The Industrial Revolution shaped much of what our country is like today, but along with all the good things that came out of it, there were also many negative effects. A primary cause of the revolution was the invention of the transcontinental railroad, which enabled people to get from the East to West faster than ever before. Along with people, the railroad also made it easier to transport resources, supplies and goods to different places around the country. Times were changing, and farming soon became obsolete. People were moving into cities faster than ever before, and urban population was soaring. The Industrial Revolution created new jobs for the immigrants and pioneers of the east, which over all had both negative and positive effects. Overall, with the improved working conditions, increasing standard of living, and new technologies to make every-day life easier, the Industrial Revolution did more good than harm.
In an excerpt from Theodore Dreiser's Sister Carrie (1900), Carrie talks about conditions in the factory she works in. She claims it seemed as if she had been working an entire day, though it wasn't even noon yet. She states that towards the end of her workday, 'she seemed one mass of dull, complaining muscles, fixed in an eternal position and preforming a single mechanical movement, which became more and more distasteful, until as last it was absolutely nauseating'. Carrie talks about how the floor is covered in garbage and only swept once everyone leaves, and describes the scent of the building as 'the oils of machines mixed with the new leather and odor of the building'. Carrie claims that not the slightest provision had been made for the comfort of the employees, and the washrooms 'disagreeable, crude, if not foul places'. Carrie actually describes the atmosphere of the entire place as 'sordid'. Working conditions at this time were clearly less than desirable, and this happens to be an example of an okay situation. The girls of the Triangle Shirtwaist factory, however, weren't so lucky. Doors were locked in order to ensure none of the girls would steal anything or take breaks without permission, and when a disaster took place, they had no emergency exit. About 150 girls died for a reason that could of easily been taken care of. The terrible working conditions men and women had to face during the Industrial Revolution are a major reason some people believe that the revolution did more harm than good.
Even though men and women had to endure terrible working conditions and lives had to be lost to make an improvement, the working conditions of factories eventually improved. In American Experience: Triangle Fire, It is said that after the tragedy, people started demanding safer building codes and worker protections. Work Unions were no longer illegal, and tragedies like this have since been avoided. Although the people of the industrial revolution had to face tragedy, things were eventually changed for the better. If the fire would of never happened, the changes people were striking about and demanding may never of been made, and people today could of still been living in the harsh conditions of the past.
Life before the Industrial Revolution was difficult. Farming was a job that never took a day off. When people moved out West, they really did find a 'better life'. In the chart titled Statistics on Industrial Growth it is shown that from the year 1870 to the year 1910, GNP per capita increased from $531 to $1299. Infant mortality rate decreased by almost 60 deaths a year, and high school graduates increased by 7%. These statistics may not seem very dramatic, but this was just the beginning. As time went on, standard of living was slowly starting to increase. Everyday tasks were getting easier, and now people had more time to do other things, like get an education, or earn more money. Life would only continue to get better from there.
New technologies are invented everyday, but nothing changed life as drastically as the telephone. The chart Statistics on Industrial Growth shows that from 1870 to 1910, the average number of telephones per every 1,000 people went from 0 to 82. Not only were telephones becoming more common, but the ways of the past were becoming obsolete. An ad for the 'Superba Laundry Washing Machine' from a Sears Catalogue in 1908 states that the washing machine only costs $6.38, which, keep in mind, was a lot more expensive in their time then ours, but was still affordable. The idea that you could buy a machine to do everyday tasks for you such as washing your clothes made everything easier. You could spend more time working and still have clean clothes. Tasks that made everyday life difficult in the past were becoming easier than ever, which is just another reason the Industrial Revolution did more good than harm.
In an excerpt from Theodore Dreiser's Sister Carrie (1900), Carrie talks about conditions in the factory she works in. She claims it seemed as if she had been working an entire day, though it wasn't even noon yet. She states that towards the end of her workday, 'she seemed one mass of dull, complaining muscles, fixed in an eternal position and preforming a single mechanical movement, which became more and more distasteful, until as last it was absolutely nauseating'. Carrie talks about how the floor is covered in garbage and only swept once everyone leaves, and describes the scent of the building as 'the oils of machines mixed with the new leather and odor of the building'. Carrie claims that not the slightest provision had been made for the comfort of the employees, and the washrooms 'disagreeable, crude, if not foul places'. Carrie actually describes the atmosphere of the entire place as 'sordid'. Working conditions at this time were clearly less than desirable, and this happens to be an example of an okay situation. The girls of the Triangle Shirtwaist factory, however, weren't so lucky. Doors were locked in order to ensure none of the girls would steal anything or take breaks without permission, and when a disaster took place, they had no emergency exit. About 150 girls died for a reason that could of easily been taken care of. The terrible working conditions men and women had to face during the Industrial Revolution are a major reason some people believe that the revolution did more harm than good.
Even though men and women had to endure terrible working conditions and lives had to be lost to make an improvement, the working conditions of factories eventually improved. In American Experience: Triangle Fire, It is said that after the tragedy, people started demanding safer building codes and worker protections. Work Unions were no longer illegal, and tragedies like this have since been avoided. Although the people of the industrial revolution had to face tragedy, things were eventually changed for the better. If the fire would of never happened, the changes people were striking about and demanding may never of been made, and people today could of still been living in the harsh conditions of the past.
Life before the Industrial Revolution was difficult. Farming was a job that never took a day off. When people moved out West, they really did find a 'better life'. In the chart titled Statistics on Industrial Growth it is shown that from the year 1870 to the year 1910, GNP per capita increased from $531 to $1299. Infant mortality rate decreased by almost 60 deaths a year, and high school graduates increased by 7%. These statistics may not seem very dramatic, but this was just the beginning. As time went on, standard of living was slowly starting to increase. Everyday tasks were getting easier, and now people had more time to do other things, like get an education, or earn more money. Life would only continue to get better from there.
New technologies are invented everyday, but nothing changed life as drastically as the telephone. The chart Statistics on Industrial Growth shows that from 1870 to 1910, the average number of telephones per every 1,000 people went from 0 to 82. Not only were telephones becoming more common, but the ways of the past were becoming obsolete. An ad for the 'Superba Laundry Washing Machine' from a Sears Catalogue in 1908 states that the washing machine only costs $6.38, which, keep in mind, was a lot more expensive in their time then ours, but was still affordable. The idea that you could buy a machine to do everyday tasks for you such as washing your clothes made everything easier. You could spend more time working and still have clean clothes. Tasks that made everyday life difficult in the past were becoming easier than ever, which is just another reason the Industrial Revolution did more good than harm.