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.