Question

This assignment is a research based essay that will describe two specific societal conditions in America during the industrial age. The conditions to be described are the ways in which people worked and traveled. Suggested references are the course text, peer-reviewed articles from the or government agency documents. The essay must be 250-300 words in length (not including title or reference page), using Times New Roman and a 12-point font. The paragraphs should explain the general characteristics of the industrial age and give the general time period of this era in America.

Answer 1

Before the industrial revolution, the US was an agricultural country based on its agricultural products like tobacco, fur, minerals, lumber, and fish. England first saw the industrial revolution that was later entered the US.

It is believed that in 1790 Samuel Slater opened a British-style textile factory. With the opening of the textile factory in Rhode Island the people working in the agricultural land started moving to the factory site.

There were better wages than agriculture, the womenfolk and children started working in these factories to support their families.

With a large number of people migrating from rural areas to the factory site it gave rise the Capitalism where the means of production was centered in few hands, they were the main profit earners and the labor was paid very low wages.

With more workers and fewer jobs, the factory owners bargained for long hours and fewer wages to the workers. They were largely unskilled workers getting $8-$10 dollars a week, and skilled workers were paid a little higher, Women received one-third or sometimes half of what male earned. There was no facility granted to workers, the light present was the sunlight from the window does, no safety measures were adopted that had resulted in many accidents. The children were suffering from malnutrition and long working hours.

The result of this inhuman condition was the formation of the Union to save laborers from working long hours and protect children. But the effect of Union was failed as many people were available to work. The people living in industrial areas were poor people who were living in pathetic conditions.

With industrialization, the middle-income group and suburbs emerged.

Most of the industrialization was taking place in the northern region, to increase trade the canals and railroads emerged. Robert Fulton’s established steamboat services on the Hudson River, the telegraph were invented that helped in trade. With the transportation facilities large number of people migrated to the industrial town