Urbanization Dbq

889 Words4 Pages

Cities improve due to innovation, but humans residing in them may not. The Industrial Revolution was a period in time where new inventions helped labor become less taxing and more efficient in the South. On the other hand, the North developed urban cities, which attracted many people. Urban cities had become the epitome of civilization: ease of life and wealth was present, but not available to everyone. To elaborate, these urban cities provided job opportunities to women. Nevertheless, the poor lived in terrible conditions, child labor was common, conflicts arose between immigrants and American citizens, and the government approved of rich people’s selfishness. Labor was necessary in factories and homes, providing more job opportunities …show more content…

The United States of America was built from the ground up through the labor of immigrants and slaves, yet has a history of discrimination against both. Moreover, resentment towards the latter escalated during the Industrial Revolution because citizens felt that their jobs were being robbed by immigrants. To restrict them, they first created the Chinese Exclusion Act which banned Chinese immigration for ten years, stemming from “economic and cultural tensions, as well as ethnic discrimination” (History State). Many of these foreigners fled their countries due to religious persecution, poverty, and political persecution. Therefore, citizens and foreigners had the same goals: freedom and the ability to support their families. However, many American citizens were too selfish and did not consider the well-being of others. In their minds, it was “them versus us.” Urban cities represent human narrow-mindedness and ruthlessness, which may never change unless drastic measures are …show more content…

Instead of going to school, the majority of children opted to work. The reason they were hired continuously was due to their “[usefulness] as laborers because their size allowed them to move in small spaces in factories or mines where adults couldn’t fit…[and] could be paid less than adults” (History). These children had the ability to rise above their dismal situations, but were denied it because their parents, who also worked for these millionaires, had low wages. Taking away such a fundamental right is disgusting, and none should have the power to limit other’s success for their own. The labor shortages with men left the undesirable jobs to the women and children to