How Did The Factory System Affect American Life

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Respond Essay# 4 History 108 The factory system began in the late 18th century and the system arose in the course of the Industrial Revolution. The factory system replaced the domestic system, in which individual workers used hand tools or simple machinery. It became the characteristics method of production in industrial economies. This system helped to improve the working condition in the industry, on the other side, this system reduced worker’s wage which they depended on for their livelihood. The factory system emerged when technological advances transformed the British textile industry and most cotton production took place in factories. Before the factory system began people used to fabricate goods in their own homes or…show more content…
The factory system affected American life in many ways. First, it helped the American economy grow because goods were cheaper, more people could buy them. As people bought more, the factories needed more workers and more workers meant more people who were earning money to buy things. Second, the factory system contributed to the growth of cities. A single factory might hire thousands of workers. These jobs brought people to the cities. Third, the factory system allowed ordinary Americans to own all kinds of things. There were more goods to buy, and they became cheaper as methods of manufacturing continued to improve. For example, the first cars were so expensive that only rich people could afford to buy them but cars became cheaper when Ford invented the moving assembly line and the work went faster. But there were also some bad effects of the advanced technology in the factory. The industrial workers became mere wage earners as the machinery was too expensive. Some worker had to face unemployment as the machines made the work faster than before and it required fewer workers at some point. This system made the working condition dangerous as many industrial workers face the possibility of fatal
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