a great disadvantage for the new industrial order. Transportation had been greatly improved, but without communication, materials or goods needed would have to wait until the next newspaper or ship arrived. This wait time was no longer necessary when Samuel Morse “sent out his first message over electric wire” (Davidson, Stoff , DeLay, Heyman, & Lytle, 2011) in 1844. This came to be known as Morse code. “Morse Code is an alphabetic code of long and short sounds.” (WiseGeek, n.d.) these sounds were sent over a machine called a telegraph. 76,000 miles of telegraph lines had been strung in 1861. Railroads were able to use Morse code to keep traffic down. Without this invention, it would not have been possible to avoid traffic on railroads.
Replacing the telegraph and Morse code in the world of communication came the telephone. Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone while teaching the deaf. While trying to transmit speech electronically he invented the telephone. On March 10, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell spoke the first sentence over his invention the telephone. “Mr. Watson, come here I want you” were the words Bell’s assistant Thomas Watson heard through the telephone down the hall from Bell. The invention of the telephone has become a better way of communicating then Morse code.” President Rutherford B. Hays had the first telephone installed in the White House in 1878.” (Davidson, Stoff , DeLay, Heyman, & Lytle, 2011) The first telephone exchange was opened in New Haven, CT the same year. 1.5 million telephones were installed by 1900 in homes and offices. “The patent for the telephone has proved to be the most valuable ever granted.” (Davidson, Stoff , DeLay, Heyman, & Lytle, 2011) The telephone helped communications through distances and it had become a social revolution.
Another positive outcome of industrialization was an improved transportation system. Transportation was a necessity during the industrial revolution. Raw materials and finished goods needed to be transported long distances. Waterways and railroads were greatly increased during the industrial revolution. Water transportation was the cheapest way to get goods from one place to another. With water transportation in high demand waterways were widened and deepened to allow more boats to pass through. “In 1807, Robert Fulton made the first steam powered engine to power a steam boat.” (Davidson, Stoff , DeLay, Heyman, & Lytle, 2011) He went from New York to Albany using his steamboat on the Hudson River to demonstrate what his new boar could do. His steamboats reduced the time it took to ravel form one place to another. Steamboats could also carry heavy loads even when water levels were low because of their flat bottoms. The steamboat was a major form of western transportation. However, railroads would put an end to the mass use of steamboats.
“In 1830, the nation only has thirteen miles of track. 3.312 miles of track was added by 1840 and by 1850, there was a total of 8.879 miles of track. Railroad transportation was available all year round and traveled twice as fast as the steamboat. The price for transportation on the rail system was higher, but it was worth it. By the 1850, the railroads dominated the transportation system.
While so much good came out of industrialization, there were also not so good parts. Environmental damage was a major problem during the industrial revolution. Urbanization played a role in the environmental damage of the United States. With the growing factories needed more workers many immigrants and farm workers were coming to the city to work in factories. This led to a rise in the population. With the population growing so rapidly, cities were unable to provide necessities to people such as water. In the poor area’s tenements were built to house factory workers. The tenements had limited plumbing and electricity. The areas where the tenements were being built were called slums or ghettos. In these areas disease, pollution, and high infant mortality rate were common. Streets were piled with trash and people were running around passing along diseases, because they had no money for medicines and could not afford to take the day off work to get better. Environmental damage also took place because of the factories and the machine that were used. The water, air, and soil in these cities were being polluted by the factories run offs and the pollution that was being made by the smoke stacks. While no one knew it at the time, the industrialization period damaged the environment enormously.
When weighting out the good and the bad the industrialization of the United States was beneficial in the long run. Sacrifices had to be made for us to be where we are at today. Many people suffered during this period, but changes were made and lives were improved. Transportation as we know it today would not have been possible without the ideas that came from the industrial revolution. With the advancements in technology came bad, but we are making great strides today to try and fix our past mistakes. We learn by trial and error and the industrial revolution has showed us many errors that we know not to make again.

References
Davidson, J. W., Stoff , M. B., DeLay, B., Heyman, C. L., & Lytle, M. H. (2011). Experience History: Interpreting America's Past. New York, New York: McGraw-Hill.
AT&T. (n.d.). Retrieved June 25, 2012, from Inventing the Telephone: http://www.corp.att.com/history/inventing.html/
Industrial Revolution - Transportation. (n.d.). Retrieved June 25, 2012, from Industrial Revolution Research: http://industrialrevolutionresearch.com/industrial_revolution_transportation.php
WiseGeek. (n.d.). Retrieved June 25, 2012, from What is Morse Code?: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-morse-code.htm
Strotz, R. H., & Mokyr, J. (1998, August). The Second Industrial Revolution, 1870-1914. Retrieved June 25, 2012, from Northwestern University: http://faculty.wcas.northwestern.edu/~jmokyr/castronovo.pdf

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