2.1 Industrialization, Immigration, and Urbanization
Learning Target 10: Analyze how the rise of corporations, heavy industry, mechanized farming and technological innovations transformed the American economy from an agrarian to an increasingly urban industrial society.
Click on the image to complete a data analysis activity on industrialization.
The Industrial Revolution refers to the shift from hand-made to machine-made products. The first Industrial Revolution in the United States took place in the early to mid-1800s. It changed the means of production through improvements in technology, use of new power resources, and the use of interchangeable parts.
The Industrial Revolution was interrupted by the Civil War in the 1860s, but reemerged with new strength in the decades that followed. Ignited by post-Civil War demand and fueled by technological advancements, the second Industrial Revolution began in the United States during the late 1800s.
Industrialization in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was characterized by the rise of corporations and heavy industry, which transformed the American economy. It marked a shift from a predominance of agricultural workers to a predominance of factory workers. It also marked a shift from rural living to urban living. As more people moved from farms to cities to find jobs in factories, working and living conditions worsened.
Technological improvements also helped modernize agriculture. The McCormick reaper, the thresher, and the steel plow allowed farmers to increase crop production. Mechanized farming transformed the American economy. Production was made more efficient as machines reduced the amount of human labor needed on farms.
New technologies such as the mechanized assembly line and electric motors made factory production more efficient and allowed for larger industrial plants. Some of the technological innovations that transformed the American economy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries include: the telephone, phonograph, incandescent light bulb, washing machine, skyscraper, automobile, and airplane.
The Industrial Revolution was interrupted by the Civil War in the 1860s, but reemerged with new strength in the decades that followed. Ignited by post-Civil War demand and fueled by technological advancements, the second Industrial Revolution began in the United States during the late 1800s.
Industrialization in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was characterized by the rise of corporations and heavy industry, which transformed the American economy. It marked a shift from a predominance of agricultural workers to a predominance of factory workers. It also marked a shift from rural living to urban living. As more people moved from farms to cities to find jobs in factories, working and living conditions worsened.
Technological improvements also helped modernize agriculture. The McCormick reaper, the thresher, and the steel plow allowed farmers to increase crop production. Mechanized farming transformed the American economy. Production was made more efficient as machines reduced the amount of human labor needed on farms.
New technologies such as the mechanized assembly line and electric motors made factory production more efficient and allowed for larger industrial plants. Some of the technological innovations that transformed the American economy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries include: the telephone, phonograph, incandescent light bulb, washing machine, skyscraper, automobile, and airplane.
Learning Target 11: Explain the major social and economic effects of industrialization and the influence of the growth of organized labor following Reconstruction in the United States.
Click on the image above to complete a data analysis activity on the rise of labor unions.
The rise of industrialization in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries increased the demand for workers. With this demand, immigrants came from other countries and Americans migrated from other parts of the United States to take jobs in industrial centers in cities.
In the late 1800s, the U.S. government followed a laissez-faire (hand-off) approach to economics. Wages and working conditions were not regulated. Men, women, and children worked long hours for low pay in dangerous conditions.
As a result of the changing nature of work, some members of the working class formed labor organizations to protect their rights. They sought to address issues such as working conditions, wages and terms of employment. They demanded increased workplace safety, shorter hours, higher wages, and child labor laws. Labor organizations used collective bargaining and strikes as means of achieving their goals.
The American Federation of Labor was founded in 1886 as an association of trade unions. The United Mine Workers of America was established in 1890, calling for mine workers to receive a fair share of the wealth they created. The American Railway Union was founded in 1893 with the goal of uniting all railway workers, regardless of the type of job.
Labor organizations also grew due to the violence toward supporters of organized labor. These events included the Great Railroad Strike (1877), the Haymarket Riot (1886), Homestead Strike (1892), and the Pullman Strike (1894).
In the late 1800s, the U.S. government followed a laissez-faire (hand-off) approach to economics. Wages and working conditions were not regulated. Men, women, and children worked long hours for low pay in dangerous conditions.
As a result of the changing nature of work, some members of the working class formed labor organizations to protect their rights. They sought to address issues such as working conditions, wages and terms of employment. They demanded increased workplace safety, shorter hours, higher wages, and child labor laws. Labor organizations used collective bargaining and strikes as means of achieving their goals.
The American Federation of Labor was founded in 1886 as an association of trade unions. The United Mine Workers of America was established in 1890, calling for mine workers to receive a fair share of the wealth they created. The American Railway Union was founded in 1893 with the goal of uniting all railway workers, regardless of the type of job.
Labor organizations also grew due to the violence toward supporters of organized labor. These events included the Great Railroad Strike (1877), the Haymarket Riot (1886), Homestead Strike (1892), and the Pullman Strike (1894).
Learning Target 12: Analyze and evaluate how immigration, internal migration and urbanization transformed American life.
Click on the image above to complete a data analysis activity on urban and rural population patterns.
As the United States became an industrial leader around the turn of the 20th century, it needed workers to fill jobs in factories. Mass immigration at this time filled the demand for labor. This new wave of immigration also made the U.S. more diverse and transformed American life by diffusing new traits into the American culture and impacting the growth of cities.
Many people left small towns and rural areas for the cities seeking greater job opportunities. A large number of people moving to cities around the turn of the 20th century were African Americans. The Great Migration marked the mass movement of African Americans who fled the rural South for the urban North. They sought to escape prejudice and discrimination and secure better paying jobs. They helped transform northern cities economically (e.g. as workers and consumers) and culturally (e.g., art, music, literature).
Urbanization dramatically changed the physical nature of cities. Central cities focused on industry and business. Buildings became taller and tenement buildings provided housing for working families. Cities obtained additional land as they expanded outward.
Most cities were not prepared for rapid growth and quickly became overcrowded. In addition to poor living conditions, overcrowding of cities led to increased crime with the development of gangs.
Improvements in transportation (e.g., trolleys, automobiles) aided the development of suburbs. A growing middle class could easily commute between residential areas and the central cities for business and recreation.
The demand for resources and land in the West changed the life of the American Indians. Through a series of treaties and government actions, they continued to be displaced from their ancestral lands.
Many people left small towns and rural areas for the cities seeking greater job opportunities. A large number of people moving to cities around the turn of the 20th century were African Americans. The Great Migration marked the mass movement of African Americans who fled the rural South for the urban North. They sought to escape prejudice and discrimination and secure better paying jobs. They helped transform northern cities economically (e.g. as workers and consumers) and culturally (e.g., art, music, literature).
Urbanization dramatically changed the physical nature of cities. Central cities focused on industry and business. Buildings became taller and tenement buildings provided housing for working families. Cities obtained additional land as they expanded outward.
Most cities were not prepared for rapid growth and quickly became overcrowded. In addition to poor living conditions, overcrowding of cities led to increased crime with the development of gangs.
Improvements in transportation (e.g., trolleys, automobiles) aided the development of suburbs. A growing middle class could easily commute between residential areas and the central cities for business and recreation.
The demand for resources and land in the West changed the life of the American Indians. Through a series of treaties and government actions, they continued to be displaced from their ancestral lands.
