In what ways has technology ended the physical and intellectual isolation of Americans - Essay Example

Young students today have trouble grasping the idea that the human race had lived without modern communication gadgets, CD’s and computers but our current technology levels had to start somewhere, and most historians agree that the Industrial Revolution was the instigator of improved technologies in communication, agriculture, transportation and energy. Although America’s industrial revolution started slightly later than in Britain (first half of the 19th century) the impact was quickly felt as people moved from agricultural lifestyles into the cities to work in manufacturing and trade (Duiker, 2005).

One of the biggest impacts of the Industrial Revolution in America was the establishment of infrastructure (Bowles, 2011). In terms of size America was a lot larger than Britain so for the other technological advances to mean anything people and goods need to be moved around. From 1830 America started building thousands of miles of roads and canals linking one side of the country to the other. Steamboats transported goods on the Great Lakes as well as coastal waters. But the crowning glory of the time was the railroad system.

More than 27,000 miles of railroad tracks were laid in the thirty years from the 1830’s. . hanks to Henry Ford Americans not only wanted a car, they could afford to buy one and this one innovation alone had a huge impact on the way American’s lived, played and worked (Ford, 1922). America’s technological advances also increased its food production. New methods of planting and harvesting crops meant that America had a surplus of food to sell and crops like corn and potatoes were being sent as far away as China.

But it was in the industrial area that America really shined in the early 1900’s. Steel companies were producing massive amounts of products and as the expansion of trade increased, did the need for workers and so by 1900 40% of America’s population lived in urban areas (Bowles, 2011). The technological advances were not without their challenges however, especially when it came to aspects like the quality of life for those people who had moved into urban areas so that they could work. In 1890 for example it was found that only 9% of Americans shared in 71% of the wealth.

There were complaints about working conditions which were almost cruel by today’s standards and racism was still an equally huge issue. Slavery might have been abolished but negative attitudes about African Americans and Native Americans were still widespread (Bartells, 2008). The Progressive Era as it was called was the government’s response to the plight that affected such a large proportion of the population – low wages, high unemployment, atrocious working conditions, plus a lack of decent housing, healthcare and education.

At first the initiatives were done at a state level (Noggle, 1966). This included some state governments bringing in laws to help reduce or regulate the number of hours a person could work, regulating wages and improving work conditions especially