The industrial revolution in American society encompassed changes in the manufacturing, transportation, and communication sectors. One of the earliest industrialization landmarks was around the 18th century when Samuel Slater introduced new technologies from Britain into the USA (Harasymiw, 2021). In the following years, many industries sprung up and were powered by water. At the beginning of the 19th century, technological innovation grew when Robert Fulton established the steamboat service, Samuel Morse invented the telegraph, and Elias Howe invented the sewing machine (Harasymiw, 2021). The transcontinental railroad was also completed, making transporting people, goods, products, and raw materials easier.
The industrial revolution mainly benefited the class of wealthy industrialists and the prosperous middle class. Goods that were not available before were produced in these industries (Stearns, 2020). There was an increase in the number of the working class as people migrated from the rural areas to the urban areas in search of employment. However, the people hurt by the industrialization process were enslaved, mainly shipped from African countries. They were forced to work on farms under terrible working conditions. They were also poorly paid or frequently not even paid at all, while the wealthy industrialists benefited from the enslaved people’s hard work.
The industrial revolution led to the creation of the middle and working classes. The middle classes were the owners and operators of the new industries, railroads, and mines (Stearns, 2020). Therefore, they had better and more comfortable lives than the industrial working class and the enslaved people. The middle class had self-interests as they accorded the industrial working class tough working conditions. They lived in well-furnished homes with an adequate clean water supply, while the industrial working class had poor living conditions. The industrial working class lived in an unhealthy environment with no sanitation or sewage systems.
References
Harasymiw, T. (2021). The industrial revolution. Cavendish Square Publishing, LLC.
Stearns, P. N. (2020). The industrial revolution in world history. Routledge.