Ali Ebadi
Ms. Ferguson
APUSH, Block 4
6/9/15
America’s Industry in the Future American society changed tremendously from the birth of the Factory System to the 21st century. The factory system was first introduced in the 1400s and has developed in the centuries that has come ahead. It changed many of the industries and made the work force much easier. Some of the changed factors were the assembly line and how gender roles were affected, age in the work force changed. As well as that the food, clothes and automotive industry increasingly became more mobile and time consuming.This led to the contributions on the creation of the Twentieth and Twenty First Centuries. American society changed tremendously by the work force and the effect that
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The Assembly Line changed many of the world’s work force and the lives of the citizens as well. There were more people able to work for the same job and didn’t need an education for the job role. Gender roles as well changed a lot in America, women became more reliable in the factories. According to the United States Department Of Labor, it states that women in the workforce has increased by 53 percent in the past 50 years(DOL). Women have had a vital part in America’s society from the start and if not for them then there would not be the society that their is now.Women have become more and more productive as the times have come, for example, “From 1987 to 1999, the number of women-owned firms in the United States more than doubled.” and “About 40 percent of all businesses in America today are owned by women”(1). Even though women aim to become more prominent in the world's workforce they still have to face challenges that they can’t solve themselves. Stated by the United States Department of Labor, “ Despite progress, women business owners still face obstacles. Securing sufficient financing to take a business to the “next step” remains one of the largest inhibitors”(2). Woman have come a long way, but still do not have the power to accomplish what they …show more content…
Gender and class roles, race, social status and economic rank were all factors that were affected by both the factory system and the assembly line. Henry Ford only wanted to make the job of making cars faster so that he could sell more. Not only did he achieve his goals, the lives of the workers became more stable and fortunate. Many of the people that worked for Henry Ford did make history with the first car but as well made their life more stable as well. According to an article on the New York Daily Mail it stated that, “ But the monotonous work led to high turnover, leading Ford to double his minimum wage in order to keep his line humming.The five-dollar day was eventually followed by the five-day work week, which meant Ford workers had both the money to buy his cars and the leisure time to use them”(NY Daily Mail). This meant that the workers now had the chance to live a life that normal families could afford to live at. While many of the workers did feel that luxury having money many of the low-class citizens needed better jobs to support their families of what they were doing. As more and more people became part of the workforce a new social class emerged from the ground. The middle class had come and that was mostly for people that worked in the city. In an article called, “ Effects of the Industrial Revolution”, it
As technologies like steam developed industrialization was able to make use of the geography of the country. There was plenty of cheap land for farming so "American skilled workers tended to be both scarce and expensive" (Cowan 90) and it was necessary for people to create more efficient ways to work. Inventors created machines and methods that would require fewer people or people with fewer skills to compensate for the reduced labor force. This land rich environment lead to a working class that was for the most part transient. Men worked for a short time to make money to start up farms or businesses of their own. Women worked in factories to earn money to send home before they married and raised families. The American worker did not think of themselves as a permanent fixture in the factories, only as transient participant to earn what they need to move on to the next stages of their lives.
Imagine being employee number 101 out of 1001. Now imagine working on an assembly line in a hot room filled with 1000 other women frantically assembling products for first world countries to use for ten seconds before discarding for a newer version. This job pays enough for you to get by but living in a third world country with low pay isn’t easy. What many people don’t understand is that the cost of production in a third world country is more inexpensive than it is in America. Hiring women to work in horrid conditions decreases employee loss because they are not rambunctious like men. “Life on the Global Assembly Line” by Barbara Ehrenreich and Annette Fuentes clearly illustrates the hardships women go through for U.S. corporation production. Corporate powers have resorted to building production plants in third world countries to save money. U.S. corporate powers take advantage of third world
Throughout the 19th century, industrialization was a turning point in the United States that led to huge changes in society, economics and politics. The incoming growth of factories had positives and negatives effects. Two specific changes were the new government regulations and the increasing immigration. These changes were extremely important because they settled the bases of the country.
In 1800s, the industrial revolution spread across the United States, which significantly change the way of manufacturing and labor society function. More and more Europeans were transferred to America, which increased the population of America. In addition, the larger transportation and communication made the old type of labor conventions and household manufactory became outdated. At that time, the “Artisan Republicanism” was extraordinary popular in the United States, people work depended on their workmanships, and people were also able to be their own boss on the job. However, factory based workplaces replaced the traditional patterns of work, which significantly increased the efficiency of manufactory industry, but on the other hand, labors met big problem, not only on the status of a master in their field, but also on the lower wages and longer working hours. American workers found that they had become “wage slaves”. In response of these changes, laborers started protesting the new revolution, resisted changes of older traditions of work,
Since factories started to incorporate machines through industrialization, the required long hours were not needed anymore. The working class wanted to have more freedom away from their jobs. “They also desired more free time to rest, eat their dinners, enjoy conversations and drink beer” (Green 162). Since the rest of America was enjoying freedom, the working class wanted to have a part in it as well. The idea of not being dependent on their wages, was extremely important to the working class at this time. Also with factories mainly supplying unskilled work, skilled workers started to feel degraded in their proud craft. “By the same token, proud American and European craftsmen viewed other forms of unskilled or menial labor as degrading” (Green 107). Although factories allowed their skilled workers to keep their jobs, they expected them to take a pay cut. Also with the pay cut, the skilled workers were forced to give up the skilled work that they took pride in. With workers becoming frustrated with not having freedom and, skilled workers not being treated fairly unions were
An Analysis on the lives of the Upper, Middle, and Lower classes during the Industrial Revolution
+++====In short, American life was altered by the Industrial Revolution, not just in terms of materials, and increased production, but in American standards of living, but of how people in America lived and worked together. The American public began to praise advancements of technology as signifying advancements in society. However, we must remember there were other social, cultural, and political consequences of the Industiral Revolution’s influence on American society; ones which lead to things such as unions, as well as concerns with the rights of the
The United States in the 1870s was highly agrarian focused, centered on the local community with individuals taking pride in their work. This was a time when small businesses and farms were the center of the American economy. In a striking comparison, the early 20th century marked an era of heavy industrialization and a wider view of the nation as a whole. The decades in between were filled with violent and rapid change in all aspects of American life. By and large, through the expansion of business across state lines, an explosion of growth in railroads, and huge leaps in the technologies responsible for efficient industry.
happening in the world, with more and more people just accepting the new social classes and not protesting their unfairness. This source not only helps us understand the living conditions of the time but also the change in society that occurred during the Industrial
The Industrial Revolution in America began to develop in the mid-eighteen hundreds after the Civil War. Prior to this industrial growth the work force was mainly based in agriculture, especially in the South (“Industrial Revolution”). The advancement in machinery and manufacturing on a large scale changed the structure of the work force. Families began to leave the farm and relocate to larger settings to work in the ever-growing industries. One area that saw a major change in the work force was textile manufacturing. Towns in the early nineteen hundreds were established around mills, and workers were subjected to strenuous working conditions. It would take decades before these issues were addressed. Until then, people worked and struggled for a life for themselves and their families. While conditions were harsh in the textile industry, it was the sense of community that sustained life in the mill villages.
...ductivity shaped the development of the American economy in the 1920s. The nation’s industries shifted from coal to electricity. Mass production, electrification, and other innovations increased American productivity and established industries flourished while new industries developed. One of the most signigicant inventions during this time was the assembly line. This made hard work become less tedious and forever changed the lives of factory workers.
The mid 19th century was an age of growth like no other. The term “Industrial Revolution” refers to the time period where production changed from homemade goods, to those produced by machines and factories. As industrial growth developed and cities grew, the work done by men and women diverged from the old agricultural life. People tended to leave home to work in the new factories being built. They worked in dangerous conditions, were paid low wages, and lacked job security (Kellogg). It is difficult to argue, however, that the economic development of the United States was not greatly dependent on the industrial revolution.
In the early twentieth century production of goods moved from small scale to mass production. Increased technology and mechanization made possible to produce goods on a large scale. The most well-known organization Ford Motor company introduced ‘Fordism’ a new type of mass production. Ford's factories required a well-organized and deskilled workforce, keen and capable to perform repetitive tasks on the assembly line.
The feminization of labor started during the earliest phases of industrialization. During this time period men and women were usually paid the same wages and worked side by side in the same factories. By the twentieth century men had taken over the workforce, absolutely dominating the technological areas where people are paid the most. Only one in five women was paid for her work, and these women were paid very little. By the 1970s more women were drawn to work because of higher pay, and by 1990 three out of five women were paid for their work. This percentage is rapidly increasing, perhaps because of several changes in society. The U.S. price of living has increased, and many women have become employed to help pay this rising price (Appelbaum and Chambliss 1997). Many more women are graduating from college and other professional schools (Kilbourne 1995), and these women seek out the large amounts of job opportunities with higher pay that require higher education (Appelbaum and Chambliss 1997). But still, even though opportunities are becoming more equal for men and women, there is still a huge gender gap in the workforce. Surveys of the top Fortune 1000 industrial and 500 service companies show that 95 percent of senior level managers are men, leaving a rare five percent of women to head very few companies (Redwood 1996). What is barring women from reaching the top of corporate ladders? The glass ceiling is a term coined for the invisible barrier to movement in the very top positions in business and government, making it difficult for women to reach the top of their profession (Appelbaum and Chambliss 1997). There are many reasons for the existence of this barrier, but two of the most prominent are social barriers (Redwood 1996), which often can cause women to feel uncomfortable or discouraged about moving up, and also women’s “second shift”, which is the “the unpaid housework that women typically do after they come home from paid employment” (Appelbaum and Chambliss 1997).
During the early 20th century the factory system started to flourish, and many managers were rather concerned as to how to organize the workforce. Managers were required to find new ways to maximize both the machinery and the workers, this led to the centralization of both labor and equipment in factories, and division of specialized labor.