History concepts and applications

History Industrial Revolution

What impact did the Industrial Revolution in England have on the American colonies?

During the mid-eighteenth century, the Great Britain had started the Industrial Revolution; meanwhile the American colonies had not yet begun their journey towards industrialization. The main reason why the American colonies lagged behind the British was that the former had abundance of land and at the same time scarcity of labor. However, it should be note here that the Industrial Revolution in England impacted the American colonies in terms of economy and society; both positively and adversely.

In this paper, we shall discuss the positive as well as the negative effects of Industrial Revolution on America.

Economic Effects

It should be noted here that the framework of Industrial Revolution that was implemented in the American colonies was borrowed from England after the American industrialists saw that the Great Britain's economic position improved significantly after the commencement of the Industrial Revolution. When the system of production in the American colonies was mechanized, the production of goods became very efficient as well as cost effective. This meant that the cost of the goods that were being produced also decreased and therefore the demand of these products increased within the American colonies and the world over. The countries where industrialization had not yet begun increased trade with America since the goods were being produced in the latter at a cheaper cost, which (the trade) in turn strengthened the economy of America. Moreover, because of industrialization and replacement of manual labor by machines, American colonies also started doing well in agriculture resulting in a decline in imports of agricultural products.

It should be noted here that there were also some negative effects of industrialization on the American economy. Since most of the goods were being produced by the use of machines and only a few people had the knowledge of operating these machines, many people were dismissed from their work. This meant that there was generally a decline in the employment rate of America, which was obviously an economic setback for the country.

Social Effects

It will not be wrong to say that the most important impact that Industrialization had on the American society was that the standard of living of the American people rose. Following in the footsteps of the British society, the American colonies also modernized with industrialization. Before the Industrial Revolution, the American colonies depended upon agriculture for their economic growth, but when the Industrial Revolution started, many people started moving to the big cities resulting in the expansion and modernization of these towns and cities as the people strived for better facilities with every passing day. Just as there were some economic setbacks of the Industrial Revolution in the American society, it also adversely affected the society. As the standard of living of most people rose, there were some people whose standard of living declined and these were the ones who had to lose their jobs to the machines. Also, as the cities expanded there was considerable increase in pollution as well as significant decline in the health of the people. The cities started to become overcrowded and the chances of spread of contagious diseases and infections also increased until the healthcare department worked day in and day out to resolve and prevent these issues.

There were also some developments in the American colonies that cannot be discretely categorized as being economic or social as they can be considered in both the categories. After and during the Industrial Revolution there was considerable decrease in the manual labor and productivity had a direct relation with the use of machines for which only a few people were needed to operate. Since most of the people who were previously employed in any industry did not have the knowledge and practical skills to operate these machines, young people and especially women were hired at low wages to do this job. At the same time, they were given the incentive that they will be taught how to work on these machines. Even though this action could be partially justified, this led to the formation of many labor unions throughout the continent and these labor unions continue to exist and fight for the rights of the workers till now.

Conclusion