American Industry
American Industry (1860-1900)
I. Industrialization by the 1860s II. The Industrial Transformation
A. Contribution of the Civil War B. Population Resources C. Money Capital D. Government Support E. Growth of Technology F. The Railroads & Telegraph III. The Rise of Big Business
Industrialization by the 1860s In 1860 there were more than 140,000 factories in the United States. About 1.5 million Americans worked in factories. Still, however, the United States continued to be primarily an agricultural nation. Seventy percent of all Americans were farmers. The great majority of industrial workers in 1860 were women and children. For this reason they had little impact on the political scene. This changed in 1877 when a nationwide strike of railroad workers took place. Americans came to realize that workers had the power to bring America to a standstill. By 1900 5.5 million Americans were involved in industry. In 1980 only about 20 percent of the population even lived in a rural environment. It could be argued that the transformation of the United States from a rural, agricultural nation before the Civil War, into an industrialized nation by 1900 is one of the most dramatic changes in history. Before the Civil War, manufacturing in the United States was
I. Industrialization by the 1860s II. The Industrial Transformation
A. Contribution of the Civil War B. Population Resources C. Money Capital D. Government Support E. Growth of Technology F. The Railroads & Telegraph III. The Rise of Big Business
Industrialization by the 1860s In 1860 there were more than 140,000 factories in the United States. About 1.5 million Americans worked in factories. Still, however, the United States continued to be primarily an agricultural nation. Seventy percent of all Americans were farmers. The great majority of industrial workers in 1860 were women and children. For this reason they had little impact on the political scene. This changed in 1877 when a nationwide strike of railroad workers took place. Americans came to realize that workers had the power to bring America to a standstill. By 1900 5.5 million Americans were involved in industry. In 1980 only about 20 percent of the population even lived in a rural environment. It could be argued that the transformation of the United States from a rural, agricultural nation before the Civil War, into an industrialized nation by 1900 is one of the most dramatic changes in history. Before the Civil War, manufacturing in the United States was