Industrialization and its Effects on America

Industrialism is the process in which a society or country transforms itself from a primarily agricultural society into one based on the manufacturing of goods and services. Individual manual labor is often replaced by mechanized mass production and craftsmen are replaced by assembly lines. Characteristics of industrialization include the use of technological innovation to solve problems as opposed to superstition or dependency upon conditions outside human control such as the weather, as well as more efficient division of labor and economic growth.
Industrialization had many effects on America. It changed family structure, moved people out of rural areas and into cities. It made the United States a global power. It structured a forty hour work week, rapidly advanced technology, made goods cheaper and after a long time increased overall standard of living. It contributed to child exploitation, which then led to laws set up to protect children. It made transportation faster and helped America better integrate with the rest of the world, mainly the European economy.
The life of an industrial worker was horrible. It was dangerous and unsanitary, and there were no laws on how long a person could work.  People would work grueling hours for little to no pay. These conditions led to the formation of labor unions that have brought the American worker so many things they take for granted, like a 5-day, 40-hour work week. A lot of workers were treated very badly. There bosses and managers did not care about them at all. I think that the workers should have been treated better. They should have gotten rid of the extremely long hours and dangerous working conditions. The unions basically fixed these problems over time though, which is really good in my opinion.

History links and Book

Book: How the Other Half Lives   http://www.amazon.com/Other-Lives-Special-Illustrated-Edition/dp/1438296630

History Links: http://www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/1898/intro.html
http://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war
http://www.history.com/topics/transcontinental-railroad

The Jungle

1. Question-What Qualities did Sinclair believe a person must have to succeed in Packingtown?
Answer- Sinclair believed that you need to work, and keep up the same work pace.

2. Question-According to the passage, what is the plants owners main goal?
Answer- Make as much money as possible out of the plant whether the products are good or bad(quality). Whether they had to treat there worker bad or good.

3.Question-What does Sinclair mean when he says, "...there was no place in it where a man counted for anything against a dollar...?"
Answer- He meant that there was no room for kindness or loyalty, you couldn't trust anyone.

Book written in the 1900s about the civil war.  http://www.amazon.com/The-Killer-Angels-Classic-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B003O86Q8U/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1

U.S.S Main

 During the Cubans revolt against Spain, the American battleship The U.S.S Main stopped in the Havana harbor to protect American interests in Cuba. On February 15, 1889, the ship exploded and 266 U.S citizens lost there lives. Despite the lack of evidence concerning the source of the explosion, American newspaper said the Spain was officially responsible. President McKinley sent Spain an ultimatum that led to war. The famous line that made it into the ''Yellow Press'' written by William Randolph Hearst was "Remember the Main, to hell with Spain!"

Progressive Era - The Jungle

1) What qualities did Sinclair believe a person must have to succeed in Packingtown?
Sinclair believed you would have to have a job wit no loyalty or decency. They also had to be able to keep up with the work pace.

2)According to the passage, what is the plant owner's main goal.
Make as much money as possible out of the plant no matter what the quality of the products were or how they treated there workers.

3) What does Sinclair mean when he says, "...there was no place in it where a man counted for anything against a dollar....?"
 There was no place where there was loyalty or kindness. No place where you could trust anyone.

The government has multiple enforced rules on the meat packing industry. Such as the federal meat inspection act, label rules and health standards. The Federal Meat Inspection Act is a United States Congress Act that works to prevent adulterated or misbranded meat products from being sold as food and to ensure that meat products are slaughtered and processed under sanitary conditions.

 The original 1906 Act gave the Secretary of agriculture authority to inspect and condemn any meat product found unfit for human consumption. Unlike previous laws ordering meat inspections, this law was strongly motivated to protect the American diet. All labels on any type of food had to be accurate. Even though all harmful food was banned, there were still few warnings provided on the container. The law was partly a response to the publication of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle.

The Jungle

QUESTIONS:

1. Qualities Sinclair believes a person must have to succeed:

2. Plant owners main goal:

3. What does Sinclair mean when he says, "There was no place in it where a man counted for anything against a dollar....."

ANSWERS:
1. People had to be efficient and able to keep up.

2. Make as much money as possible as they can on their crop.

3. There was no kindness or loyalty and you couldn't really trust anyone.


Government recalls: Seaweed Salad from Trader Joe's has been recalled due to undeclared peanuts. FDA reports that if you have any peanut allergies than you should toss out the bad of seaweed salad.

www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm376469.htm