Free Custom «Events that Change the World» Essay Paper

The process of industrialization was one of the most transformational series of events in the history of humanity. In the United States, industrialization was also immensely consequential. Eventually, it had an impact on virtually every aspect of modern life. The industrial revolution, which took place around between 1820 and 1870, was of great importance to the economy of the United States. This was  the period that marked the change from hand and home production to machine and factory.

Developments of Industrialization that Positively Affected American Lives

One of the developments that positively affected the lives of Americans was the development of infrastructure (Hillstrom & Hillstrom, 2007). In many ways, the introduction of railroads as well as the growth of the American industries played a key role in the growth of the country as a whole. In essence, the railroads made it possible for the development of businesses since they were in a position of spreading their products all over the nation. This in turn raised the rate of manufacturing and the revenues thereof (Brezina, 2005).

 

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The construction of the massive railway trucks provided a lot of opportunities to the unemployed immigrants. Additionally, expansion was also made possible for a large number of the American populace (Goloboy & Mancall, 2008). This is because prior to the construction of the railroads, the cost of transportation was very high. Again, the railroads made it possible to travel to far-flung regions within a few days, unlike before when it would take several weeks and even months by stagecoach (Brezina, 2005).

Another development of industrialization that positively affected the lives of Americans was the industrialization of agriculture. The potential societal gains from industrialization in the larger society were evident. This is mainly because the agricultural sector became more efficient. Industrialization made it possible for large-scale production of farm produce. The American society was able to rise above subsistent living. This is because it removed much of the drudgery from labor and made it possible to increase vacation time for pursuit of amusement (Goloboy & Mancall, 2008).

Developments of Industrialization that Negatively Affected American Lives

The rise of industrialization brought with it a number of changes in the economy as well as the society of the United States. One of the negative effects of industrialization in the American society was the advent of poor working conditions (Brezina, 2005). As a result of urbanization, many people went to live in towns and cities in search for work. The rapid growth of industries, where people worked in, had very poor working conditions. People were forced to work for very long hours, sometimes up to twelve hours a day (Hillstrom & Hillstrom, 2007).

Apart from this, the pay was too low with women and children being paid less than men. At the time, there were few laws to regulate the labor conditions, thus, safety regulations were non-existent. Furthermore, child labor was common in a number of industries. Children were mostly hired, because they would work for lower wages. Most of the workers in the industries faced very many challenges in their duties (Hillstrom & Hillstrom, 2007).

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Another negative effect that industrialization had on the American society was environmental pollution. Industrialization created waste materials that could either be stored or disposed of. This created a lot of harm to the natural environment. On the whole, the industrial advancements affected the lives of humanity as a result of pollution. This in turn became detrimental to the quality of life in America (Brezina, 2005).

The Concluding Analysis

All in all, in spite of the negative effect it had on the American society, industrialization was generally beneficial. This is mainly because the human technological advancements made it possible to sustain the growing American population by exploiting more natural resources. By and large, the values of industrialization made it acceptable to the world because of the numerous advancements it brought about.