Assignment 1.1: Industrialization after the Civil War Thesis and Outline
Assignment 1.1: Industrialization after the Civil War Thesis and Outline
Thesis
Thesis: In the years following the Civil War, the Industrial Revolution marks a turning point in the American history; the United States was transformed from an agricultural to industrial society what had a major effect on almost every aspect of the daily life.
I. Three major aspects of industrialization between 1865 and 1920 that influenced US society, economy, and politics.
A. The shift from an agrarian to factory based society. Prior to Industrialization, America possessed a mainly agrarian economy based on the hand labor. However, after the Civil War, the American economy changed dramatically: machines replaced hand labor and increased the production and trade capacities of the industry. Thus, one of the major aspects of Industrialization was the shift from an agrarian to factory based society, what brought labor-saving products, caused advances in transportation, and lowered prices for manufactured goods (Benzel, 2000).
B. Urbanization. Meanwhile, not everyone got the benefit from the economic prosperity of this period. The high rates of unemployment in rural areas made many young people move to the rapidly growing cities in search of better job opportunities.
C. Power in hands of corporate elite. Industrialization brought a relentless run for efficiency and profits that led to more powerful businesses and gave the corporate elite great power in national affairs. Thus, the country’s politics was based on the ownership of machines and factories in private hands, rather than public (More, 2000).
II. List five (5) specific groups affected by industrialization and two examples for each.
Native Americans. There were many bloody massacres such as the Sand Creek Massacre in 1864 where many Indian women and children were killed due to ethnic differences. The tribes of Native Americans were forced upon smaller sections of land in different parts of the country. For example, the Ohio River Valley and Dallas were the territories meant for the Colonial Settlement. On the territories of old settlements, the New-comers built the cities with new infrastructure.
Rich and Low Classes. The rich people who owned private businesses got even richer with the boost of manufacturing. Industrialization allowed the upper class to build huge factories and increase their capitals. However, the poor and working-class people’s lives did not necessarily improve. For centuries agriculture was the main source of their incomes; now it was shifted to factories with massive production. The factory work was usually easier than working in the country, so women and children joined the workforce in huge numbers. However, their wages were extremely low, so it was hard to earn a decent living.
Farmers. Industrialization allowed to build new farm machinery decreasing the need for human labor what caused huge unemployment in rural areas. Those who decided to adjust their production to industrial trends had to pay fixed prices for transporting the products to the markets (George, 1982).
Immigrants. The Industrial Revolution led to the constant need of the workforce, as production rates were much higher than those reached by hand labor. Many people moved from the rural areas of the United States. Others came from European countries either in search for better living or escaping from the political persecution. Basically, there were two major waves of European immigration: this first wave came between 1820-1860 from North and West Europe, and another wave of immigrants came between 1880-1920 from South and East Europe.
The “new” middle class. The middle class itself grew significantly in size increasing the number of shopkeepers, merchants and accountants. These workers earned more money and could guarantee themselves a more comfortable life. They were also able to give a proper education to their children so that their social status would be maintained or even raised with the next generation (More, 2000).
III. List five (5) ways that industrialization affected the life of the average working American during this period
A. Working conditions with the lack of attention to safety measures.
B. Loss of Status as a Worker or de-skilling, as the system of production was divided into smaller tasks which required less skilled workers.
C. Urbanization was a building of large cities with transportation and production infrastructure.
D. Relatively easy work at factories enabled cheap child and woman labor where employers could justify lower wages.
E. The long-working hours that could last for 10-12 hours 6-7 days a week (Schultz, 2014).
References
Benzel, R.F. (2000). The Political Economy of American Industrialization, 1877–1900. Cambridge, UK and New York: Cambridge University Press.
George, P. (1982). The emergence of industrial America: strategic factors in American economic growth since 1870. Albany: State University of New York Press.
More, Ch. (2000). Understanding the Industrial Revolution. Routledge.
Schultz, K. (2014). Hist3, Volume 2: U.S. History since 1865. Boston: Cengage Learning.
