American Urbanization
Kahlil Gibram wrote, "Progress lies not in enhancing what is, but in advancing toward what will be." This is true when we reflect on American urbanization. If our forefathers had stood still and just enhanced rural life, that would have been the easy way out, instead they took that step forward into unchartered land. Palen defines urbanization as, " the changes in the proportion of the population of a nation living in urban places, the process of people moving to cities or other densely settled areas" (Palen, 9). Several elements contributed to urbanization: the invention of the telegraph, development of the railroads, establishment of banking, the textile, shipping, agriculture and newspaper industries, the development of steam power and the use of iron products. The growing urban population and the construction of canals, railroads and factories stimulated the demand for raw materials and good. Much of this cargo was in the form of agriculture goods. The farmer became a shrewd businessman producing products that would make him the greatest profit margin. A growth in one industry would lead to demand for another industry's product leading to growth in both. Manufacturing was the driving force to expansion. Transporta
This then created the lower working class. They found that live was different from what they were normally used to. As the family's functions diminished, in order to get ahead in the city, family became secondary to work. Homes became small unsanitary places that were squashed between other houses that all looked alike. This was a cultural shock for many who were used to the isolation of family farms and were now faced with the over shadowing of industrialized industry. They did not have to do the hard work of the lower class, but were able to produce enough money to walk among the upper class. The industrial revolution also gave way to a new type of working class that did not have any power or authority; they were regular people who were able to get factories started at the birth of the revolution. Most families were rural, large and self-sustaining; they produced and processed almost everything that was needed for their own support and for trading in the marketplace. During this time, life changed for many families and classes. Cities grew in size at a rapid pace, unable to keep up with this rapid growth, there became a lack of housing, good sanitation, or recreational facilities. It was not uncommon for people to be born, grow up and die in the same geographical area. The industrial revolution brought many positive aspects to society along with suffering, dissonance, and other social problems. It was a time of change from hand tools and hand made items to machine manufactured and mass-produced goods. Due to lack of money that the family could generate, children had no choice but to work at the factories for as many hours as their parents.
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