19th Century America
In colonial America, most manufacturing was done by hand in the home. Some was done in workshops attached to the home. As towns grew into cities, the demand for manufactured goods increased. Some workshop owners began hiring helpers to increase production. Relations between the employer and helper were generally harmonious. They worked side by side, had the same interests and similar political views. The factory system that began around 1800 brought great changes. The employer no longer worked beside his employees. He became an executive and a merchant who rarely saw his workers. He was concerned less with their welfare than with the cost of their labor. Many workers were angry about the changes brought by the factory system. In the past, they had taken great pride in their handicraft skills; now machines did practically all the work, and they were reduced to the status of
They pledged to stop working for employers who would not pay that amount. In addition, they were more compliant. Unions and protests proved to be successful in many cases but nothing could change the fact that this nation was involving to "one large factory. Faced with growing competition, factory owners began to decrease wages in order to lower the cost-and the price-of finished products. They saved part of their earnings to help their families at home or to use when thy got married. In the next few decades, unions campaigned for a 10-hour long working day and against child labor. They increased the number of machines that each girl had to operate. In addition, they began to overcrowd the houses in which the girls lived. The Industrial Revolution was dawning in the United States. In turn the owners thought women could do the work as well as or better than men. The efforts brought about many strikes and protests. They were encouraged to go to church, to read, to write and to attend lectures. The New England region was home to many young, single farm girls who might be recruited. Meanwhile trade unions were joining together in cities to form federations.
Common topics in this essay:
Lowell Massachusetts,
,
Industrial Revolution,
factory system,
industrial revolution,
factory owners,
factory workers,
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