The Civil War is a cornerstone event in American history. Beyond its obvious political relevance, the culmination of the war influenced American society, economy and culture. This essay will argue that the rapid industrialization following the war gave rise to two major features of national identity: American capitalism and American culture.
One could identify 3 major aspects of industrialization during and after the era of Reconstruction. In terms of geography, the North-South divide that politically and culturally separated the country had ceased to exist. This is not to say, however, that there were no misgivings between the two groups of citizens under auspices of the united nation. The era also saw more frequent waves of immigration and settlement on the mid-west and eastern states of the union. This reconfigured the population distribution, which erstwhile was concentrated on New England and its environs.
The exhaustion of the war, ironically, created an atmosphere of peace. This gave vent to the entrepreneurial aspirations of the citizens. But the opportunities were not uniform or equitable. The privileged White Anglo-Saxon Protestant (WASP) community, which owned most of the properties, continued its economic and social dominance. It was this preordained economic privilege for the community that would give rise to such great industrialists as Henry Ford, John Rockefeller, etc. These luminaries were the first great capitalists of the country. Indeed they would develop great companies like Standard Oil and Ford Motor Company, which would supersede in scale and revenues even some older establishments in Europe.
In terms of the legislature, many key laws were passed between 1865 and 1920. The extension of equal citizenship to black Americans was a landmark historical event. It has to be qualified though that this equality remained very nominal and barely applied in practical affairs. This somewhat incomplete justice for blacks would reinvigorate the community for another wave of collective action a century later. Hence the unfulfilled promises of the Reconstruction era, vis-à-vis social justice, would sow the seeds for the Civil Rights movement of the mid-twentieth century.
The rapid pace of industrial growth had a major socio-cultural impact. It affected the life of the average working American in many different ways. The most important change they witnesses is the transformation of the mode of livelihood from independent small-farmers to wage-earning factory workers. In fact, the late 19th century labor press was saturated with discussions on such fundamental changes. This transformation was not a smooth and swift process at all. Most small farmers put their independence ahead of job security. They moreover perceived receiving wages from a capitalist master as a slur on their dignity. They considered wage-slavery as only a tad better than the condition of chattel-slavery. But the capitalist market forces at work made consolidation of ownership of agrarian land inevitable. Hence small, marginalized farmers were forced to cede their ownership to bigger players and join the factory workforce. American labor market was thus born.
But not everything was a turn for the worse for the average working American. For example the demand for expedient delivery of goods in across industries helped develop the railroad system. But this incidentally helped the transportation and communication needs of the common man. Likewise the imperatives of economies of scale and attendant mass production of goods meant that the common American availed them at a cheaper price. The American worker, while enjoying these benefits of economy and availability, did lose his craftsmanship and individual creativity in the confines of the factory.
The great behemoth factories for manufacturing clothes or utilities provided employment opportunities for all classes and groups of people. This is so because the skill levels required to perform factory jobs are very minimal. This meant that American women will have their first exposure to American industry. The patriarchal mindset prevalent in 19th century America offered resistance to the integration of women into the work force. But ultimately, the imperatives of cost-efficiencies and labor market surplus broke through this resistance. There were pros and cons to this development. Most women enjoyed their new found economic independence and took pride in being able to contribute monetarily to their families. Yet the raucous, mechanized and high-pressure environment of a factory did not give them scope to express their innate talents and inclinations. Also, since laws on child-labor were non-existent in the late 19th century, children were also brought into the workforce. This experience would certainly have been harsh for them.
Black Americans continued to live like slaves for all practical purposes. Though their condition had improved over the Chattel-slavery days, they were yet to gain sincere recognition as equal citizens with whites. This reflected in the industrial era, where most positions of power and responsibility within a factory is out of reach for blacks. Let alone blacks, even the newer wave of white immigrants from Europe (Irish, Italian, etc) suffered a lot of discrimination. It is the WASPs who continued to hold sway over most major industries during late 19th century.
References:
Brogan, Hugh (1985). The Penguin History of the United States of America. London, England: Penguin Books.
Egerton, Douglas (2014). The Wars of Reconstruction: The Brief, Violent History of America’s Most Progressive Era. Bloomsbury Press.
Kennedy, David M.; Cohen, Lizabeth (2012). The American Pageant: A History of the Republic (15th ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.