On Friday, we did a simulation dealing with households who sold goods and resources to entrepreneurs who used the resources to make needed goods at the factories. Throughout the simulation, I was more interested in the point of view of the factory and how the people who worked at the factory were treated.
Knowing that the Industrial Revolution started in England and spread across the globe, the revolution did hit the United States of America in the 18th century. While new things were being invented and created daily, factories were needed to keep up with the demand of manufacturing these goods. As I said before, I want to focus more on the experience of the factory owners and workers during this time.
As manufacturing became a crucial part of American society, social classes and stratification occurred. People needed work and the only jobs available were jobs in factories. People who worked in these factories at the time had no voice to protect them from the harsh conditions of the said factory. They endured work conditions tat required long work hours (even for kids who worked there), no breaks, bad air pollution, and low wages. These factories were usually located in large cities and toward the Northeast part of the United States. This was because good could be easily exported from the location they were in. As the owners of the factories exploited the people who worked there, they made lots of money and used it to buy more resources from "households" who sold resources.
As the fight for better working conditions went on, there was finally a voice for the people who worked in harsh conditions. In 1866, the National Labor Union (NLU) was founded. These set of reforms which were regulated in the 19th century still protects the working people of America today. The factories that made the "ECON(s)- omy" run were now under the obligation to protect workers rights and their conditions.
I think you made a great point by focusing on the factories because I think most of us didn't really keep the factories in mind. We focused more on making money and earning ECONS and learning the cycle of how they economy worked. I think it is interesting how you mentioned the poor conditions of the factory and how even children worked there.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you- factory laborers definitely experienced harsh working conditions such as having to work long hours but still getting insufficient salaries. Adding on, the workers may have experienced this because of the factory owners, who often were greedy for money. By making them work more, this could allow for more production of their products that they could sell. For instance, Andrew Carnegie, who was one of the wealthiest businessmen around the time (Gilded Age) running his factories, put his workers under dangerous working conditions because he really drove for wealth and power, however on the positive side, this eventually led to the establishment of his unbeatable oil refinery empire, even though the workers were negatively affected in the process.
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