Industrial Revolution is a historical error marked by new inventions and a transformation from manual labor to skilled labor. The revolution brought many advancements in production and manufacturing technology. The Industrial Revolution was first noted in Great Britain, and later it spread to entire Europe. In the United States, industrialization began in 1811 when the first factory was opened. The skilled craftsmen first employed their skills in mechanized textile production. The industrial revolution caused tremendous changes in agriculture, transport, mining, technology, and manufacturing. The Industrial Revolution’s effects affected the social-economic lives of the American people and the economy profoundly positively and negatively. The women we impacted by the revolution in the division of labor, work, respect and responsibilities.
Industrial Revolution led to increased urbanization in the United States in 1790. Many Americans moved to regions near the industries either to work or to carry out commercial activities. Specific towns such as Boston, New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Charleston hosted more than ten thousand people because of commercial activities and industries. Most Americans who did not engage in farming also moved to the towns to seek employment. This migration and settlements promoted the growth of the urban centers.
The revolution caused an increased distinction between the poor and the rich. Merchants and craft men accumulated and invested their wealth by banking, investing, and commercial trading. The rich isolated themselves and build mansions along the shores. Around the wealthy merchants’ residence, big business and government activities were carried out by the merchant groups. The towns of the rich people had well-cobbled streets with public lights all around. The poor, on the contrary, lived in the interior with unworthy roads, open sewers, and unpleasant areas. The regions were overcrowded with poor sanitation, and they suffered from epidemic diseases more often.
The United States economy rose incredibly more so in the big towns as commercial activities picked up. The per capita from developed cities such as New York rose by over sixty percent. The patriots increased the wages earned by the skilled and unskilled laborers from the farms. Despite the positive economic growth, economic stability was not assured because of the fluctuations caused by European warfare. The benefits of the rising economy were not shared equally amongst the rich and the poor. The poor received a small share making them live a precarious life.
Industrial Revolution led to new inventions in the skilled market rendering the unskilled workers irrelevant. The craftwork done manually was now being conducted by skilled artisans who were given considerate respect. Professional artistic art was mainly done by a male, where over fifty percent of the workforce consisted of males. The economy also provided an appreciating environment for the hardworking, skilled craftsmen to grow their business to moderately well-off levels.
In the year 1815, Industrial Revolution opened up the United States into the outer world. The opportunity for trading overseas and brought in the idea of the slave trade. Overseas trading caused sophistication of the economy, causing a dismissive impact on the skilled craft men. Some of them dropped down to poverty as slaves were replacing them. Few craft men were able to nature their businesses to middle-class levels.
The agriculture sector shifted to commercialization as farmers tried to meet the raw materials required for industrial production. Techniques used in farming were changed in the attempt to adopt new, more efficient skills. The use of hoes in agriculture was abolished as farmers shifted to using the plow and scythe. The farmers had to change their farming sectors as most halted the tobacco farming in preference of grain and cotton farming as their demands were higher. The wealthy farmers introduced the idea of slaves to help in tilling the fields and managing the farms.
Industrial Revolution led to improved transportation as the wealthy farmers constructed more quality roads. The well-developed towns had quality roads that were lightened by gas bulbs. The interior regions where the farms were located were served with a sound transport system to enable easy transportation of raw materials from the farms to the industries. The communication channels were also built across the United States to facilitate information flow to various recipients to allow for easy operations in the towns, farms, and industries.
The revolution resulted in racism across the United States, where the blacks were discriminated against because of their skin color. The wealthy merchants and farmers, through racism they socially separated blacks from the blacks. The white people were given a sense of superiority over the black people. Racism made it easy for the White Americans to bear a low economy because of the privileges provided, such as first hand in craftsmen and business. The black people faced severe hostility from the economy as most of them were subjected to slavery with insufficient wages.
Industrial Revolution gave women an opportunity to demonstrate their capabilities. They supported their husbands in businesses and farming. Some husbands were so delightful that they openly appreciated the wife’s efforts and abilities to run businesses and even clear the standing debts. Though women suffered oppression and abuse from some patriots and husbands, they preserved their loyalty to them throughout the course. At times of war, the women would step up to support the war and contribute positively to keeping the families intact. The mothers would provide for the children and control everything the husband left in the eventuality of the husband’s death or arrest. These duties helped women to gain confidence in their capabilities.
Despite the extraordinary abilities presented by women, the Industrial Revolution brought along discrimination of the female gender. Women were only presumed as less capable in comparison to their male counterparts. Most girls and women deployed to work in the fields and industries were paid minimal wages because the merchants argued that whatever she was earning was just a top-up to what the husband was making. Most married women were treated as housewives because their capacity to handle business and manage farms was doubted, so males attended fieldwork as women concentrated on domestic chores. Division of labor in the farms where men engaged in heavy duties like land plowing and harvesting while women took relatively easy tasks demonstrated women’s weakness.
In conclusion, Industrial Revolution in the United States is attributed to all the success of the Americans. Its impacts on the sector on agriculture, transport, and commerce are evident. Because of the great income earned by the Americans, they were able to raise their living standards; consequently, America’s economy also rose. The black people, women, and children had to pay the brutal price of discrimination brought along with the revolution. Blacks and women slaves were overworked by the masters in the fields with little pay. Despite the shortcomings of the Industrial Revolution, its contributions to the United States’ economic growth are recommendable.
References
Class notes. (2021). 6.2 Black & Women.docx.
Class notes. (2021). 7.2 American Economy.pdf.
Class notes. (2021). 7.3 Industrial Revolution.pdf.
Class notes. (2021). 8.1 Women in the Early Industrial Revolution.pdf.