How Government Actions Affected American Industrial Workers

Between 1865 and 1900 many things affected the economic, social, and cultural aspects of the American industrial workers lives. Three of these being government actions, immigration, and technological changes. Government actions helped American industrial workers’ through acts such as the Interstate Commerce Act that banned pools, and the Chinese exclusion act, which lowered competition for workers. Immigration affected industrial workers in a negative way since immigrants were willing to work for less than American workers and were thus taking their jobs. Technological changes both assisted and harmed industrial workers because some new inventions like the typewriter created new jobs, while others like large factory machines replaced workers. The economic, social, and cultural aspects of American industrial workers was largely impacted by government actions, immigration, and
Economically, the passing of the Interstate Commerce Act and the Sherman Anti-trust Act helped industrial workers by banning pools, rebates, and monopolies. With all of these criminal business practices being banned workers were now able to receive fair prices and see if what they were being charged was respectable. Socially, because of laws like the Pendleton Act, inequality towards industrial workers decreased. The Pendleton Act called for civil service reform, which meant that companies had to hire workers based on their ability not primarily based on a like or dislike towards them. Culturally, the government gave new land grants and monetary grants to agricultural station and colleges through the Hatch Act of 1887. This act created more colleges and jobs in agriculture, giving workers more opportunity for higher education with more college options. Government actions made life for industrial workers better by creating laws and acts that helped to give workers equal and fair