Being one of the most crucial times in histroy for the United Staes, the Industrial Revolution was ironically, one of the best times to be alive and one of the worst. As Charles Dickens said in his novel A Tale of Two Cities, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope.” Although Dickens was referring to the French Revolution when saying this, it could also easily be put in the context of the American Industrial Revolution. The United States would not have the technology it has today if Industrial Revolution did not happen. The Industrial Revolution, forever changing the way of American life, brought with it its pros such as more efficient transportation and faster production
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For example, when the first working railroad in the United States was built in 1828, it was a huge breakthrough. Railroads were way more efficient than steamboats because unlike steamboats, trains were able to move anywhere tracks were, which eventually, was essentially everywhere by 1920, with a grand total of 254,000 miles of track built. The efficiency of railroads helped expand businesses, and therefore expanded the American economy greatly (Nardo, United States 47). Before there were railroads, there were canals where steamboats traveled at. One of the most famous and biggest canals, the Erie Canal, built between 1817 and 1825, made traveling easy and and trade. The building of this canal demonstrated America’s advances in technolgy. The amount of engineering and effort put into this project definitely represented the amount of progression during this era (Nardo, United States 45-46). The addition of canals also caused a sudden surge in economic surge and delvopment in towns such as Buffalo, Cleveland, and Detroit. The population of Buffalo increased almost 10 times after the canals were built. This massive change provided many important ecomomical advancements (Hillstrom 28-29). These technological advancements in transportation proved the Industrial Revolution to be one of the greatest times to be …show more content…
Overcrowded and unsanitary working conditions increased the chance of infections and diseases. Most could not afford treatments for these conditions or speak up for themselves because they were so poor and had no political voice. Because of this, physicians and other upper and middle class people had to bring attention to the discrepancies with major industrialization to lawmakers. In 1830, when a doctor named Thomas Southwood Smith published a book that listed fevers and their causes, he associated fevers such as typhoid fever, malaria with unsanitary and working and living conditions (Nardo Workers and Their Lives, 57-58). Not only did working conditions during this era cause health problems, but were severely dangerous. Many children that worked in such factories often lost fingers or had their scalps ripped off because their hair got caught in machines. In the article “Factory Accidents,” the story of a nine year old girl, Mary Richards, said that her apron was caught in the gears of a machine and as a result, was dragged into the machine. When the girl was taken out of the machine, her bones were crushed and was deceased as she was carried away (Nardo Workers and Their Lives, 59-60). Unskilled laborers had low wages, terrible job security, and were easy to replace. Their jobs were often tedious, boring or dangerous and were forced to work long hours and
For example, when the first working railroad in the United States was built in 1828, it was a huge breakthrough. Railroads were way more efficient than steamboats because unlike steamboats, trains were able to move anywhere tracks were, which eventually, was essentially everywhere by 1920, with a grand total of 254,000 miles of track built. The efficiency of railroads helped expand businesses, and therefore expanded the American economy greatly (Nardo, United States 47). Before there were railroads, there were canals where steamboats traveled at. One of the most famous and biggest canals, the Erie Canal, built between 1817 and 1825, made traveling easy and and trade. The building of this canal demonstrated America’s advances in technolgy. The amount of engineering and effort put into this project definitely represented the amount of progression during this era (Nardo, United States 45-46). The addition of canals also caused a sudden surge in economic surge and delvopment in towns such as Buffalo, Cleveland, and Detroit. The population of Buffalo increased almost 10 times after the canals were built. This massive change provided many important ecomomical advancements (Hillstrom 28-29). These technological advancements in transportation proved the Industrial Revolution to be one of the greatest times to be …show more content…
Overcrowded and unsanitary working conditions increased the chance of infections and diseases. Most could not afford treatments for these conditions or speak up for themselves because they were so poor and had no political voice. Because of this, physicians and other upper and middle class people had to bring attention to the discrepancies with major industrialization to lawmakers. In 1830, when a doctor named Thomas Southwood Smith published a book that listed fevers and their causes, he associated fevers such as typhoid fever, malaria with unsanitary and working and living conditions (Nardo Workers and Their Lives, 57-58). Not only did working conditions during this era cause health problems, but were severely dangerous. Many children that worked in such factories often lost fingers or had their scalps ripped off because their hair got caught in machines. In the article “Factory Accidents,” the story of a nine year old girl, Mary Richards, said that her apron was caught in the gears of a machine and as a result, was dragged into the machine. When the girl was taken out of the machine, her bones were crushed and was deceased as she was carried away (Nardo Workers and Their Lives, 59-60). Unskilled laborers had low wages, terrible job security, and were easy to replace. Their jobs were often tedious, boring or dangerous and were forced to work long hours and