The Industrial Revolution in America By: Tan Ly

Essay by viethelldragonHigh School, 12th gradeA+, February 2004

download word file, 6 pages 5.0

During the years between 1860 and 1900, factors including advancement and increase in railroads, political party control, and the creation of agricultural machinery both, directly and indirectly, helped promote America's huge industrial growth. The Industrial Revolution was a time of great change. There were many improvements made such as the use of hand tools and other handmade items, to products, which were mass-produced by new machines. Workers became more productive, more items were manufactured, and prices dropped very low. All of these factors of the Industrial Revolution made items more available to the public instead of just the rich and elite. During this time, the quality of life for Americans had greatly improved. Along with bettering the economy of the United States, the Industrial Revolution promoted expansion and helped the lower class.

When Industrialism began to rise, the South did the most changing. The New South began new cotton mills to produce cotton for the whole county and not just themselves or the ones around them as they did before.

In the 1880s, the Textile production was at five percent, and by the 1900s, the Textile production when to twenty-three percent. The railroads produced dependable outside capital for the states. In 1880, railroad construction in the South outpaced the national average. In 1886, the South railroad companies changed their width of the tracks from five feet to four feet eight and half inches, because they wanted the railroad to be used as part of the national network. Former slaves helped produced pig iron in these years. In 1880, they produced nine percent of total pig iron produced in the United States, but by 1890, the total of pig iron produced by former slaves had double in amount.

The development of road transportation also had consequences similar to railroad transportation,