Gilded Age #3

III. Industrialization At Work

A. After the Civil War, the U.S. will begin its

journey on becoming an industrial power.
The main factor that allowed the U.S. to
grow by leaps and bounds over the next
three decades was the idea of LAISSEZ
FAIRE which encouraged a “hands off”
policy and did not encourage the regulation
of big business.

Other major factors that made the
Second Industrial Revolution possible
were:

1. A large availability of liquid

capital: money that is readily

accessible

2. A large unskilled labor force courtesy of

massive immigration and internal

migration.

3. An abundance of natural resources.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following was NOT a natural resource, but transformed the countries landscape?

• coal

• iron ore

• steel

• oil

4. American ingenuity: a combination of

hard work, gift for invention and the
ability to improve existing inventions,
which led to hundreds of new patents.

What is the mother of invention? https://youtu.be/4OLWJ1TMuNE

Multiple Choice

What is a patent?

• A patent is a legal right that grants an inventor exclusive rights to their invention.
• A patent is a document that describes a business plan.
• A patent is a government grant for financial aid.
• A patent is a type of trademark for branding.

5. However, these factors alone were not enough.

It took creative men and women who had the foresight to see all that was possible.

https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=12223

B. Where did industrialization take off in
the U.S.?

1. Primarily in the cities of the eastern

seaboard (New York, PA, etc.)

2. The South was slow to industrialize,

but in the late 1800’s the textile
industry will find its niche in the
southern U.S.

Multiple Choice

Can you list two things that made the textile industry a perfect fit for the South?

• Limited access to transportation, and strict labor laws.

• High demand for wool textiles and availability of cheap labor.

• Strict labor laws in the region and abundant cotton production.

• Availability of cheap labor and abundant cotton production.

C. Impact of Industrialization on the U.S. between 1865-1900

1. Mechanization led to mass produced goods

being produced quicker and sold at a
cheaper cost. This allowed the U.S. to
move from 4th in world production to 1st.

2. Positive impact:

a. Overall standard of living rose
dramatically.

b. Wealth of the country increased

c. Plethora of jobs, both skilled and

unskilled…..initially.

3. Negative Impact

a. Low pay and long hours often required a whole

household to work to earn one livable wage.

b. Class divisions were
accentuated.

c. A factory system was implemented that

churned out goods, but created a monotonous
work environment.

Multiple Choice

What danger does a monotonous work environment create in
a factory with sharp and dangerous equipment?

• Increased productivity due to repetitive tasks.
• Enhanced teamwork and collaboration among workers.
• Increased risk of accidents due to decreased attention and focus.

d.

No safety standards/codes existed and
factories were extremely hazardous.

What other problem of industrialization is obvious in this
picture?

4. Federal Govt. had to re-examine its role…continued laissez faire or regulation?

**How does this cartoon define laissez faire?

Multiple Choice

Why did people’s standard of living tend to rise during the second half of the 1800s?

• Lack of resources
• increased productivity

• Decrease in population
• Political instability

Multiple Choice

Which of the following was NOT a negative effect of the common

practice of using child labor in factories?

• Increased family income
• Decreased poverty rates
• Negative impact on child's education
• Improved working conditions for adults