In the years following the American Civil War, the United States of America was left with the task of rebuilding and restoring a broken nation. As the country was rebuilding, the nation saw immense economic growth due to the fast increase in industry. The development of new railroads and new communication networks caused goods and services to become more accessible. The demand for them also increased. There was an abundance of natural resources being extracted and the United States was being thrust into the industrial revolution. The years of American industrialism brought rapid change to American’s way of life. The Industrial Revolution brought technological advances to America that greatly increased the rate goods could be produced. The …show more content…
According to Cherny, “The number of farms in the United States in the nation grew from fewer than 205 million at the end of the Civil War to nearly 4.6 million in 1890.” (Cherny, pg. 29) The result of the increase in farms was the fall of the crop prices because of the rise in production. Another issue with an increase in farms that was adding to the struggle was that the cost of railroad freight was high. This caused many farmers to go deeper and deeper into debt. As a result, the Populist Party had its beginnings with the creation of small parties. These parties had an issue with the problem of debtor farmers. The Populist of the late 1800s saw a concentration of wealth; the monopoly of the railroads, grain markets, and industry were devastating farmer’s along with laborers and miners. They found it very difficult to survive. Nothing was being done to help the farmers in large because of the influence of these corporations had in the government, so the “Populists called for government ownership of the railroads and all means of public communications” (Cherny, pg. 35) as a way of restraint the big corporations. The rich controlled the government and William Jennings Bryan’s fight was to bring the issue into the public eye by way of the Democratic Party, which closely resembled the views of the Populist party. Bryan argued that the fight was the Christian thing to do. Putting limitations on corporations …show more content…
Even though Theodore Roosevelt and William Jennings Bryan were political opponents, the message of governmental reform became more main stream after the assassination of President McKinley. After McKinley was assassinated, Theodore Roosevelt took over the office of President with his progressive ideas. Similarly, to the rise of Populism from the difficulties of farmers, Progressivism saw its beginnings rise from the difficulties of citizens in urban areas and working in industrial America. Just as there were an increased number of farms during this period, there were massive increases in immigration that led to the increased ability to form large high-volume factories. Therefore, “By 1900, the U.S. population numbered 82 million, and an estimated 10 million Americans were living in poverty.” (Shi, pg. 779) There were also little to no regulations on these large industrial corporations. An industrial worker would labor for long hours “in unsafe, unsanitary, and unregulated conditions for extremely low wages.” (Shi, pg. 791) Many children were working in the same conditions instead of attending school. All of this occurred while giant holding companies were making millions. The progressive movement would continue the fight against these corporations and a corrupt government that protected them. In Roosevelt’s view, “The problem caused by explosive
Throughout the Civil War, as well as the 1860’s as a whole, it was evident that United States was sparsely growing, in industrial goods, the production of agriculture, and the spread of settlements. At this time, the United State’s population was more than double than its previous period. At this time the United states population was Approximately 31,443,321 million citizens (Joseph C. G. Kennedy, The Eight Census; 1864). In this time period we see most of the United State’s economical growth coming from the Midwest as well as the Northeast. As for the South, they remained rather agricultural, due to the desire of one of the biggest crops to ever support the United States, Cotton.
By the 1870s, northern factories were continuing to be the fundamental economic source while the south lost the root of their economy. With slaves free and many farms damaged in the Civil War, the south struggled to regain the production they had once before. Farmers resorted to sharecropping or wage labor to start up their plantations once again. The north saw tremendous growth in their factories and trade between 1776 and 1870, but the south grew their huge cotton planation cottons only to have their fundamental labor source taken away, leaving the south in a time of reconstruction by the
The early industrial revolution was a time of the biggest change in the American economy. Advancements in the textile industry, changes in social class structure and increased transportation infrastructure were defining aspects of the industrial revolution. With the victory in the War of 1812 the Americans realized that it was time to produce goods in our country and to stop relying on Great Britain. The textile industry was the mark of change from home made products to products being produced in factories.
By the end of the civil war the creation of the large-scale industrialization was developed due to war profits such as weapons and foreign investments such as trading commodities with different countries. Therefore, during the years between 1865 to 1900, industrialization affected the United States society in many significant ways through business, government and labor. Many business corporations were involved with the government. In document 2, the author is political activist and impacted government workforce by illustrating an image that shows big businessmen are controlling the senate. Money equals power so since the Business companies have, almost full power over them, they can clearly manage anything they desire.
The United States saw a major change in the economy and how goods were moved in the country between 1865 and 1945. The ending of the American Civil War allowed American innovators to begin work on new inventions that would change the American economy. The substantial change was the industrialization of America. Development of electricity and new techniques opened job opportunities in industries across America. The United States began to mass produce steel that was able to be used in the construction of major cities, use railroads to expand into the western part of the United States, and the standardization of money, roads, railroads, and laws surrounding quality of life.
Following the Civil War, westward migration increased rapidly; this was mainly due to acts such as the Homestead Act, which provided 160 acres of land for anyone who settled on it for a period of five years, the Morrill Act, and the Transcontinental Railroad, which ignited the transportation revolution. Nevertheless, life was difficult for farmers in the west, as they faced droughts, severe weather, and loneliness, leading many to leave their Western homesteads. However, often the greatest difficulty for farmers was competing with industrial farming, large corporations, and the global economy. As production increased and global prices decreased, many farmers fell into poverty, burned with debt they could not pay off due to deflation. As farmers
The United States underwent a period of great change in the years after the Civil War. The steel and coal markets were booming and there was a lot of opportunity to be had to the west. Big companies were reaping the benefits of this boom, not leaving many scraps for the workers who did the dirty work. Workers demanded better treatment and wages in the decades after the Civil War, receiving hope of change during World War I, only for the red scare to tarnish their progress.
Theodore Roosevelt, the President at the time, argued that the big corporations needed to be controlled and strongly supervised by the government to avoid any issues (Doc 2). In his speech, Roosevelt shared the various principles of his Square Deal, which was his program that promised to regulate business and protect the American consumer. Ultimately, the government gained power over big business during the Progressive Era, which could be seen by the Clayton Antitrust Act, which was a strong act aiming to regulate business that replaced the weaker Sherman Antitrust Act. However, this didn’t necessarily mean that the government and business were enemies during the Progressive Era. Occasionally, some business leaders would even become involved in government to make it more efficient and beneficial for business owners.
During the 1900s to the 1920s, progressive reformers and the federal government were able to transition through a nearly complete reform at the national level. They were successful in areas concerning trusts, child labor, and women’s suffrage; however, they lacked the skill set to address issues concerning the civil rights movement. Their successful accomplishments helped millions of middle class Americans prosper economically. In addition, they also emphasized a need to take part in politics so that elected officials will react to the public’s concerns.
Throughout the Progressive Era, there were many thoughts and ideas on ways that the federal government could change how the system worked. Almost everyone agreed change was necessary within the government to further regulate business growth, ensure political and economic rights, and the way that the federal government should address social problems. That said, during this time the country was also divided regarding how to implement such changes. Looking back, all Americans can be placed in one of two groups, known as either conservatives and radicals, but during this time period there were big controversial differences between two specific groups; the conservatives and the radicals. This was a time period of major advancement in technology
1750 – 1850 was an extremely busy time period. Great Britain was expanding, its empire was being built and there was also the establishment of many new colonies. People were moving more than ever before. They were being lured from their countries because of the offer of land and the discovery of gold. People were also being pushed out of their countries by the impact of overcrowded prisons and slavery.
After the American Revolution, the new nation faced economic a small recession, however the economic growth skyrocket in the antebellum years with the help of industry and commerce. While there were little infrastructure outside of the cities which was costly to the manufacturer for the cheapest form transportation was by boat. Moreover, with the invention of automated flour mills there was little human labor involved in processing the grains. Also, the mechanized textile manufacturing, which began at the end of the 18th century and gave the economy the necessary stimulus for a rapid grow. In addition, to first industrial revolution, the first bank was created in the United States.
The 19th century was a period of widespread social, economical and political problems in the United States, from the 1890s to the 1920s in need of reform. Both parties were created by the people’s dissatisfaction with the government and its ability to appeal to the majority. The Populist movement was founded my farmers, laborers and middle class civilians that wanted government regulation in the economy, more authority in the government, educating immigrants, to prevent government corruption and high positions to be based on experience.
Question 1. The progressive period in US history started in the 1890s and remained current through the 1920s. Progressive leaders in the US include President Teddy Roosevelt, President William Howard Taft, and President Woodrow Willson. The main objective of progressives was to rid the government of corruption. These progressive leaders targeted political machines and worked to rid the country of monopolistic enterprises that were exploiting regular citizens.
Undoubtedly, America has confronted many adversities throughout its history. Moreover, during the course of these challenges America prevailed, and ultimately formed a nation that has the ability to continuously adapt. There exists a myriad of examples that would support this claim; however, this essay will focus on four major events occurring between the 1860’s and 1920’s. The first event is how the American social status changed before and after Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. The second event is how the Civil War played a role in creating a need for Reconstruction, and how Reconstruction culminated in the Industrial Revolution.