The industrial revolution improved the standard of living for some people; however it also made employment and living conditions for the poor and working classes very tough. Industrialization caused the standard of living to be more flexible than it
Industrialization had a major impact on American society. It was a time of growth and expansion for the nation as a whole as it brought about new ideas and resistance to reformation. In many ways industry was helpful to America’s economy, but it was also a hindrance for the vast majority of the population. People like Sam Patch, otherwise known as the working poor, did not have much opportunity to advance in society, so as time passes there’s more resistance and protest to letting the rich get richer. The messages sent from the famous jumps of Sam Patch were the beginning of a new of democracy, and a fulfillment to the true meaning of the word equality.
The industrial revolution affected the average workers both positively and negatively. With the invention of new machinery and new methods of transportation, the industrial revolution provides people with jobs and dwelling. However the working class still lived in poor condition due to the dangerous in factories and the polluted environment in the slum. The positive effect of the industrial revolution is shown in document 4 and 8 which reminded people of the “comforts and conveniences” that the industrial revolution brought to them. The use of machinery and mass production provided people with better clothing, cheaper housing and living necessity.
It made it more apparent that heavy industries, factories and coal mining were becoming more and more important. As stated above the railroads made the trade of goods, coal and steel easier which lead to the growth of steel production as well as the growth of large corporations in the oil, sugar and meat industries. With the arrival of new machine driven factories, the need for skilled workers was dramatically reduce, creating more opportunities for unskilled workers. These laborors were hired to clear lands, build and repair tracks and build the trains needed to supply the new demands. With the promise of learning a trade and becoming more wealthy a new class of people was appearing in the cities, the middle class.
The industrial revolution took place due to an agricultural revolution that occurred because of an increasing population. The introduction of enclosed farming meant that the poorer people lost out and travelled to towns to seek work. The domestic system meant that many people worked from home, spinning and weaving cotton brought in from North America. They were paid a fraction of the cost that it was eventually sold for. Entrepreneurs started to create new inventions that would speed up the process of spinning and weaving meaning more cotton could be produced and exported.
“While the Industrial Revolution had both positive and negative effects on society and the economy, the positive effects outweighed the negative.” The Industrial Revolution came to organize and provide much more benefits than harm in many ways and while change overall has both positive and negative effects the positives definitely outweighed the negative. Before the industrial revolution everything was much harder. Let’s take a look at various aspects that found to have more good than bad. Although one may view the fencing of the land owned by villagers and townspeople as an abuse, the reality was that at the time it was something needed. This had a much more positive effect because while the villagers lost land the enclosure resulted in efficient farming that produced more food.
They all worked together to produce the products instead of each of them making a product. How were all of these factory workers recruited? “A good many from the agricultural parts… People left other occupations and came to spinning for the sake of high wages.” [Document 2] People were leaving their farming jobs and other jobs to go to work in the factories because, just like now, money was a necessity in everyone’s life and working in factories gave workers more money to bring home and use to provide their family with other necessities. The process of Industrialization was a slow but fast moving process. There were a lot of new technologies popping up in all fields.
My Boss, L.J. Watkins, wants to cut cost because of increased competition from another firm and some changes have already been made. Before these change Watkins Co. had a relatively laid back atmosphere in which supervisors did not frequently push or confront employees that often. Wages were considered low for the area and as a result workers would work overtime to make up for their low pay. They were unsupervised during these overtime hours and reportedly were very productive.
Several barriers hindered the use of labor union strikes but to a certain extent, organized labor was successful for being so persistent. As seen in Document A, labor hours were shortened and the average wage increased slightly. Their persistence helped companies hesitate when slashing wages. But it was not enough for the satisfaction of the workers. Organized labor did indeed try to succeed, few goals were achieved, but too many impediments stood in their way of significantly improving their positions.
“Those supporting illegal immigration argue that the state of California along with other states has benefited from the arrival of immigrants due to the lower cost of labor and immigrant contributions”(Immigration Support 1). One of the main reasons why americans have unions is to make sure their getting paid enough for the work they put into a curtain company. Illegal immigrants cant be part of a union because they are not citizens nor do they want to be deported so they are willing to take up anything to make money for their families. “Illegal immigrants tend to have a reputation for being hard workers and will take on jobs that Americans would not normally take” (Immigrants Support 1). On the other hand, American feel that immigrants are taking their jobs from them, which in reality they are.