What Is The Role Of Industrialization In 19th Century America

The industrialization in 19th century US sparked many changes in the social, economic and political aspects of American life. With the cessation of foreign trade due to the Embargo of 1807 and War of 1812 and the increase in internal migration (western settlements such as Ohio) enabled by Robert Fulton’s steam boat, America’s economy was stimulated like never before. Lack of foreign commerce also gave rise to a great demand for textile mills and other factories involved in metalworking, brewing, and leather production. The shift from artisans and small businesses to factories and mills in turn caused a large demand for unskilled laborers to operate machinery. Many farmers, artisans, and merchants operating in rural areas moved to large urban …show more content…
However, their skills as tradesmen were not completely disregarded; those skills were recognized, and artisans were often appointed as leaders and overseers of the factories. Populations in urban cities grew rapidly, and hundreds of corporations invested in public transportation (roads), allowing goods and people to move more quickly between centralized cities. New technologies of early industrialization encouraged individuals to start their own factories. The factories in New England faced a severe shortage of adult men in the workforce due to western migration; the owners, particularly those of mills, turned to women and children as a primary source of unskilled labor. Young women were eager to abandon the boring, routine life of agriculture and rural gender customs, and the factories offered boardinghouses overseen by older women for their female workers to reassure the young women’s parents. Obviously, the role of women changed drastically as they were accepted as part of the workforce. Many young women worked in factories until they got married, after which they served as