Despite the fact that the Civil War had devastating effects on the South, it enhanced the economic strength and industrial growth in the North. The significant amount of capital that was gained in the North was invested in industry and new factories. The economic growth in the North was further boosted through immigration, increased foreign investment, healthy business environment, and the abundant natural resources. The taxes were low while the tariffs were a bit high. Furthermore, there was little government control on the local businesses. Welke (2001) explains that there were massive investments and government subsidies that led to the laying of over 200000 miles of railroads that spurred industrialization. The railroads encouraged the settlement of people in the Wes and connected all the economic sectors and regions of the country. The paper will seek to explain the aspects of industrialization and how it affected the American society.
Aspects of Industrialization
One of the aspects of the industrialization was enhanced economic growth. Cornelius Vanderbilt took over and consolidated a majority of the railroad industry. Welke (2001), insists that the consolidation made the industry more profitable while making the transportation of goods and people far much easier. However, their method of business was harsh. Soon they earned the name tag “Robber Barons” because of the harsh business dealings hat were used by Vanderbilt and his associates. Moreover, the name tag expanded to include all the other industry leaders such as Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller. The two parties misused the lack of government interference in business to develop their own industries. Carnegie managed to build a steel industry while Rockefeller developed the oil industry. Some of the techniques they used to monopolize their industries were vertical and horizontal integration. The increased their profit margins by destroying or eliminating any source of competition.
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Another aspect of industrialization was immigration. In the period under study, more than twenty million people arrived into the country. Initially, there were mainly Irish people who were escaping the potato famine and the wars in Europe. Others were seeking economic opportunities. Most of the immigrants settled in the North Eastern cities. Most of the immigrants help in the building of new factories and rail roads. They also brought advanced farming techniques. However, with time most of the immigrants were looking for jobs, and they formed a large pool of cheap labor that was beneficial to the rapid industrialization. The third aspect of industrialization was the laissez-faire government policy regarding the economic environment. Welke (2001) explains that there were limited regulations and rules regarding businesses because the owners were allowed to make their own decisions. The government utilized the free enterprise system in the determination of the forces of supply and demand.
Groups affected by Industrialization
The industrial growth and the destruction of competition had negative effects on some groups in the society. The destruction of competition hurt the workers and consumers alike. Hoganson (2002), states that there was rampant child labor. Furthermore, women and children faced discrimination in the factories. The discrimination of employees led to the emergence of labor unions such as American Federation of Labor and the Knights of Labor who were keen to salvage the interests of all the America labor. The government, public and the business owners had a negative attitude towards the labor unions. The labor unions were often linked to anarchism and socialism. As a result, labor events such as the Homestead Strike and Haymarket Riot were characterized by violence. Men were not spared by the detrimental labor laws because they formed a majority of the industrial labor. Some of them could get injured at work but were not compensated by the owners. They worked in unsafe environments that had a negative impact on their health.
The immense industrial growth increased the labor demand from immigrants because the local population could not satisfy the labor demands. The immigrants were mainly from Europe and Asia. Most of the immigrants had different cultures and ethnicities. Due to that, the locals developed a fear of the immigrants. The fear was known as nativism. Hoganson (2002) records that most of the US citizens decided to control the influx and movement of immigrants through legislations such as the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. The level of racism was quite high during this era. Most of the immigrants often lived in ethnic neighborhoods. The rapid increase in population caught most cities because they were unprepared. There was rampant poverty, poor sanitation, pollution and increased crime rates. Most of the local governments were unable to meet the social, physical, and economic demands of the large population. The political elite used the poor conditions as a way of gaining votes in exchange for the provision of the various necessities. Also, there was slave labor in some factories where most of the labor was from Africans who had been “bought” and forced to work in the farms and factories.
Farmers in the West also faced difficulties after the Civil War because of overproduction and the lower prices of their commodities. During the war, they had to take loans so that they could increase their land or purchase better farming equipment but after they war, they were faced with huge debts and reduced incomes. Hoganson (2002) insists that the government policies were unfavorable leading to rapid deflation and reduced demand for agricultural produce. The farmers were charged heavily by the railroad owners in comparison to the bigger corporates. Moreover, they had little influence because they relied on the railroad to get their produce to the required market. Farmers later formed the Populist Party so that they could enhance their economic influence but the party faded away by 1896.
Effects of Industrialization on the American Workers
Most of the workers were faced with job instability, long working hours and poor working conditions. When there was a recession, they had to withstand the massive pay cuts or they could lose their jobs. The regulations in the factories were quite strict. Also, it was monotonous because they could perform one particular task repeatedly. Dubofsky (2005) states that most of the workers could work for six days and ten hours a day while others could work for even more hours. Most of the women and men who previously worked in the agricultural industry found the working conditions quite strenuous. The working conditions were deplorable because of the lack of government interference that resulted in unhealthy working sites. During this era, there were more industrial accidents in the country than all other industrialized nations. Furthermore, the workers' families were rarely compensated when they were injured or killed during work. The consolidation of industries made the factories far much larger and more dangerous. By the turn of the twentieth century, Dubofsky (2005) states that there were about 35000 annual deaths while more than half a million were injured during work. The deaths due to coal mine explosions, Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire, and the Steel mills led to widespread condemnation.
So that they could earn more income, children and women earned lower wages in comparison to men. Some could be paid six dollars weekly. Dubofsky (2005) insists that children could work for low wages and longer hours. In 1900, there were about 1.7 million children who were less than 16 years of age who worked in the industries. Due to public pressure, the government passed laws that limited the amount of time that children spent in the factories to ten hours. However, most of the laws were disregarded by the employers. Very many children were either killed or injured due to exhaustion, stress, and accidents. The response to the deplorable working conditions was varied. Some of the works decided to intentionally break down the machines or reduce their production rates. Some of them quit while other sought better working environments in other factories. Nevertheless, it increased the support for labor unions that provided an organized manner of protest despite the fact that most workers were not members of the unions. The employees who could not voice their concerns had to endure the hardships. Most of the business owners were against minimum wages, better working conditions, and provision of job security because they argued that the factors were influenced by the prevailing market conditions.
Summary
The paper has explained the aspects of industrialization and how it affected the American society. One of the aspects of the industrialization was enhanced economic growth. Another aspect of industrialization was immigration. In the period under study, more than twenty million people arrived in the country. The third aspect of industrialization was the laissez-faire government policy regarding the economic environment. The destruction of competition hurt the workers and consumers alike. There was rampant child labor. Furthermore, women and children faced discrimination in the factories. Men were not spared by the detrimental labor laws because they formed a majority of the industrial labor. The immense industrial growth increased the labor demand from immigrants because the local population could not satisfy the labor demands. Also, there was slave labor in some factories where most of the labor was from Africans who had been "bought" and forced to work in the farms and factories. Farmers in the West also faced difficulties after the Civil War because of overproduction and the lower prices of their commodities. Most of the workers were faced with job instability, long working hours and poor working conditions. When there was a recession, they had to withstand the massive pay cuts or they could lose their jobs.
References
Dubofsky, M. (2005). Industrialization and the American Worker, 1865-1920. Arlington Heights, IL: AHM Publishing .
Hoganson, K. (2002). Cosmopolitan Domesticity: Importing the American Dream, 1865-1920. The American Historical Review , 107 (1), 55-83.
Welke, B. Y. (2001). Recasting American Liberty: Gender, Race, Law, and the railroad revolution, 1865-1920 . Cambridge University Press.
