Abstract
The Industrial Revolution was one of the first true turning points that led to a massive economic expansion of the middle class and mass migration spurred by job growth. The Industrial Revolution paved the way for entrepreneurship and risk taking while moving shifting the demographics of the United States permanently. No more would be the days of the dominant rural system, as urban centers become more attractive to both citizens and immigrants from the outside world. Changing the culture of the U.S., the Industrial Revolution did more than just improve living conditions, as people’s dedication to their God and community dwindled as jobs and income became a dominant force.
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"Industrial Revolution".
Keywords: economy, jobs, culture, immigration
Outlook of the Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a change to more efficient manufacturing processes between 1760 and sometime between 1820 and 1840. The Industrial Revolution gave birth to a wide swath of inventions that paved the way for the more advanced inventions of the present. Some examples include James Watt’s steam engine made in 1775, and others include Eli Whitney’s cotton gin. Samuel Morse created the telegraph and Elias Howe founded the sewing machine. Other machinery and inventions came after the first Industrial Revolution, but the ideas of this time-period sparked a turning point in American history and laid the groundwork for all the smartphones, smart-TVs, and lava lamps that everyone sees today. That being said, the Industrial Revolution came later in America, roughly from 1820 to 1870. The Industrial Revolution didn’t just impact manufacturing techniques and technologies, but it also changed the economic outlook, demographics, and culture in the United States. The Industrial Revolution was one of the first events in separating the developed world from the third world countries, and created the world order that exists today and will continue to exist as present nations advance even further and third world countries begin to industrialize. Therefore, the Industrial Revolution advanced the United States’ state of technology, boosted the economy, and impacted the culture that has led to the great technological revolution of today.
Industrial Revolution Impact on the American Economy
In short, the Industrial Revolution in America marked the transition ‘from a stable agricultural and commercial society to a modern industrial society relying on complex machinery’ (‘Economic Changes during,’ n.d.). The Industrial Revolution created greater economic specialization in the urban cities where factories became dominant. These factory centers drew a lot of workers from the rural sections of the country to the cities in search of higher paying wages and jobs. The change to these more efficient machines and population centers led to a higher standard of living. It is worth noting that this rapid expansion led Alexander Hamilton to create the Bank of the United States, and this in turn caused several other state banks to be created. The expansion of credit and the unregulated bank system caused a six-year depression starting in 1819 (‘Economic Growth and,’ n.d.). Thus, this demonstrated that while capitalism enables massive growth and expansion, it also creates the risk of ‘sharp economic downturns’ (‘Economic Growth and,’ n.d.). This capitalistic expansion allowed more capital to be invested per worker, but it also led to investors taking unprecedented risk (‘Economic Changes during,’ n.d.). Consumers had more income to buy luxurious goods, and this caused a rise in the middle class, and the increase in consumer demand is really what drove the entire concept of the Industrial Revolution. So while the Industrial Revolution spurred growth in the U.S., it simultaneously caused mass migration within the country and to the country, which in turn affected the culture of the country.
Industrial Revolution Impact on American Culture
The Industrial Revolution not only caused a shift in migration within the country from rural parts to the urban cities, but opened up the United States to the rest of the world, attracting people from all over looking to make a money. Said previously, the movement of workers from rural parts of the country to the urban cities was due to the more efficient manufacturing techniques, which in turn gave birth to higher paying jobs and more capital. The influx of foreign migrants to the U.S. came mostly during the Second Industrial Revolution, roughly from 1870 to 1914. However, there were still some migrants who came during the first Revolution, and a lot of them came due to the economic prospects that aided in the rise in middle class income. During the late 1700s and early 1800s, the U.S. saw some immigration trends that emerged.
While English farmers settled in villages in New England, other farmers coming from the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, and Ireland settled in the more rural areas of America (Hillstrom, 2007). Immigrants from China and Italy settled in the more urban areas of the country. Other prominent trends include Polish settlers migrating to Texas and Midwest territories and Scandinavian peoples settling in the Wheat Belt states, or Minnesota Nebraska and North Dakota (Hillstrom, 2007). In 1862, the passage of the Homestead Act gave ‘settlers who agreed to farm the land for at least five years’ 160 acres of land each’ (Hillstrom, 2007). Later on, immigrants settled in the West due to much of the Eastern and Midwestern lands being taken up. The West was also attractive to newcomers because of the hope of finding gold in California (Hillstrom, 2007). It’s also important to note that due to all of this moving around and changing of demographics, the sense of ‘community’ was forgotten as people started to focus more on jobs. Because of this, Christianity ‘ while still the dominant religion ‘ had a diminishing influence on many Americans. Additionally, the immigration into all different parts of the country increased the types of Christianity in the United States (Hillstrom, 2007).
Industrial Revolution and the Tech Boom
The Industrial Revolution and the Tech Boom of the 21st Century are connected and there are many similarities between the two. First off, the Industrial Revolution paved the way for the Tech Boom to become possible. Additionally, the U.S. has started to move towards a more secular society as technology becomes more complex, just like with the Industrial Revolution. The big difference is that the middle class hasn’t been helped in relation to the Tech Boom as it was with the Industrial Revolution. That is why there is a huge portion of America that seems to be opposed to this change and wants to hold onto America’s tradition (which is fine). Because of this, America is more divided now than when the Industrial Revolution occurred. With the Industrial Revolution, the majority of people’s ability to put food on the table increased. With the Tech Boom, the select number of people’s ability to put food on the table increased, and some say it’s only widened the gap between the upper class and the middle class.
- Economic Changes during Industrial Revolution. (n.d.). Retrieved May 19, 2017, from https://schoolworkhelper.net/economic-changes-during-industrial-revolution/
- Economic Growth and the Early Industrial Revolution. (n.d.). Retrieved May 19, 2017, from http://www.ushistory.org/us/22a.asp
- Hillstrom, K., & Hillstrom, L. C. (2007).’Industrial revolution in America. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.
