In the 19th century the United States went though a period of immense industrial expansion. The new industries affected the lives of many Americans who were involved with them. Some of these effects lead to one another, such as increased urbanization, immigration and reform movements.
Urbanization was incresed because of the growth of factories as well. Factories were located in areas that had a substantial population, then workers would move closer to the factories in search for employment, creating a city. The new people moving into the urban areas often were able to find jobs because of the need for unskilled workers that could be paid less. Farmers would go to the cities to find work, as they were loosing money from new technology that was replacing workers. Examples of cities that became major industrial cities are Chicago, New York City, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, St. Louis and Detroit. The influx of many people into one area lead to diversity in cities through the factories and housing. With the large amounts of people moving into the area, tenement housing became popular.The amount of people in a condensed area caused severe problems. The sanitation had major flaws, people would store their garbage in the air shafts of the tenements, bathrooms were close together and near living quarters and multiple of large families would live together in small, one room apartments. These conditions caused widespread diseases and deaths. Pollution was also a problem. Sewage ran down the drain systems on streets and water was infused withgarbage and waste. Pollution also caused diseases and death. Along with sanitation and pollution, crime also became an issue. Without a standard police force murders, thievery and pickpocketing were common because of political and financial disagreements. Political bribes also grew from bribery, drafts, voter fraud and kickbacks.
The industrial growth brought needs for cheap labor and unskilled workers. This led to great amounts of immigration. The word of pay rates and jobs reached over to other countries, giving them ideas of hope. Besides the jobs, immigrants left for religious freedom, to flee from civil wars and other things making them believe the streets of America were “paved withgold”. Though, immigration was not a complete benefit, the immigrants themselves were treated poorly by those who supported ideas such as nativism, if they were even let into the country at all. Most immigrants, those without a working pass or sponsor, had to go through extensive processing before they were let into the country. The amount of immigrants turned away at Angel Island in San Francisco far surpassed the amount going in. They also took jobs that were desired by the native whites, causing them to be a target of political corruption. Because of the ethnic bias, racism and discrimination they were sometimes forced to live in ethnic ghettos, slums and tenement housing which were often unsanitary. Because of the discrimination and unhealthy conditions, reform movements became popular to invoke fair treatment and pay for the immigrants and other mistreated groups such as African Americans, women and children.
These were just a few effects from the industrial growth during the 19th century. Though, these effects were a large part of the industrial growth itself. Without immigrants and the building up of cities themselves, the industry may not have grown at all. With the industry grew other events that shaped the way industry is today, such as reform movements involving fair pay and treatment of workers, African Americans, women, and children. Without the effects like immigration and urbanization from industrial growth in the 19th century the industry would not be what it is today.
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