Industrialization In Storming Heaven

The emergence of industrialization was meant to be a time of advancement and improvement in the lives of the American people. In the eyes of many, it was going to be the stepping-stool needed to realize the aspired for “American Dream”. However, while it was the rise of machine-based manufacturing and technology, it was also the fall of opportunity for the independent farmer, merchant and artisan. Wage labor became the norm—this could have been a wonderful advancement, but factories and mining operations were not regulated by the government; owners were able to treat their workers in whatever manner they saw fit. Among the worst conditions endured during this revolution were those of the coal miners and their families. The rise of industrial …show more content…
This did not sit well with company owners and resulted in tragedy for many. In Storming Heaven, Rondal spends a great deal of his life fighting for the formation of labor unions. This results in him being hunted and ejected from many different areas. At one point in the book, Rondal even witnesses his union organizer friend being tossed into a furnace, as well as being threatened himself (Giardina 82-83). Unfortunately, events such as this were not uncommon for discovered union organizers. Private guards called the Baldwin-Feltz guards were often hired to take care of such people. Behaviors such as these made it quite obvious that workers were being denied many of their rights as …show more content…
It is quite obvious that the idea of the American Dream became a mere wish rather than a real possibility. America was supposed to be built on a collection of ideals; among these are equality, liberty, opportunity, hope, prosperity and unity. For these workers, the vast majority of these ideals were nonexistent. The end of Storming Heaven provides the readers with a small amount of reassurance by stating, “Not until the administration of Franklin Roosevelt twelve years later was the union given the freedom to organize and the mine guard system abolished” (Giardina 292). Sadly, many who fought so diligently for this cause were not around to see their hard work pay off. They were forced to give up their land, send their children to work instead of school, endure horrific working conditions and then be ignored, targeted and killed for acknowledging the wrongs of their treatment. The American Dream and American ideals were absolutely destroyed for these workers. Thankfully, these wrongdoings were eventually acknowledged and essentially repaired, but the absolutely horrendous conditions endured by workers during this time, and the way they effected their lives, can never be taken