Who Built America Working People And The Nation's History Research Paper

During the 19th century, there had been several momentous changes in United States. The European warfare encouraged the American merchants to turn their attentions from international trades to domestic market. Most wealthy merchants did so by investing in transportation. With the improvement of transportation and communication, the entire manufacturing industry expanded its market to a whole new level. In the meantime, due to the increase of immigrations, the supply of labor also increased. All these transformations leaded to a new pattern of labor and social division. Christopher Clark and Nancy Hewitt illustrate the consequences of these changes in the book: Who Built America? Working People and the Nation’s History. The increase of demand
Although most masters quickly changed their attitudes toward business to stay competitive, there were some master craftsmen who stilled remained loyal to the old traditions. They believed there should be no such division in class and stressed that everyone was equal. Instead of dividing the labor for high efficiency, these masters refused to divide the work according to skill. They thought the republican principle would be violated if they made such divisions. However, their perseverance in moral standards always leaded to economic ruin (Clark, & Hewitt, 2008, p. 343). Old traditions did not fit the market need anymore, and only those who adapted to changes survived. By 1820, instead of quality, quantity and low price were two key factors leaded to business success. Most masters adapted to these new conditions by hiring more laborers and dividing the work by skill. However, by doing so, laborers lost their economic independence. Artisans who pursued quality faced debts and even lost their shops. Apprentices and journeymen were replaced by less fully trained workers (Clark, & Hewitt, 2008, p.
Nevertheless, women were deemed to be inferior to men. The wages for women was extremely low. As Clark and Hewitt (2008) indicate that: “An 1830 report noted needlewomen earning as little as $55 a year and having to pay $26 for rent alone” (p. 341). Even the labor movement was hostile to women workers since most men thought women’s employment would violate the interests of their own. In 1833, women formed their own protective organizations. In 1834, women struck to against the cut wages of a mill owner, but they failed and the owner soon found other women workers to replace them (Clark, & Hewitt, 2008, p. 355). The influence of women strikes was limited and not as powerful as men’s. People’s inherited conception towards women also hindered women’s movement. In the 1830s, it was widely believed that women’s role was most important in raising the children. These limitations made it extremely hard for women to defend their