DID THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION DISRUPT THE AMERICAN FAMILY?

Ian Jan Dalisay

HIST 104: U.S. Since 1877, Section 2104 Dr. Mark Harvey September 6, 2012

Ian Jan Dalisay Did the Industrial Revolution Disrupt the American Family?

HIST 104

Industrial Revolution had played a big role in shaping the United States that made a significant development as an industrial nation in the world. By 1914, America improved from being a small, lowly, agricultural country to a nation with great progress affecting its economic, political, and social institutions farmlands were converted into industrial units and factories, corporations grew as trade and industry increased, conflicts were produced because of inferiority between different classes of society, etc. However, these changes created and began an influence on American families and other aspect of general human semantics. On The Pressure to Provide: Class, Consumerism, and Divorce in Urban America, 1880-1920, Elaine Tyler May contended that during Industrial Revolution, families were disturbed by putting pressure between wife and husband relationship resulting in marriage break-ups. On the other hand, history professors Jacquelyn Dowd Hall, Robert Korstad, and James Leloudis argued that, by using cotton mill villages of the New South as an example, Industrial Revolution nurtured strength between family ties and uplifted family attachment and worked together as a traditional family unit. In her journal, Elaine stressed that the number of divorces increased dramatically as the pressure to provide arose within the families. By using cases from California and New Jersey, divorce records from the class-independent American family showed distinctive relationship between the monetary conflicts and material circumstances that produced profound effects in their marriage and their lives. Because of labor demand, time and communication made wives inadequate and uncomfortable since their husbands worked away from home. Marriage became saddled and inefficient time of wives turned out to be a reason for separation. Also, insecurity of work was prevailing during that time. The development of industry was necessary but it had not created positive effects on how family deals with communication and relationship. In contrast, the three history professors gave a different viewpoint of how Industrial Revolution affected the American families. They claimed that manufacturing demanded, during Industrial Revolution, the

families to work as a traditional family unit and required collaboration since mass production of goods and services were needed at that time, one of which was the cotton mill industry. It created job opportunities for family members and to work together subsequently produced more family time and developed ties within. It came to a form of villages so people, as working by daily basis, developed a sense of another identity and influenced one another, compelled a common link The arguments of both articles on the effects of Industrial Revolution to American families have common points the era was changed through the development of the industry thus creating opportunities to fulfill the need of every individual; it shaped the history of America; but it has also influenced how family relations were built during that time. Some were overwhelmingly moved to desire for betterment of life by coercing their lives to satisfy their wants. Some pressured themselves to elevate the way they live[d]. These were evident in the discussion of Elaine Tyler May that because of wanting to have more money, marriages were gave up to allow chances of work to occur for both parties thus the number of divorces increase vividly. On the other hand, Hall, Korstad, and Leloudis argued that Industrial Revolution, through its demand for labor force in cotton mill villages, fostered a system that allowed families to work together and share the responsibilities in the family. There might have been rational and sensible views for the inquiry: Did the Industrial Revolution Disrupt the American Family? As the situation is still occurring these days, it has been destroying an important unit of our society, the basic unit of community the family. In this view, I agree with what Elaine Tyler Way argued. Sometimes, people get caught of what the world offers to satisfy their own wants instead of fulfilling what are the essential needs as human and as an emotional being. Modernism requires changes. It has to be satisfied with human efforts but people should consider every aspect of it economy, politics, and society. People should not be dazzled with riches by shambling their family times. There should be a balance to redress the past, thus making another noble page in history.

Reference May, T. E. (1978). The Pressure to Provide: Class Consumerism, and Divorce in Urban America, 1880-1920. Journal of Social History Hall, D., Korstad, R., Leloudis, J.(April 1986). Cotton Mill People: Work, Community, and Protest in the Textile South, 1880-1940. The American Historical Review Nguyen, A. (2008, September 18). Retrieved September 2012