Industrial Revolution Essay, Research Paper
Industrial Revolution Essay
The period between 1865 and 1900 is known as the Industrial
Revolution. During that time the U.S. changed from an un-unified,
agricultural society into a developed, industrialized society. Industrialization
changed all aspects of the country. The revolution did have negative effects
on society,such as poor work conditions and child labor. While the Industrial
Revolution did create many long lasting labor problems, it did advance
America economicallyand, therefore left the U.S. better off in 1900 than it was
in 1865.
In 1865, the U.S. was an agricultural society, where 90 percent of the
population had to farm to survive. This was changed by the end of the
revolution, a very low percentage of the population could feed the rest. This
along with a large number immigrants coming over from Europe, led to the
fact that the U.S. had a large work force to stay in cities and work at factory
jobs. With this and a number of willing businessmen to lead the revolution,
all the factors were in place.
The Revolution brought to America a new economy and left it as one of
the biggest manufacturers in the world. The American economy was pretty
much the same throughout the 90 years before 1865. Industrialization brought
great change to the American economic system. Big businesses like the
Standard Oil Company and Carnegie Steel replaced the old small, local
businesses. While these big businesses did use dirty and illegal tactics, they
created a large number of jobs and were able to keep prices low. In addition to
big business, the idea of capitalism was introduced to american society,
in which anyone who works hard can succeed. This idea became the basis to
the “American Dream “. People felt that if they worked hard they could climb
the social ladder.
Along with the new economic system and other improvements, the
Industrial Revolution brought with it many negative aspects. The working
conditions at this time were horrible, there were 16-hour work days, unsafe
conditions and low wages. In addition, there was many children working in
these same conditions. Other than the working conditions, these new big
businesses created monopolies and manipulated the government to get away
with anything they wanted. These companies eliminated all competition and
therefore were able to set prices at what they want and control many aspects of
the common persons way of life. The big companies made a lot of money off
of the suffering of the common people.
In conclusion, while the Industrial Revolution created many labor
problems which still exist today, it left the United States in a much better
position than it was before the revolution. The U.S. became the biggest
economic power as a result and was able to be the biggest manufacturer of
many goods in the world. Although flawed the Industrial revolution was good
for America.