Jessica Plott
November 18, 2014
3rd Block DC History
Mr. Higgins
The Impact of the Industrial Revolution in the North
The Industrial Revolution made an impact upon the world in the early nineteenth century.
The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in the period from about 1760 to sometime between 1820 and 1840. This transition included going from hand production methods to machines, new chemical manufacturing and iron production processes, improved efficiency of water power, the increasing use of steam power, and the development of machine tools. It also included the change from wood and other biofuels to coal. (1) The
Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain and spread to Western Europe and the United States within a few decades. It reached the United States just a few years prior to 1800. (2) The
Industrial Revolution changed the way of life in the northern states by increasing living standards, increasing the population of cities, decreasing the amount of farmers, creating better transportation, safety of city living, and increasing the amount of labor unions. (3) This revolution was very key in our countries history and was a major turning point to allow the
United States become what it is today.
The Industrial Revolution led to the increase of living standards because of the rise in salary that they earned from their new factory jobs operating new and advanced machinery. First of all, historians agree that salaries increased extravagantly during the Industrial Revolution.
Some historians, such as Peter Lindert and Jeffrey Williamson, calculate that wages rose by roughly seventy percent. Other historians, however, say that wages rose only by thirty percent.
Either way, that is definitely a positive step and led to the increase of living standards for the
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working class. Also, there are biological measures of standard of living, such as people’s height.
Height is