What is... Industrialization in the Progressive Era?


One of the prominent events of the Progressive Era is the growth of Industrialization. This led to many issues like increased urbanization and poor working conditions. Let’s dive in deeper to look into the concerning issues of industrialization.


Industrialization brought new jobs, more money, and many thought it would also bring a better life. Specifically, eleven million people thought this way and moved from their farms to the booming cities. The reality was that business owners offered a lot of jobs, but at low wages and with poor working conditions. There are many painful stories that tell how horrible working environments were.


A famous true story on this topic was a massive fire that occurred in The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory on March 25th, 1911. In this incident an accidental fire grew quickly because of the fabric and paper in the factory. This led the workers to flee to the emergency exits and fire extinguishing equipment but they were all in such poor condition that it either did not work or burned down quickly. This kept around 49 employees trapped in the burning building with no escape. Furthermore, it caused 94 people to jump off the building’s elevator shaft and windows. In total 146 people died, making this event one to remember and reflect on.


Another famous story of the realities of industrialization is "The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair. This story focuses on the struggles of an immigrant called Jurgis Rudkus as he comes to America with his family in hopes of improving his economic status. The story reveals the dark truths of the labor environment in the meatpacking business. This included hard, dangerous and unsanitary conditions in addition to exploitation and low wages.


It is stories like these that bring to light the issues that industrialization brought during the Progressive Era. These stories also serve as lessons that will prevent horrible situations of this kind from happening again.



An image of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, showing the fire hoses that did not reach the level of the fire. (Image of Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire on March 25 - 1911. n.d. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Image_of_Triangle_Shirtwaist_Factory_fire_on_March_25_-_1911.jpg.)


Image of the inside of a meatpacking business. n.d. The Jungle and the Chicago Stockyards. https://public.websites.umich.edu/~eng217/student_projects/worstside/stockyards.html.



Detroit Publishing Co. Image of people in Mulberry Street, New York City. n.d. File:Mulberry Street, New York City (LOC Det.4a08193).Jpg. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Mulberry_Street%2C_New_York_City_%28LOC_det.4a08193%29.jpg



Hine, Lewis. Glass works, night scene, Indiana. File:Hine - Indiana Glassworks Night Scene, 1908 1.JPG. Wikimedia, n.d. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Hine_-_Indiana_glassworks_night_scene%2C_1908_1.JPG.



Bibliography

“America Moves to the City (Article).” Khan Academy. Accessed March 24, 2024. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/the-gilded-age/gilded-age/a/america-moves-to-the-city#:~:text=Eleven%20million%20people%20migrated%20from,moved%20into%20the%20nation’s%20cities.

Tucker, Ellen. “110 Years Ago Today: The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, a Disaster That Inspired Lasting Reforms.” Teaching American History, March 16, 2023. https://teachingamericanhistory.org/blog/110-years-ago-today-the-triangle-shirtwaist-factory-fire-a-disaster-that-inspired-lasting-reforms/.

Sinclair, Upton. The Jungle. Project Gutenberg ; NetLibrary, 2000.

An image of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, showing the fire hoses that did not reach the level of the fire. (Image of Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire on March 25 - 1911. n.d. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Image_of_Triangle_Shirtwaist_Factory_fire_on_March_25_-_1911.jpg.)

Image of the inside of a meatpacking business. n.d. The Jungle and the Chicago Stockyards. https://public.websites.umich.edu/~eng217/student_projects/worstside/stockyards.html.

Detroit Publishing Co. Image of people in Mulberry Street, New York City. n.d. File:Mulberry Street, New York City (LOC Det.4a08193).Jpg. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Mulberry_Street%2C_New_York_City_%28LOC_det.4a08193%29.jpg

Hine, Lewis. Glass works, night scene, Indiana. File:Hine - Indiana Glassworks Night Scene, 1908 1.JPG. Wikimedia, n.d. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Hine_-_Indiana_glassworks_night_scene%2C_1908_1.JPG.

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