Industrial Revolution
Lasting Contributions of the American Industrial Revolution
Much different than the British industrial revolution, America's industrial revolution was born out of a need to be more self sufficient, more specifically, to have improved transportation and manufacturing interfaces in order to cope with the war of 1812. However, the American industrial revolution did far more than improve the United States' readiness for war. Instead, it improved transportation and telecommunications, along with allowing for a middle class and the change of gender roles.
Communication and transportation were two primary objectives of the industrial revolution, especially as a result of Westward expansion and urbanization. Westward expansion began with the Louisiana Purchase and continued, expanding the size of the United States and making a central communication system necessary, as well as transportation reliable enough to reach these areas. Solving the problem of the communication was the telegraph, invented in 1844 and proliferated by 1860 (Kelly). Urbanization, which was a result of the increasingly industrial-focused rather than agricultural-focused economy in the United States, made that communication even more necessary, as families in crowded cities could now get information to back to those still in agricultural centers and vice versa. With families and neighborhoods splitting along urban and rural lines, improvements in transportation were necessary for personal and commercial reasons. The completion of the Cumberland Road -- the first national highway -- and the transcontinental railroad, in addition to the Eerie Canal's opening, helped solve the transportation trouble (Kelly).
Although these industrial advancements progressed the United States, insuring its position as an economic and technological leader, social reforms also occurred because of the new focus on industry. Women were given new opportunities to work outside of the home through the jobs provided in the industrial revolution, and a middle class of working people was created. The industrial revolution showed many that the American dream could really occur. If a person worked hard enough, he or she many not become part of the rich-upper class, but neither was he or she locked into the agricultural world of dependence on the land. Thus, with the industrial revolution's technological and social contributions, the era helped launch the United States into a new, progressive era.
Works Cited
Kelly, Martin. "Overview of the Industrial Revolution." About.com. 2009. 26 July 2009.
