The Rise of Industry

• After the Civil War there were 30 million people living in the US –1.3 million worked in Industry.

• Only 40 years later, by 1900, US was the largest Industrial country in the world.

How did the US become the largest Industrial country in the World?

Many factors contributed to the Industrial Revolution

The 5 factors that Contributed to Industrialization

Cheap Labor Plenty of Raw Materials-Natural Resources

TransportationRailroads

GovernmentPolicies

New Inventions

Cheap Labor

• Between 1865-1910 about 20 million immigrants came from Eastern Europe--countries like Italy, Greece, Poland and Russia

Why did they come?1. Jobs-plenty of jobs and land in US2. Forced military service 3. Avoid religious persecution4. Have a higher standard of living

These multitudes added to the growing industrial workforce,

helping factories increase their production and furthering

demand for industrial products

Immigrants from Europe

Steerage

New York City

Statue of Liberty

The Grand Hall at Ellis Island

Plenty of Natural Resources WestWater, timber, coal, iron, and copper-The presence of these raw materials

meant that American companies could obtain them cheaply.

But how would they get these products to and from the West??

The Railroad

• By linking the nation, railroads helped increase the size of markets for many products.

• The Railroad itself stimulated the economy by spending extraordinary amounts of money on steel, coal, timber and other necessities.

What was the Government Doing?• Nothing!!!• The Government practiced Laissez-Faire

economies• Kept taxes low and imposed no regulations

Men on break

Child Labor

The Inventions

• A flood of important inventions helped increase the nation’s productive capacity and improved the network of transportations and communications

Alexander Graham Bell

• Invented the telephone

Thomas Alva Edison

• Perhaps the most famous inventor of the late 1800’s

• Phonograph• Perfected the light bulb• Later the battery, the Dictaphone, the

mimeograph and the motion picture