1865 to 1900 as the "Age of Organization"
The end of the Civil War until the beginning of the Twentieth Century was a time of rapid, all encompassing change for the United States. New methods of industry changed the nation into one that first resembled the modern United States. Big business and commerce became the primary influences for a newer, larger style of government that regulated trade and acted as an arbitrator between industry and the new working class. Cities grew ever larger as the factories required large amounts of labor to be nearby, and people in the cities and the countryside organized themselves to protect their interest. "Economy of scale" became the national bywords, and the yeoman farmer and artisan largely disappeared from the culture. The growth of industry was the dominant factor of change during the period. The Civil War had spurred industrial development in the North to a degree unimaginable in the rest of the world. While the North was well on its way to becoming an industrial powerhouse before the war, fielding and supplying the armies accelerated the process. Facing superior generalship in the Southern Army, the North relied on a war of attrition. The North was much better suited to this type of warfare as their industrial base was ten times
The railroads were the first business enterprise to use a modern bureaucracy, and would be an example for many other large industries after the Civil War. An unspoken racial code dominated the social structure of the south until the 1960's. The reality of the cattleman's life was different than the popular conception. New technologies such as the McCormack Reaper allowed larger farms to become very profitable. Arguing for "eight hours for what we will" the AFL's members concentrated on a shorter working days and higher pay. The war destroyed much of the infrastructure the South had had before the war, and what little was left was well disorganized and more suited to an agrarian export economy rather than a modern industrial one. fell into the hands of the state for nonpayment of taxes (Foner 69). Job security was low, and most of the workforce in the factories was unskilled. The country was beginning to look alike thanks to pre-made clothing produced in large mills. Using the same cost counting and bureaucratic practices as the railroads and steel industries, Rockefeller was able to produce the newly valuable oil at a lower cost than other companies. The second major effect of emancipation was the sudden loss of much of the South's capital, which had been slaves. The emancipation of the slaves had two major effects on the plantation system that was the core of the South's economy. Overpriced stock was sold to investors on a regular basis. Railroad lines were laid to facilitate the movement of goods and people. Early organizations such as the National Labor Union and the Knights of Labor advocated a union composed of skilled and unskilled laborers, women, and African-Americans.
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Acceptance Essays
