Friday, January 19, 2018

Industrialization revolutionized life in the United States in the early to mid-nineteenth century. However, the impacts of this transformation varied based on socioeconomic, gender, racial, and geographical differences. What were the positive effects of industrialization on three different groups in American society during this era?

As the question states, many groups benefited from the Industrial Revolution, but they did so in different ways. It should be noted that many also experienced negative effects of the Industrial Revolution as well. For our purposes here, let us examine the positive effects of this period on the middle class, women, and rural populations.
The industrial revolution resulted in the production of goods that could be sold at affordable prices to every socioeconomic level. This meant that working class families could afford household goods, clothing, tools, and even some luxury goods that would have been unavailable previously. Since poorer families could buy these things for less money, many were able to save more of their income and build savings. This led to the growth of a middle class. Granted, many working class families were never able to rise up socioeconomically, but those that did began to enjoy the benefits of not living hand-to-mouth. Having more savings and financial freedom resulted in better access to education. No longer did as many children need to work to help support their families. More middle class families could afford to send their children to school. As a result, literacy rates during the Industrial Revolution increased. This, in turn, resulted in even more upward mobility.
The Industrial Revolution also opened up many new opportunities for women. Previously, traditional family-based and household roles were all that was available to most women. The factories provided more work opportunities. Women were usually paid much less than men and did not have access to the more prestigious and lucrative positions. However, those that found work in the factories could now support themselves financially and not have to wholly rely on a husband for financial security.
We often do not think of rural populations when we think of the Industrial Revolution. However, they were impacted as greatly as any other geographical group. Before the Industrial Revolution, farmers usually worked sunup to sundown six days a week. The work was physically exhausting. The inventions of the Industrial Revolution provided farmers with tools, such as the tractor and mechanized harvester, that greatly reduced the time and physical effort required to farm. It was no longer necessary to work as many hours on the farm, and the work could be completed with fewer people. Many farmers left to go to cities to find factory work. Those that stayed behind were still able to produce as much, if not more, crops than before and keep more of the profits. Consequently, many farmers benefited from the Industrial Revolution by being able to work fewer hours while keeping a significant share of the profits.
http://faculty.econ.ucdavis.edu/faculty/gclark/papers/prod2002.pdf

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-ushistory1os2xmaster/chapter/a-new-social-order-class-divisions/

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