American industrialization and its social consequences in the 19th century

Industrialization in the 19th Century

In the late 1800s and early 1900's, America entered an industrial revolution, meaning that people moved from living and working on farms to working in factories and living in cities. This movement had both positive and negative effects on people.

On the positive side, more, better, and inexpensive goods, transportation, and communication were possible. However, industrialization also brought pollution, child labor issues, and crowded cities.

Social Changes and Conflicts

As old industries expanded and new industries, such as petroleum refining, electrical power and steel manufacturing, were created, America changed in many ways. Railroads were expanded immensely, making even remote areas a part of the national market economy.

Industrialization changed American society in many ways, which created many social conflicts. A new class of wealthy industrialists and a prosperous middle class were created, as was an expanded blue-collar working class. The labor force created by industrial growth was made up of immigrants and rural migrants, which made American society more diverse than ever.

However, while times were good, not all Americans enjoyed economic prosperity. Many workers were paid low wages and many others were unemployed for much of the year. Workers at this time joined labor unions to protect themselves.

In addition, farm workers were suffering. Many farmers lacked the skills and resources to compete with the rapidly advancing technology and increases in production. The prices for farm products dropped and many farmers moved to cities in order to find better employment opportunities.

Industrial expansion and population growth changed the nation's cities. Noise, traffic jams, slums, air pollution, and sanitation and health problems were created by industrialization. Mass transit, such as buses and subways, was built, and skyscrapers began to appear all over cities.

New communities, called suburbs, began to be built just beyond the city to accommodate the masses of migrants moving from rural areas. Commuters, those who lived in the suburbs and traveled in and out of the city for work, began to increase in number, depending on trains, buses and automobiles to get to work.

Many city residents lived in rental apartments or tenement housing. Neighborhoods, particularly for immigrant populations, were places where residents formed communities and attempted to hold onto and practice cultural traditions. Even today, many neighborhoods or sections of some of the great cities in America reflect those ethnic heritages.

It is important to recognize that Americans born in the 1800's experienced major changes within their lifetimes. As the 19th century progressed, they were using electric light bulbs rather than candles; driving automobiles as apposed to steam-powered locomotives; and experiencing life amidst an industrial revolution that radically changed the ways millions of people worked and where they lived. Industrialization created a new class struggle, a conflict between the different classes of people, which had an impact on the changes that occurred in American society.

The Industrial revolution brought on more technology, wealth and power, but many people were living in filth, working long hours and being paid very little. The revolution shaped modern society to what it is today. Many complained that machines were invented to do all the work, making human beings less important to the job market.

After the War

The Civil War was a war that affected every single person in both the North and South. When the war began, both sides were confident that they would have a quick victory. The war was a long and grueling series of battles. By the time the war ended, much of the South was destroyed and both sides suffered huge death tolls. The recovery process was a long one and social conflicts intensified.

The economic development of the North during the Civil War established the Industrial Revolution in America. This was a huge change in the American society. It also assured that the plantation society of the South was dead, and would one day have to enter the industrial. This economic and social change was far more of a defeat for the South and victory for the North than all the battles of the war. The Southern way of life was essentially over and this created hostilities and tensions.

While the North prospered after the war, the South remained largely poor, overwhelmingly agrarian and economically dependent. Its society enforced a rigid social segregation of blacks from whites, and tolerated recurrent racial violence.

In the North, economic growth and prosperity came corresponding problems. Businesses began to dominate whole industries. Trusts, made up of many corporations, tried to establish monopoly control over some industries. It would take decades for cities to figure out solutions to the problems and conflicts created by industrialization.