Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution created an enormous increase in the production of many kinds of goods. Some of this increase in production resulted from the introduction of power-driven machinery and the development of factory organization. Before the revolution, manufacturing was done by hand or simple machines. Most people worked at home in rural areas. The Industrial Revolution eventually took manufacturing out of the home and workshop. Power-driven machines replaced handwork, and factories developed as the best …

…an increase in immigration, and cheap labor were major contributing factors of the Industrial Revolution. Urbanization, big business, and a division of the classes were a direct result of industrialization. All of the abuses and problems of the time generated many different reactions- most directed at reform. Slowly, government regulations began to reign in the abuses of big business. At the same time, social reformers actively sought to correct the problems evident in American cities.