Introduction
Industrial urbanization can be defined as the growth of cities and towns as a result of the need for places of stay by the large workforce and workers for industrial factories. In the 19th century, factories and cities attracted many people from the rural parts of the country and other parts of the world for job opportunities and better lives in the United States. During the period, the United States saw unprecedented growth in industrialization and urbanization as a result of improved technology. The new technology of the 19th century accelerated industrialization, necessitating a high number of laborers. Technology played a more important role in industrial urbanization than migration in the United States by enabling major industrial developments such as steam engines used in factories and railways for transport.
Discussion
Firstly, technologies such as the steam engine resulted in the establishment of factories that employed more people than artisan shops did before the Industrial Revolution. Factories employed more people due to the division of labor. Indeed, by the late nineteenth century, the scope of the division of labor had become so comprehensive that, in bigger factories, a worker could be allocated only one duty in the production of a product (Rees, 2019). This severe division of labor resulted in a significant growth in the diversity of occupational titles. Factories also used more capital per worker and unit of production than artisan businesses. One of the primary reasons for the increased capital intensity in industrial output was the increasing use of machinery designed particularly to replace human operations – such as drilling or polishing – and powered by an inanimate source (Shi and George, 2018). The steam engine was the dominant source at first, but it was supplanted at the very end when electricity became accessible in some places (Shi and George, 2018). As civilization pushed west, this was exacerbated by a dearth of adequate waterpower sites in favorable positions.
One popular theory holds that the introduction of low-cost, dependable steam engines liberated industries to mechanize and urbanize. The core premise, which is rather ancient, is that the steam engine removed a significant geographical limitation connected with waterpower (Atack, Margo, and Rhode, 2021). Water-powered manufacturing plants are required to be located near a suitable site. As a result of the technological advancements in equipment, more establishments required more power and could profit from utilizing steam, creating a feedback process between steam and urbanization (Shi and George, 2018). Before the mid-nineteenth century, industries, such as the early textile mills had to be placed near rivers and seaports, both for the transportation of commodities and the necessary water power. Production grew reliant on seasonal water flow, with harsh, ice winters effectively halting river transit (Atack, Margo, and Rhode, 2021). “Many of the new inventions generated dramatic changes,” (Shi and George, 2018). The development of the steam engine significantly changed the need to rely on flowing rivers, allowing enterprises to establish their facilities near metropolitan areas. These industries prompted an increasing number of people to relocate to cities where jobs were available.
Secondly, technology played a more important role in industrial urbanization than migration, since cities acquired their own individual characteristics based on the primary industry that fueled their expansion. Although towns such as Philadelphia, Boston, and New York sprung up from the early days of colonization, the urban rising population occurred in the mid-nineteenth century (Shi and George, 2018). Due to significant developments in industrialization, the charms of city life, particularly work prospects, rose dramatically during this period. Steel defined Pittsburgh; meat packing defined Chicago; the textile and banking sectors ruled New York; and vehicles defined Detroit by the mid-twentieth century. Not every city in the country grew as quickly as the major ones (Atack, Margo, and Rhode, 2021). Because of disparities in the type of industrial expansion, there were significant regional variances in urbanization.
Furthermore, the Northeast’s major cities were manufacturing powerhouses, with everything from enormous factories making railroad locomotives to tiny enterprises creating textiles in people’s apartments. Smaller communities in the Northeast specialized in certain sectors, such as Rochester, New York, which specialized in men’s apparel, boots, and shoes (Atack, Margo, and Rhode, 2021). Following in the footsteps of earlier manufacturers, the cotton textile industries in New Bedford and Fall River, Massachusetts grew in size. Other communities, such as Elizabeth, New Jersey, arose as a result of their bigger neighbors’ expansion. The development of these cities and towns can therefore be attributed to the advancement in technology.
Lastly, technology led to the development of railways, which greatly improved transport and communication between cities. Construction of the Pacific Railways led to the expansion to the west. The Pacific Railway Act, approved by Congress in 1862, allowed the building of a transcontinental railroad (Library of Congress, 2022). The railroad was built to encourage westward growth into areas that were sparsely or not populated at all. When the train system grew into states like Nevada, Arizona, and California, for example, settlement became considerably more common and steady. Except for California, states beyond the Midwest portion of the US had almost no population per square mile in 1860. After 1860, a constant stream of people poured into the West, and by 1890, the territories now occupied by the states of California, Utah, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and New Mexico had increased greatly in population (Library of Congress, 2022). The Pacific railways were therefore significant to the urbanization in the west.
However, those with the opinion that migration played a more important role in industrial urbanization than technology in the United States argue that urbanization resulted mainly as a result of immigrants. They base their arguments on the fact that the immigrant labor force such as the Chinese labor force settled in major cities and towns, leading to urbanization (Shi and George, 2018). Their argument is not totally true because the large population of immigrants such as the Chinese labor force were drawn to the United States by the promised job opportunities promoted by the industrial developments. “Ships overflowing with adventurous and desperate people arrived from all over the world, eager to experience the American Dream,” implying that the majority of individuals did not come purposely for development (Shi and George, 2018). Therefore, technology played a bigger role in attracting immigrants to the United States during the 19th Century.
Conclusion
In conclusion, migration was less crucial in industrial urbanization than in technology. Technologies such as the invention of steam engines led to the development of factories which employed a larger workforce, hence leading to the development of towns and cities near the factories. Technology also played a more significant role, as evidenced by the fact that cities acquired their own individual characteristics based on the primary industry that fueled their expansion. Lastly, technology led to improved transport such as the development of Pacific railways which facilitated communication and transport between cities and towns, improving urbanization.
References
Atack, Jeremy, Margo, Robert and Rhode Paul. 2021. “Industrialization and Urbanization in the Nineteenth Century America.” National Bureau of Economic Research. 2021. Web.
Library of Congress. 2022. “Railroads in the 19th Century.” Web.
Shi, David Emory, and George Brown Tindall. America: The Essential Learning Edition (Vol. 1). Vol. 2. WW Norton, 2018.