Industrialization in the Aftermath of the Civil War

Industrialization After the Civil War

In the aftermath of the Civil War, the United States developed and emerged as an increasingly industrialized society. The emergence and development of the United States as a much more industrialized society after the Civil War was largely because of the significant and dramatic change in the American industry. Moreover, the increased industrialization in America was brought by increased availability of huge supplies of raw materials, emergence of a huge workforce due to immigration, development of new technologies and invention, and the emergence of highly talented business leaders. While industrialization enhanced American life in numerous ways, it also generated considerable problems for the American society. These benefits and problems of industrialization are evident in the events that took place between 1865 and 1920 i.e. after the Civil War.

Part I -- Thesis Statement

Industrialization is basically the large scale introduction of manufacturing, enhanced technical expertise and enterprises, and other beneficial economic activities that promote the rapid development and growth of a society, economy or country. When industrialization came to the United States after the Civil War, it brought positive and negative impacts on the social, political, and economic aspects of the American life and society.

Outline of Main Points

The main focus of this assignment will be an examination of industrialization after the Civil War based on its impact on the American society and way of life. The outline for this assignment will begin with an introduction, which includes a thesis statement of the main idea of the paper. This will be followed by three body paragraphs discussing various aspects of the main idea and end with a conclusion that summarizes the main points in the paper. The body paragraphs will be as follows

Body Paragraph #1: Three Major Aspects of Industrialization between 1865 and 1920

The period between 1865 and 1920 is one of the most important periods in the history of the United States since it was characterized by industrialization. Actually, the current political, social, and economic state of the United States is largely influenced by events that took place during industrialization i.e. between 1865 and 1920. One of the major aspects of industrialization during this period was urbanization, which was fueled by development of new technologies and inventions in transportation, utilities, architecture, and sanitation ("American Society Adjusts," n.d.). Urbanization was characterized by the development of cities, which became crowded by large numbers of workers for new factories. The second major aspect of industrialization between 1865 and 1920 was the emergence of new political machines. As a result of the growth of cities, new political machines like New York City's Tammany Hall started to emerge. The emergence of new political machines was because of the need to help the huge numbers of poor immigrant workers. The third major aspect of industrialization between 1865 and 1920 was the use of machines, which replaced hand labor as the means of manufacturing and enhancing production capacity.

Body Paragraph #2: Groups that Were Affected by Industrialization

As part of transforming the political, social, and economic aspects of the American life and society, industrialization had considerable impacts on various groups in the country. There are five specific groups that were affected by industrialization between 1865 and 1920 i.e. farmers, the working population, women, children, and the middle class. Industrialization's impact on these groups was largely attributed to the emergence of new economic activities, manufacturing processes, and enhancement of production capacity.

Body Paragraph #3: Industrialization's Impact on American Workers