In the late 19th century, physical and economic changes in the cities were made as a result of industrialization. Industrialization is the mechanical process of transitioning from handmade manufacturing to machine production in factories. Cities substituted muscle power with machine power and transformed all aspects of American life. Industrialization was the most important change since settled agriculture. This led to increased production and more goods, growth of businesses, and migration from rural to urban areas. Many economic and industrial production increased due to technology growing. Technology innovations help businesses produce products that were cheaper so more people would buy them. The changes led to the transportation systems expanding, especially the national railroad network. The railroad grew to nearly 200,000 miles connecting the United States. The expansions to the transportation system helped the nation’s marketplace and the distribution of goods. Farmers and industrialists grew in their production of products and the economy benefited from the growing of natural resources. Due to these industries growing, …show more content…
There was a distinct difference between class divisions. Social classes did not interact with each other, and tension grew between them. In the late 19th century, there was a growing number of individuals in the middle class. Many people began to consider themselves apart of the middle class, including women. Now, women had opportunities to do what they wanted. Many attended and graduated college and started working outside of the home. Those in the middle class operated new factories, businesses, and railroads. These individuals had a much more comfortable lifestyle than those in the working class. Due to the growth in companies, they had a strong need for unskilled workers. These needs attracted new groups to the workforce, including immigrants, women with no education, and