Industrialization and Progressivism (1877-1920)

Agriculture to Industrial Society

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Content Statement #8

The rise of corporations, heavy industry, mechanized farming and technological innovations transformed the American economy from an agrarian to an increasingly urban industrial society.

Content Elaboration

Industrialization in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries were characterized by the rise of corporations and heavy industry, which transformed the American economy. Consequences of this transformation included:

· a shift from a predominance of agricultural workers to a predominance of factory workers;

· a shift from rural living to urban living, with more people living in crowded and unsanitary conditions;

· new technologies made production more efficient as machines replaced human labor;

· increased agricultural production due to mechanized farming; and

· the development of the mechanized assembly line and mass production which led to the transition from skilled to unskilled labor.

Some of the technological innovations that transformed the American economy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries included the telephone, phonograph, incandescent light bulb, washing machine, skyscraper, automobile, and airplane.

Figure 1 Inside an Industrial Factory

Section A

Agricultural Economy to Industrial Economy

Countryside to the City

During the Gilded Age (1870’s - 1900), the American Economy shifted its focus from an agricultural based economy to one that was steeped in industrialization.

As a result of the boom of the American economy, a newly created middle class enjoyed wealth and prosperity.

Beyond their reach was an elite group of wealthy businessmen that controlled much of the economic interests of the United States.

John D Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie would not only be defined by their wealth, but would forever be known as “captains of industry” and “robber barons” in studies of American history.

American inventors and innovators, such as Samuel Morse, Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, Nicholas Tesla and Henry Ford, created products that would change American life society.

Electricity and Oil became more usable and reliable for factories.

Steel increased with the mass production of the automobile.

Assembly Line decreased specialization in the workforce.

Communication, Telephone, and Radio was widespread for the middle class and wealthy.

Figure 2 How did the United States grow and change between 1860 and 1910?

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Section B Two individuals best exemplify the boom of 19^th century industrialization: John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie.
John D. Rockefeller Oil	John D. Rockefeller began as bookkeeper for a grain company in Cleveland, Ohio. His frugal lifestyle led him to save money to invest in the up and coming market of oil refining. By creating or buying the means of production for oil, Rockefeller utilized the concept of vertical integration. Rockefeller controlled the vast majority of oil refining in the United States.
Andrew Carnegie Steel and Railroad	Andrew Carnegie’s life is a “rags-to-riches” story that exemplifies the American dream. An immigrant to the United States from Scotland, Carnegie and his family settled in Pennsylvania where they led a hard life. Carnegie rose to the role of superintendent of the Pennsylvania Railroad through a strong work ethic. Carnegie used his accumulated wealth to invest in steel, eventually founding Carnegie Steel.

Figure 3 Railroad Track Mileage Growth by Decade in number of miles (1860-1890)

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Section C Key Inventions
America’s increasing power and prestige stemmed from the growth of 19^th century industry. This growth was enhanced by new technologies. With the advent of the telegraph, telephone and light bulb, industries and workers became more productive and efficient and spurred the growth of America in 19^th century.
Samuel Morse and the Telegraph	Samuel Morse’s invention, Morse Code, drastically changed communication.  All regions of the United States were connected and information could be transmitted almost immediately nationwide. The telegraph rapidly increased the dispersal of information to businesses that used it for financial gain.
Alexander Graham Bell and the Telephone	The telephone eliminated the need for trained operators of Morse Code. The telephone became more widely used in homes throughout the country. The telephone brought communication efficiency to business and government entities and also to average Americans.
Thomas Edison and the Light Bulb Thomas Edison at his research laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey	Edison established over a thousand patents in his research laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey.  His most notable invention was the incandescent light bulb which revolutionized the way we live and work.  Factories could operate twenty-four hours a day since daylight was no longer required. Workers and their families utilized night time for activities and entertainment.

Figure 4 American Inventions

Inventor	Invention	Year
James Watt	Steam Engine	1769
Eli Whitney	Cotton Gin	1793
Samuel Slater	Cotton Spinning Mill	1793
Robert Fulton	Steamboat	1807
Samuel Morse	Telegraph	1836
Charles Goodyear	Vulcanized Rubber	1839
Elisha Otis	Elevator	1861
Alfred Nobel	Dynamite	1861
Christopher Sholes	Typewriter	1868
Alexander Graham Bell	Telephone	1876
Thomas Edison	Incandescent Light Bulb	1879
Nicholas Tesla	Induction Motor	1888
Wright Brothers	Airplane	1903
Henry Ford	Model T Automobile	1908

Figure 5 Data from the United States Patent Office

Figure 6 Ford Model T Assembly Line (1910)

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Section D Impact on Industrial America
Industrialization		Description of Resource	Impact on Industrial America
Natural Resource	Oil	With the discovery of a large oil well in Western Pennsylvania in the late 1850’s, an industry was born in the US.  Drilling for oil also led to the petroleum refining industry.	Oil could be transformed into kerosene, which could be used for lighting lamps and later as gasoline for automobiles.  Kerosene was the major source of lighting for most American homes until 1930. Additionally, as the use of the automobile grew in the early 1900’s, oil was a needed commodity.
Transportation	Railroad	The transcontinental railroad was a series of railroad tracks. The tracks allowed California, Texas, and Washington state to be connected with the factories and large cities on the east coast.  As the US grew in size and population, the Transcontinental Railroad provided quick transportation from the east to the west coast, a journey that used to take many months now took one week.	This allowed for expansion of farmland available due to the railroad being able to get goods to market in a  reasonable time.  It also led to the creation of time zones so travel time would be uniform (adopted by Congress in 1918). It influenced business and industry because of the need for natural resources including iron, coal, steel, lumber, and glass.
Technology	Light Bulb	The light bulb was perfected by Thomas Edison in 1878. The incandescent light bulb is an electric light with a wire filament heated to a temperature that causes it to glow with a visible light.	This meant that homes and businesses could have better lighting, and lighting that would last later into the evening.  This eventually led to longer work hours and night shifts in factories where manufactured goods could be produced in large quantities.

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