The Causes Of The Second Industrial Revolution

As soon as the Civil War ended, America started to emerge as an industrial nation. It had become known as the Second Industrial Revolution which began in the mid-nineteenth century. This Second Industrial Revolution will lead to new technologies and new inventions. Industry revolutionized America because it helped inventors create technologies and inventions which will affect farmers, industrial workers, and women. In the 1800’s railroads will become one of the reasons why America was starting to revolutionize. The railroads determined whether your company would make or if it would break it. The only reason why the U.S. didn’t build their own railroads was because of the slavery issue. Finally, Congress gives the U.S. permission to have

The problems that farmers had with this was a decrease in commodity prices due to overproduction and growing international competition for world markets. This left many farmers stuck in debt which made them increase the production of cotton so they could make more money. They all became a part of the Populist Party which represented small farmers, wage laborers, blacks and poor whites to fight against the greedy railroads, corporate monopolies, and corrupt politics. Industrial workers were working long hours and were paid low wages. Industrial workers responded to this by protesting, creating labor unions and striking. A hundred people had died and millions of dollars in property were destroyed during the Great Railroad Strike of 1877. Labor unions were then formed, like the National Labor Union and Knights of Labor. Both promised the ideas such as an 8 hour work day, worker cooperatives, greenbackism, and equal rights for women and African Americans. The Haymarket Affair grew indirectly from out of prolonged agitation for an eight hour day. The Homestead Strike of 1892 and the Pullman Strike of 1894 stalled the emerging industrial union movement. The IWW was designed as a big union with workers of both skilled and unskilled workers and their goal of ultimate destruction of government and its replacement by one big union. Before typewriters and telephones women had worked in unsafe and unsanitary working conditions. Due to industrialization many women were able to leave their homes and work independently. It allowed women to become a part of social activism and labor movements that began to change dangerous working conditions. It allowed women to make enough money to support their families if they had one and themselves. Because of typewriters and telephones now women could be secretaries or telephone