AMERICA’S INDUSTRIAL AGE: AN
INTRO
1865-1909
P O P U L A T I O N G R O W T H
I N D U S T R I A L E M P L O Y M E N T
U R B A N G R O W T H
P O L I T I C A L , E C O N O M I C & S O C I A L C H A N G E S
N A T I O N A L
S E L F - C O N F I D E N C E
POPULATION SHIFTS
• US was primarily rural at the onset of the Civil War
• By 1900, US was an industrial country
• Americans continued to move westward to set up
new lives, farms and trade
• By 1900, more Americans were moving to cities than
the countryside
• Economic and technical change encouraged
rapid industrialization
INDUSTRIALIZATION &
URBANIZATION
• Transcontinental railroads linked eastern and western
regions of the United States
• New towns grew along railroad lines
• New industries (oil and steel) grew to dominate
American industry
• Americans moved to the cities lured by hopes of steady
employment
• Push and Pull factors in Europe influenced large numbers
of immigrants to seek new opportunities in the U.S.
• Contemporary Example (one of many): Immigrant’s Changing
Iowa’s Cities
• By 1900, American industry lagged only behind Great
Britain in production
THE AMERICAN SPIRIT
• American individualism was rooted in 17th century values:
• The Western frontier was paved by Americans who were
rugged, unafraid people, inspired by hope and willing to
sacrifice comforts for new lives
• Economic and political change created government
assistance where it was once seen as a last bastion of
individualism
• Federal troops were dispatched to protect American interests
against Native Americans
• Government agencies were created to regulate business
practices
• Reformers grew increasingly more demanding for government
regulation of private industries
• As cities grew, so did the need for government assistance in
housing, transportation, schools, hospitals, fire and police
protection
SOCIAL & POLITICAL CHANGE
• The gap between rich and poor widened
• Labor first galvanized during this time period
• Unions formed to demand better conditions and fairer
wages
• Small farmers were squeezed by debt, foreign
competition and demanded land-price regulations
• Anti-immigrant groups became more prominent
• Corporate and individual corruption became the
normalcy
• Populist party was formed as a movement against
the power of Wall Street, big banks and big business
RACIAL INJUSTICE
• Indians were forcibly moved from lands
• U.S. won the Indian Wars and the Native population
struggled to hold on to their shattered cultures
• The South remained relatively untouched by the
Industrial Revolution
• Majority of industry still resided up North and out West
• Slaves were freed, but southern governments implemented
Black Codes to limit the movement and rights of AfricaAmericans
• Later known as Jim Crow Laws
• Segregation of public facilities remained common-place
until the 1960s and 1970s
NATIONAL SELF-CONFIDENCE OF A
MODERN INDUSTRIAL STATE
• Wealth and power created a new sense of selfconfidence in the American way of life
• Desire for overseas expansion increased during this
age
• US liberated Cuba from Spanish rule, seized control
of the Philippines, increased its economic hold on
Latin America
• Debate about American purpose, responsibilities
and strength was debated then, just as it is now