The Civil War that occurred in America in the 1860 shaped the nation's direction in terms of industrialization. Many people practiced farming before the war but later resorted living in urban centers and industrial towns. Industrialization changed the way farming and livestock keeping was done. This study has shown that industrialization led to increased capitalism, where the average working American had to work extra hard to satisfy their life needs.
Industrialization After the Civil War
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After the Civil War, the United States became a much-industrialized society. The country was characterized by several industrial developments. More investments were put on establishing industries that could facilitate the production capacity of the country. Key policies were laid to drive the growth of industries in many of the sectors leading to the growth of industrialization in the country. These developments took place amidst an agrarian society that characterized America before the civil war. Before the civil war, many investments were made in agriculture with farming being a major economic activity for the American people. However, this affected the growth of the economy as the American population shot up (Rees, 2008).
The nation resorted to industrialization after the civil war. This saw a change in lifestyle among many Americans as more people got jobs in the industries that were established at the time. As the United States became much industrialized, the social lives of the Americans changed for more people were concentrated where the industries were located resulting in the emergence of metropolitan dwellings and cities. This further led to other socioeconomic changes like the emergence of capitalism in the U.S. The 1865-1920 industrialization improved American life in many ways, but also created problems in the American society.
2. Identify three (3) major aspects of industrialization during 1865 and 1920 that influenced U.S. society, economy, and politics. Consider issues such as geography, entrepreneurship, legislative representation, etc. Explain your responses with specific examples and details.
A number of aspects characterized the 1865-1920 industrialization that affected the outcome of the industrialization. The first aspect was the issue of geography and agriculture. Industrialization in the United States brought many changes in agriculture and the role of agriculture in the economy. The growth of industrialization led to the establishment of industries that attracted many people who entirely depended on agriculture. Industrialization changed the way farming and livestock keeping was done. This field was left for the large-scale farmers since many people fled the countryside into the urban centers to work in the established industry. A notable shift in the growth of the economy from high dependence on agricultural products into high dependence on industrial products was evident (Rees, 2008).
Industrialization left agriculture in the hands of the owners of large farms, who enjoyed economies of scale, and were able to have large produce that would be taken to the industries. In addition, industrialization led to the development of equipments that enabled farming to be commercialized. It led to the development of large-scale farming, where large tracks of land would be farmed. Majority of the small-scale farmers moved to the cities searching for jobs in the industries leaving the large tracts of land that were extremely productive.
The second key aspect of industrialization was settlement patterns of the Americans. Industrialization led to major changes in the settlement patterns, and the way of life of the Americans. New settlement patterns began to take the form as new industries were put in place. For instance, more people from the villages began to consider moving to the urban centers to access jobs offered by the established industries. The jobs in the industries seemed to pay more, and offered an opportunity to those who lacked jobs. Besides, such jobs could bolster anyone into a better socioeconomic status that many village dwellers cared less in attaining it (Vapnek, 2009).
A new settlement pattern was established as the places where the industries were located had concentrated population. This led to the growth of urban centers since the people who were gathered in the different places had common needs. Urban centers and cities began to sprout from such places. This led to a shift in the settlement and lifestyle of many Americans who went to these centers. In this regard, more people opted to settle fully in the urban centers because of the available industrial jobs and presence of the infrastructural amenities. Some of the urban centers became large cities hosting many people from diverse backgrounds (Dubofsky, 1996).
The third important aspect that is related to the American industrialization was the issue of legislative representation. The issue of legislative representation became a major issue as the population in the urban centers arose. As the population rose up in the urban centers, people interacted, and began to make property; the issue of governance and legislative representation became a significant issue. People felt the need to have a definite way of governance, and be represented. This facilitated the creation of many political institutions of governance and representation. The people, and communities in the urban centers were more schooled, and they pushed for many changes in political governance as evidenced today, through the current political institutions.
In most cases, industrialization influenced the lifestyle the common working American citizen during this period. First, industrialization led to increased capitalism, where the average working American had to work extra hard to satisfy their life needs. Secondly, the average American worker's life was also affected by the negative externalities of serving in the industries. Some of the workers had to be patient under poor working conditions in order to make a living. In addition, the average American worker also experienced social change, as more people met in the urban centers leading to new social ties (Aronowitz, 1999).
3. Identify three (3) specific groups that were affected by industrialization and provide two examples for each group describing how the group was affected. (Consider issues such as race, ethnicity, gender, child labor, etc.)
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