Hardships during the Industrial Era

The era of Industrial Expansion that occurred from 1812 to 1920 was a great time in American history.   This was a time in which the United States blossomed and turned from rural communities in to urban empires.  Plantations were beginning to no longer be the main source of employment and income for many because the nation was making a switch to industrialized farming.  Other things such as technology and city governments were being renovated and improved.  The industrial period brought about many changes.  Improvements in technology allowed for the manufacturing of goods in bulk as well as at a faster rate than when things were being done all by hand.  Since there were many new factories and industries popping up around the nation, new jobs were being built.  Since there were new job opportunities being created in these new urban areas, more and more people were being attracted to these neighborhoods because they saw an opportunity for employment.  They also saw an opportunity to be able to provide for their families and give them a better life.  Due to this, communities were being built around these factories. Often times these communities were very pricey to live in and many did not realize that before they made the move.  Therefore, many were living in extremely bad conditions and were working to survive.  

Immigrants began to flood into these American cities in hopes of employment.  Over a span of 125 years, over forty million immigrants came into the United States from all different parts of the world.  Is coming to work sixteen-hour days in horrible conditions worth the shot at the American Dream?  Often times, these immigrants, including their children, had to work in these conditions.

Following the Industrial Revolution, the Rise of the Metropolis caused a lot of major companies to appear creating a lot of competition. During this era, they competed for wealth. It also caused many local businesses to have to shut down because of the new companies springing up in these neighborhoods.

 We can relate this today by comparing it to the situation we were talking about in class with the McDonalds workers.   McDonald’s employees are trying to raise the minimum wage to fifteen dollars.  They are trying to do this because many of these workers have no other experience or schooling that can lead them to better jobs. They feel as if they cannot make a living off of minimum wage.  Working minimum wage requires them to find other sources of income in order to make a living.  Therefore, these employees are fighting to raise the minimum wage to fifteen dollars in order to have a living wage.  Often times many of these employees work long hours to the point where they do not have time for another job.  So they are struggling to survive.  Again, this relates to the immigrants because although they had it a lot worse, the McDonalds employees are experiencing similar situations.

Another prime example that is prevalent in today’s society is the current illegal immigration issue.  Many Americans believe that the illegal aliens are taking their jobs and that they should not be here.  When in fact these individuals often can not find work at all and work for a dollar a day.  The jobs these immigrants take on are those that the average citizen would refuse to take.  The conditions under which these individuals are forced to work are brutal and unfair.  Since these individuals do not have papers, they do not have the same labor rights as everyone else and have to settle for these conditions.  They are coming from working in fields to survive for themselves in their homelands to having to work in the fields in the United States under even worse conditions.  The immigrants work for industrial companies but perform the hardest labor for dollars per day.  These multimillion-dollar companies are flourishing while their employees are not even making enough to survive day to day. They are working long hours a day in often times, over 100-degree weather.  They are working hard to pick our food and at the end of the day only make about 15 dollars a day, if that. Yet, they are trying to produce enough for their families to succeed but often times, it is not worth it. They have no benefits working in the field; they are prone to multiple injuries because of the hard labor and they are working with hazardous chemicals.  With the amount of money they make, they do not have the money to pay for doctor appointments.  This is how the immigrants during the Industrial Revolution were living.  It seems like as if it is a never-ending cycle in this country.  With great change comes great hardships.