After the Civil War, people started migrating West and more immigrants started coming. The country went through several major changes between 1865 and 1880 that resulted in significant changes in labor and industrialization. The majority of the country owed war debts and there were money issues that caused people to lose money, but the country was quickly industrializing and urbanizing to improve agricultural life. While the North was thriving from new inventions and methods, the South was trying to recover from the affects of the end of slavery. When the war ended the South was suffering from financial problems and was still relying on “King Cotton” (Nash 426) to be its main source of income. The South was the most affected by the war ending …show more content…
Although blacks became sharecroppers, the land owners ensured that the blacks would always be indebted to them (Kennedy 8). They were paid the bare minimum, and they experienced similar sufferings of being a slave. Because the Civil War caused many to become poor, they could barely pay to hire people they used to be able to receive free labor from. In other parts of the country, more immigrants were being hired because they were willing to work for lower wages than others (Batchelor, Immigrants). While the big businesses were making more money from paying them less, most people had a hard time finding decent paying jobs. More labor unions, like the Knights of Labor, AFL, and National Labor Union (Batchelor, Organized), were formed to protect workers’ rights because they were not being paid enough and had to work in horrible conditions for long hours. They usually caused strikes to make the bosses pay them better and refused to work. In retaliation, the bosses would simply hire others desperate for a job and fire the ones on strike. Since the government supported businesses more, they did nothing to help the workers. The big businesses were thriving from paying their workers less and it was easier to find …show more content…
Consumers could get products cheaper and manufacturers made more money from mass production, but more machines like the Bessemer Converter and electric sewing machine (Inventions) meant less manual labor was needed. Manufacturers did not need to hire as many workers since the machines would be able to do it faster. Although machines made everything more efficient, most people could not afford to buy them because they were too expensive, so usually the rich profited from new technology. Instead of concentrating on agricultural goods, the country turned to heavy industry. The steel, oil and other industries were connected by railroads (Batchelor, Industrialization). Banks provided capital for the industries. When people started forming monopolies, they made everything more expensive than they needed it to be and controlled most necessities. The working class had troubles trying to support their families with it, but they couldn’t rely on the corrupt government for help. Because everything could be made so quickly with machines, it made it easier for investors and businesses to earn money quickly. More people were able to get rich. The North was flourishing and the government was investing more. They raised taxes; funded libraries, roads, and schools; and they started investing on railroads. This caused the government to be in more debt than they already were from the Civil
During the 1860’s America was in a period of economic hardship due to the ongoing demand for materials and money to fund the war. In the South, sufficient money and materials were hard to acquire because the southern economy still depended on the labor of slaves to produce their goods and income rather than factories. The Northern economy used numerous factories to produce goods and make profit for the war, but they still did not have technology that was advanced enough to easily produce all the necessary materials and money. After the civil war, America embarked on a journey of economic expansion and unification for the nation. In the late 19th century, government policies, technological advancements and population changes contributed to
The economic changes were quite devastating for both sides but mostly towards the South. Much of the Southern plantations were destroyed along with many big cities, such as Richmond and Vicksburg. Another economic change which had a large impact on the South was due to the loss of slaves. Slaves were what had made their economy prosper and post-war, slavery had been abolished and southerners had lost their work force. War needs led to expansion and centralization of Southern government control over the economy. The economic setback to the South lasted for decades. Although the United States remained as one country, a number of Southern states through the 20th century have had to receive an inconsistent amount of federal aid and intervention. This intervention by the Federal government has caused disagreement and resentment between
The formation of unions helped workers of similar nature band together and demand better wages for their work. Many workers went on-strike, demanding higher wages, but living paycheck to paycheck it was difficult to weather out an entire strike. With the onset of industrialization and the automation of many factory jobs, the amount of jobs available decreased and further dumbed down the jobs, requiring less education to operate effectively, and further increasing the market for competition. Immigrants just wanted to sustain a good job that can make them enough money to support their family and live comfortably, but had a tough time being affluent in America while working wage-labor shifts in poor working
In the south, for social, they still had problems with race. New laws made it hard for southern African Americans to enjoy the improvements of transportation. Politically, there were laws that allowed segregation and made it really hard for African Americans to enjoy their free life. economically, although the south remained mostly agricultural the south began to develop timber industries, also because there main source of profit was slaved, after slavery was abolished that took away a lot of the South’s major income, also iron and coal deposits in the southern Appalachian mountains gave rise to steel production in Alabama.
Without the immigration and slavery from early United States history, especially from the time period of 1880 to 1925 one can only imagine where we would be today. The topic of immigration from 1880 to 1925 is not a largely known subject, though it is taught in many of todays history courses. Around the time of 1880 the United States stood welcome and open to immigrants, the immigrants were being let into the United States because the U.S. needed workers to build railroads, and this was the perfect opportunity. Many of the white race became unhappy with immigrants coming to the U.S., but it was brought to the attention of them by Booker T. Washington that without immigrants and slaves where would the U.S. be? The tensions surrounding immigration
After the civil war, especially during the late 1800s, the US industrial economy has been thriving and booming which reflected on the numerous improvements that occurred in transportation through new railroad, in new markets for new invented goods and in the increased farm yield. However, most of this wealth has been captured by the capitalists, they looked down on the working poor class and expected them to submit to them. Also, they had control over the government seeking to maintain a system of monopoly to allow them to grow richer from others. Thus, they were controlling both political and economic conditions of the country.
The United States’ population surged between 1870 and 1924. Immigrants were flooding into the country from Ireland, Germany, Italy, Poland, Hungary, and other countries. They saw America as a great land of opportunity that fulfilled their necessities. The majority of the immigrants settled in the major cities, as their was an abundance of job opportunities, and easy access to transportation. John Radzitowksi’s essay describes the Polish agricultural colonies in Minnesota. It also depicts how immigrants adapted to American life. The first document shows how some immigrants found it difficult to adapt and settle in a new land, and it shows that this was true for Irish immigrant Sam Gray. The second document is a story of Rocco Corresca, a poor
The Civil War was the greatest crisis that ever happened in the United States and the Federal Government, and created a split in the United States economy. After the war of 1812 the difference between the North and South began to increase. The North began an Industrial system, and the South began a system of Slavery and Plantations. The South’s agricultural society slavery was seen as a need to further growth, but the North’s distinguishing value was freedom. South Carolina almost left the union, because of the constant tariffs on supplies for the South, which they saw little profit from Merchant marine. By bringing in immigrants to the North they created more representation, and the South realized the North had more people causing more separation.
The main economic hurdle the country faced was centered in the south. After the war many Southerners were dependant on federal aid subsistence and the emancipation proclamation cost the South $2 billion of it’s capital (Farmer). Furthermore, agriculture had been what maintained southern economy but post-war most farms and plantations were desolate and many of the few railroad tracks that were there before had been destroyed. Historian Charles Beard looks at the war as, “the triumph of the forces of industrialism over plantation agriculture.” However this is not entirely true. While there was some movement towards industry, the south was still primarily agriculturally based and had adopted a system of sharecropping to do so. It took until 1867 for
The end of the Civil War marked a new integration of industry into American society. Following the war, high tariffs were put in place to compensate for the national debt that were created. The increase in tariffs also promoted domestic industries which became more critical in America. A major shift can be seen during this time, known as the Gilded Age, toward a more industrialized society rather than an agricultural one. One major influence toward this industrialized society was the building of the transcontinental railroad which ran from East to West coast. Finished in 1869, the Railroad allowed for more transport which also benefited the rising of big businesses. Regional companies could become national companies and thus changed the way people looked at industrialization. This industrialization affected the working class the most which consisted of the industrial workers and farmers. One would think that the “Gilded Age” would mean prosperity would be felt throughout the economy but the elite 1% of the population had more money than the rest of the population combined. This did not sit well with the working class, especially the industrial workers, who were the ones making the profit for the elites. However, each the farmers and industrial workers had their own way in which they responded to the industrialization of the Gilded Age.
The Civil war was the most momentous and crucial period of time in the history of America. Not only did this war bring an end to slavery but also paved way for numerous social and political changes. The country had already been torn by the negative trend in race relations and the numerous cases of slave uprisings were taking their toll on the country 's political and social structure. The country was predominately divided up into 3 sections, the North, the South, and the West. Each of these groups had different fundamental interests. The North wanted economies depending on farming, factories and milltowns, while the West relied on expansion and development of land for farming and new towns. The South mainly relied on agriculture like
Between the years 1861 and 1941 almost 30 million people immigrated from Europe to the United States. Many left for a new life, some left because the crops were dying and they were starving, some came for a job, and lastly people left because of religious persecution. In the 1800s, two of the main contributions of the immigrants in the U. S. were the larger population and different cultures.
After the Civil War, the United States went through a period of rapid industrialization which affected the nation dramatically. Industrial growth, the spread of railroads, the rise of big businesses, and the appearance of labor unions during these decades created a modern industrial economy, and American workers and farmers faced new challenges in adapting to these changes.
During 1880 to 1860, The United States of America went through social, political and economic changes, which affected the North and South in different ways.
The decades after the Civil War rapidly changed the face of the United States. The rapid industrialization of the nation changed us from generally agrarian to the top industrial power in the world. Business tycoons thrived during this time, forging great business empires with the use of trusts and pools. Farmers moved to the cities and into the factories, living off wages and changing the face of the workforce. This rapid industrialization created wide gaps in society, and the government, which had originally taken a hands off approach to business, was forced to step in.