Industrial Revolution Dbq Essay

Before the industrial revolution, most of the people worked on farms. The US economy was an agricultural economy, meaning that the main industry in America was farming. Before the industrial revolution, only about 10% of the population lived in cities. Most of the people who lived in the countryside spent most of their days farming, and would sell extra food at the market. These people also made most of their own clothes, furniture, and tools from raw materials (Industrial Revolution World Book). This means that people who lived in the farms had a successful way of living. However they were only living on whatever they could grow and harvest, and they could not grow much during the winter season. This would cause some families to move

In Philadelphia alone, about 1500 new jobs were created from factories. All of the jobs lowered rent for people living near the factory, it was as low as 0.75 cents a week (Doc 2). This example shows that more people are gaining jobs to help support themselves or families, and they are getting a place to stay for a lower price. One of the major industries in the US was the steel industry. With more people working in the factory, more steel got produced, which helped the US economy grow (Doc 3). This example confirms that with more factories being made and more people getting jobs, than the more money that factory’s industry is making, which results in the US economy growing. Another positive that came from the industrial revolution are worker unions. Worker unions are groups of people who try to create better wages and safer work conditions. These unions would go on strikes to get what they were fighting for. During these strikes, there was less pollution being admitted into the Earth, since there was no work going on in the factories. Another positive from these strikes are that the factory workers gain the rights that they deserve (Doc 6). Finally, the industrial revolution introduce the US to new ways to mass produce products (Industrial Revolution Encyclopedia of Science). This proves that the US could produce more finished products at a faster rate, which means that the economy could grow faster.

The Sadler committee checked factories and interviewed children and young adults to explain about what occurs in the factory as well as how the factory conditions are compared to where they should be. William Cooper was an 18 year old working at a factory so he could support his family. He began working at the age of 10. Since he was working at the factory, he could not get an education. William was only able to read, but could not write. He also explained how he only got one 40 minute lunch break in 12 hour shifts (Doc 1). This example proves that William could not move up in his job since he was not educated. It also means that he was not getting a sufficient diet, or enough break time to remain healthy and alert everyday. In another interview with the Sadler committee Joseph Hebergam explains what he saw when a young boy and possibly his sister were killed when the boy was trying to fix a machine. He also talks about he was diagnosed with damaged lungs and that he had about one month to live. He claims that the boys was caught on the machine because the shaft was not covered, and that his illness was because of the poor conditions in which he worked in (Doc 4). This example proves to show that the factories were dangerous, not clean, and unhealthy to work in. With more factories coming in at a faster rate, it may help the economy, but it has its negatives. For example, it increases the amount