How Did Industrialization Affect Early America

Words: 2304
Pages: 10

Industrialization in early America had a major impact on the country. It had the most impact however in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries due to the rise of machines and mechanical devices. Industrialization changed the way Americans work and made life easier overall as well for the most part. Issues arose on the safety and effectiveness of machine labor as well during the so called “Industrial Revolution” of early America. Machines were changing the way Americans live their day to day lives. Laws and standards were beginning to be set for this radical new change that was coming about to American Capitalism, so machines were changing the Americans approach to work and play as well.

The topic of industry during the early
…show more content…
Immigrants ran into many issues such as: food for their families, being overworked in the factories, and having shelter for their families to go home to with adequate clothing as well. Thomas O'Donnell was one of the many immigrants that came America during this time of the Industrial Revolution looking for hope and freedom for his family. Little did he know when he arrived that he would find the reality of working extremely long hours for small wages, yet still not being able to provide for his family by giving them the life that America was supposed to promise them (Cobbs 74). O'Donnell tells of the struggle that he has to pay his rent and provide food for his family as well. When his job prevents him from working because they go on strike, his children have to go work to help provide for the family as well in poor working conditions not suitable for children (Cobbs 75). Many children are needed to run the mills because the men are not small enough to do the job that a child could do more effectively due to their size being smaller. O’Donnell says his children and many others should not be working in the mills or the factories, yet it should just be the men working for a wage high enough for their families to be able to eat and live in freedom in America (Cobbs 75). His family is even far too poor to travel out west for a better due to the extremely low pay he has been accustomed to (Cobbs 77). O’Donnell and his family has nothing when they came to America and now they feel like they have even less due to the situation they became encompassed when they came to the United States hoping for a better life full of