Ilham Amin

11/14/2016
Ms.Hughes
U.S History II
Final Essay

The New Beginning for America

Industrialization shaped America into the powerhouse of the world. In the late 19th and
early 20th centuries, more and more goods began produced by machines instead of by hand.
Industrializations production had outgrown agricultural production by 1880 and the United
States had become the greatest industrial producer in the world by the beginning of 20th century.
This industrial boom occurred for a number of reasons. First a large number of immigrants had
arrived in America during the period. These immigrants provided a cheap source of labor supply
for factories. There was also an abundant supply of natural resources that provided fuel for
factories. In addition to fuel and labors, the government took a laissez-faire approach to
regulating American businesses; this allowed for businesses to grow, earn money, and exploit
their workers. This period in United States history is known as industrialization. Industrialization
dia benefit society because electricity brought new inventions to America, automobile gave
people the freedom to travel, captains of the industries were the foundation of America.
The electrical system was invented by Thomas Edison in 1879. Edison put together his
knowledge about gas light and electricity to create the electrical lights. Electricity did benefit
society because in allowed factories to run for longer hours. In the text it states, with the
invention of lights, now factories and business didnt have to close at night, they could run at
night with light. (Bert and Hart 167). Electricity had a huge impact on the factories, which
could now run at night and make more money for the economy. Electricity brought a new
meaning to nights. People now could make more money by working at night. Additionally,
electricity brought new inventions to the society. In the text it states, With electricity new
appliances were created, like washing machines, lamps, refrigerator, electrical heater, etc (Bert
and Hart 167). Electricity made people's life easier with new inventions Electricity invented
appliances that are efficient for consumer usage. Without electricity, basic activities such as
refrigerating our food, or washing our clothing couldn't be possible. In a sense you could say, it
would be like living in the dark ages because there wont be any technologies without electricity.
To emphasize, electricity did benefit society because it allowed us to do the everyday work like
chores. We take those for granted, however without electricity we wouldnt be able to do that.
life would be much harder without electricity. Electricity was not the only reason that
Industrialization benefited society.
During the early 19th century the automobile was invented by Henry Ford. The
automobile was the fasted way of transportation in the 19th century . The creation of automobile
did benefit society because average Americans were able to buy it. Additionally, automobile it
allowed them travel farther distance in faster time. In the text it states, Henry lowered the price
of automobile so an average American could buy automobiles (Roger White). Henry Ford
changed the transportation system of America for ever. Now people dont have to wake up early
to walk to work or take the train to work, they could drive there faster. Life had become much
easier with the car. The automobile expanded the highway system and connected people from the
suburbs to the city. Next, the automobile gave people freedom. In the text it states, It became
increasingly popular among the general population because it gave travelers the freedom to
travel when they wanted to and where they wanted(Roger White). Not only is this another
example that explains why automobile caused industrialization. Americans obtained the freedom
or travelling with automobile. Also they no longer had to live near stations, in fact they didnt
even have to live in the city anymore to find jobs in the city. They had the ability to travel to
from wherever they lived to wherever they want to go. They werent restricted to living in the
crowded city any more. Automobile was not the only reason that Industrialization benefited
society.
A captain of the industry can be defined as big business owners, generous giver and very
positive person. The captains of the industries did benefit the society because the captain of the
industries helped poor people. Additionally, the workers benefited from the captains of the
industries because now they had new opportunities. In the text it states, Andrew Carnegie spend
$350 million dollars helping public by establishing public libraries, colleges and universities
(Bert and Hart). This demonstrate that the captain of the industries were a kind soul. They were a
savior to a lot of people, poor people. Captains of industries thought of the future and helped out
the people to ensure a better future. During the Great Depression, a lot of civilians were
unemployed and couldnt make money to provide themselves and their families. They were filled
with despair. Subsequently the captains of the industries gave them hope. In the text it states,
Vanderbilt began construction of Grand Central Terminal in New York City, offering
employment to thousands who otherwise would have been unemployed(Bert and Hart). This
demonstrates that the captain of industries were the beacon of hope to the people during the
Great Depression. The unemployed were given jobs to help themselves and their families.
Without the captain of the industries, the of U.S would have been devastated from the great
depression. Big business was not the only reason that Industrialization benefited society.
Some people would argue that Industrialization did not benefit society. Electricity
brought new inventions and with that brought new dangers. In the text it states, Early electric
lighting was not always reliable. When it was installed at the home of Lord Salisbury, candles
had to be kept in reserve for when it failed (Bert and Hart 167). This demonstrates, people
didnt trust electricity and it was not reliable. The automobile was a huge upgrade from walking
and other types of transportation, however people were afraid of it. In the text it states, In the
1910s, speeding, reckless driving, collisions, and pedestrian fatalities were new problems
requiring new solutions (Roger White). This illustrates, that car accidents became common due
to automobile and people feared for their lives. Big businesses had robber barons, who were evil
people, like John D. Rockefeller. Rockefeller was a rich oil businesses owner, who monopolized
the businesses industries. In the text it states, Rockefeller had great hatred for the rights of
labor, which led to the infamous 'Ludlow Massacre' of 1914 at the Colorado Fuel and Iron
Company. (Bert and Hart). This demonstrate that, robber barons had a negative impact on the
society. However these arguments are incorrect because they are not the only things that
industrialization brought to society. Electricity also brought hope to people. It gave people new
ideas for inventions and gave them new opportunities for jobs. Automobile made people life
much faster with cheap cars and the unfortunate few were to blame themselves for their choices
like drinking and driving. Finally the big businesses also had captains of the industries who
helped people, gave them jobs, donated to charity, established public resources. Not to mention
most of the robber barons atoned for their sins by donating and giving people jobs.
Industrialization dia benefit society because electricity brought new inventions to
America, automobile gave people the freedom to travel, captains of the industries were the
foundation of America. Industrialization did benefit society because electricity made factories
run for a longer time, which meant Americans could make more money at night. Also, peoples
lives became easier with the inventions from electricity like appliances. Second, the automobile
changed the way people used to travel in the early 19th century. The automobile made cars
cheaper and affordable which gave the people freedom to travel. Lastly, the big business gave
hope to the people by aiding them with opportunities during difficult times. To conclude, one can
see many of the same issues today when you look at the 21st century. Electricity has evolved and
became part of everyone's life, without electricity there would be no advancement in the world.
No computers, no Internet and people would have less communication. If it wasnt for the
creation of automobile people would be still walking for long distances, its dangerous especially
during winter when there are possibilities of frostbite and other diseases. Without the generosity
of the captains of the industries, people with less fortune would still suffer and get no
opportunities to make a fortune, the poor would always stay poor. The captains of the industry's
thought of the future and made sure poor people didnt always stay poor.