History Essay: American Industrial Revolution and Labor Movements

This essay delves into the economic transformation of America during the 19th century, particularly after the Civil War, highlighting the rapid expansion of industries such as steel manufacturing, petroleum refining, and electrical power. It examines the factors contributing to the success of industrial leaders, emphasizing their decisions, technological advancements, and the role of government financing. The essay further explores the origins and growth of labor unions, including the Knights of Labor, American Federation of Labor, and ILGWU, formed to improve working conditions. Finally, it outlines the accomplishments of these labor unions in advocating for better wages, working hours, and safer environments for industrial workers, emphasizing their efforts to combat child labor and provide support for injured or retired workers. The essay references key historical texts to support its arguments.

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History essay

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Contents
The development of industries after the America’s Industrial Revolution in the post-Civil War period2
What made leaders of industry successful.............................................................................................2
Origins and growth of the labor unions.................................................................................................2
The accomplishment made by the Labor unions....................................................................................3
References.............................................................................................................................................4

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The development of industries after the America’s Industrial Revolution in the post-
Civil War period
The 19th century in America experienced underwent an economic transformation marked by
the rapid expansion of business and maturing of the industries. The period between the 1861-
65 and the end of the nineteenth century in America are manifest by the incredible expansion
of the industry. The old industries expanded along with the new ones like steel
manufacturing, petroleum refining, electrical power. The growth of the industries even
renovated American society and produced a class of wealthy industrialists. The machines
replaced hand labor in the industries as a means of enhancing the production capacity in the
post-civil war period (Heichelheim, Ward, & Yeo, 2016).
What made leaders of industry successful
The leaders made countless decisions regarding the problems faced by the industrialists. The
focus was given on the machines than the human efforts which lead to perfection. It resulted
in more production in the least time period. The technology revolution caused leaders to
apply technology for better output. The training programs were provided to the leaders in
America post-civil war which emphasized on the effective and innovative methods. The first
transcontinental railroad was constructed by the artisans under the guidance of the leaders.
The leaders became successful by making practice of the new skills in the iron and steel
business like the Bessemer procedure and open heart furnace (Drucker, 2017). These
technologies aimed at enhancing production. The large sectors were also financed by the
government and the leaders of these enterprises became successful in expanding corporations
through merging and created single firms out of the competing firms.
Origins and growth of the labor unions
The workers in the post-civil war formed unions in an effort to improve working conditions.
The threats were faced at the workplaces and workers were killed on the job. The labor union
like ‘The Knights of Labour’ was established in 1869 and focused on the unskilled workers.
It comprised of members like women and African leaders. The other union named American
Federation of Labor was formed in 1886 by the Samuel Gompers (Shi & Tindall, 2016). It
was the most influential union in the USA by 1900 and comprising 500,000 members. Only
the skilled workers were welcomed as members of this union. The other union named

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ILGWU was established in New York City in 1900. The goal of this union was to provide
better conditions for the workers in the clothing industry.
The accomplishment made by the Labor unions
The labor movement developed in the US in order to defend the communal concern of the
workers. The systematized labor struggled for enhanced wages, appropriate hours and
harmless working circumstances for the workers in the industrial segment. The labor
association focussed on the exertions to stopping child labor, mental aids and providing
assistance to the workers who were in bruised or retired. Knights of Labour was the first
union was the first effort to organize workers aiming to increase wages, reducing hours and
improving working conditions (Gordon, 2017). The union was undertaken by the American
Federation of Labor which is an esteemed organization in the US.

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References
Drucker, P. (2017). The ecological vision: Reflections on the American condition. Routledge.
Gordon, R. J. (2017). The rise and fall of American growth: The US standard of living since
the civil war (Vol. 70). Princeton University Press.
Heichelheim, F. M., Ward, A. M., & Yeo, C. A. (2016). History of the Roman People.
Routledge.
Shi, D. E., & Tindall, G. B. (2016). America: A narrative history. WW Norton & Company.