The Industrial Revolution is one of the biggest parts of American history. It all began with the invention of the transcontinental railroad, something that linked the entire nation and brought many new job opportunities. As the railroad expanded across the country, so did the inventions of numerous other new technologies. Factories began appearing everywhere, as did the growth of cities around them. The way of life in America had begun to change dramatically, and the country was moving forward into a new era. The Industrial Revolution did more good than harm to America because it made everyday tasks easier due to the new technologies invented, it changed our society from something mainly agricultural to one where industry and manufacturing was in control, and it created an increase in the average standard of living.
There were several new technologies invented during the Industrial Revolution, and they made everyday tasks much easier. It can be said that all of these new inventions would overwhelm consumers as well as being difficult to obtain. However, this was not clearly the case. In a “Superba Laundry Washing Machine” ad from a 1908 Sears Catalogue, it is stated that the washing machine “will do more work and do it quicker and with less labor on your part than any other washing machine made… the washing is done quickly and easily, and washday is no harder day for the family than any other day of the week”. This advertisement clearly shows how much easier everyday life became during and after the Industrial Revolution. It states that less labor will be done by the costumer; in this case, the customer is the average American family. Also according to the advertisement, before the washing machine, something as easy as doing the laundry was so time-consuming that a whole day was dedicated to it every week. With new technologies such as the washing machine, everyday tasks that used to be viewed as a nuisance were easier to do and the amount of human labor required for simple responsibilities would decrease tremendously.
American society was once agriculturally based, but during the Industrial Revolution, the entire country changed to support a more technological era. On the “Occupation of American Workers 1870-1920” graph, it is shown that the percentage of workers that were farmers greatly decreased from over 50 percent in 1870 to just over 30 percent in 1910. An increase of non-farming workers is also seen on the graph, from about 45 percent in 1870 to almost 70 percent 1920. This graph shows how the roles of farming and industrialism almost reversed during this particular time period in America. Farmers had claimed over half the working population before the Industrial Revolution, but the number essentially cut in half as the foundation of the country changed and people’s occupations changed to support the modern progress of the nation. What was once a society based entirely on agriculture had transformed drastically into something centered around modern technologies during the Industrial Revolution.
The Industrial Revolution created an increase in the average standard of living for Americans. This is shown in the “Statistics of Industrial Growth” chart. The GNP per capita increased from $531 in 1870 to $1299 in 1910. Also seen on the chart, the percent of high school graduates increased from 2 percent to 9 percent in the 40-year time span. Perhaps the most dramatic change seen is the increase of telephone users; 0 out of every 100 people had a telephone in 1870, but by 1910, 82 out of 100 people were telephone users. By looking at this chart, it is quite clear how much the standard of living increased for Americans. Not only did the value of goods and services increase for the country itself, but so did the amount of goods and services Americans were able to use in everyday life. Also, the amount of educated Americans was going up, which would help with the progress of inventing new life-changing technologies. The fact that the number of telephones owned by the population increased by such a great number in just 40 years shows how much growth occurred in the country. The improvement in the average standard of living shows just how positive of an impact the Industrial Revolution had on America.