Industrial Growth & Expansion
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the United States experienced a period of rapid industrial growth and expansion. This period, known as the Industrial Revolution, transformed the American economy and society, leading to the rise of big businesses, urbanization, and technological advancements.
Causes of Industrial Growth
The industrial growth in the United States was driven by several key factors:
- Natural Resources: The abundance of natural resources, such as coal, iron ore, and oil, provided the necessary raw materials for industrialization.
- Inventions and Innovations: Technological advancements, such as the steam engine, telegraph, and railroad, revolutionized the way goods were produced and transported.
- Entrepreneurship: Visionary entrepreneurs and business leaders, such as Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller, played a pivotal role in the expansion of industries like steel, oil, and railroads.
- Labor Supply: The influx of immigrants and the migration of rural Americans to urban areas created a large and diverse labor force to fuel industrial growth.
Impact of Industrial Expansion
The industrial expansion had profound effects on the American society and economy:
- Urbanization: The growth of industries led to the rapid expansion of cities and urban areas as people moved from rural areas in search of employment opportunities.
- Labor Conditions: Workers faced harsh working conditions, long hours, and low wages, leading to the rise of labor unions and the fight for workers' rights.
- Technological Advancements: The development of new technologies, such as the assembly line and electricity, revolutionized the manufacturing process and increased productivity.
- Expansion of Markets: The industrial growth created a demand for goods both domestically and internationally, leading to the expansion of markets and trade.
Study Guide
- What were the key factors that drove the industrial growth in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries?
- Describe the impact of industrial expansion on urbanization and the labor force.
- Identify the technological advancements that revolutionized the manufacturing process during the Industrial Revolution.
- Explain the role of entrepreneurs and business leaders in the expansion of industries like steel, oil, and railroads.
- Discuss the challenges faced by workers and the rise of labor unions during the industrial expansion.
Understanding the causes and effects of industrial growth and expansion is essential for comprehending the profound changes that occurred during this transformative period in American history.
.◂Social Studies Worksheets and Study Guides Fifth Grade. Industrial Growth & Expansion
Worksheet/Answer key
Industrial Growth & Expansion 
Worksheet/Answer key
Industrial Growth & Expansion Worksheet/Answer key
Industrial Growth & Expansion
Worksheet/Answer keyWorksheet/Answer keyThe resources above cover the following skills:
National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies (NCSS)
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY
SOCIAL STUDIES PROGRAMS SHOULD INCLUDE EXPERIENCES THAT PROVIDE FOR THE STUDY OF RELATIONSHIPS AMONG SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY.
KNOWLEDGE - Learners will understand:
Society often turns to science and technology to solve problems.
Science and technology have had both positive and negative impacts upon individuals, societies, and the environment in the past and present.
Science and technology have changed peoples' perceptions of the social and natural world, as well as their relationship to the land, economy and trade, their concept of security, and their major daily activities.
Values, beliefs, and attitudes that have been influenced by new scientific and technological knowledge (e.g., invention of the printing press, conceptions of the universe, applications of atomic energy, and genetic discoveries).
PROCESSES - Learners will be able to:
Ask and find answers to questions about the ways in which science and technology affect peoples' lives today in different places, and have done so in the past.
Seek and evaluate varied perspectives when weighing how specific applications of science and technology have impacted individuals and society.
Review sources to identify the purposes, points of view, biases, and intended audiences of reports and discussions of science and technology.
Select, organize, evaluate, and communicate information about the impact of science or technology on a society today or in the past.
PRODUCTS - Learners demonstrate understanding by:
Discussing current and past issues involving science and technology, and their consequences for society.
National Center for History in Schools (NCHS)
Historical Thinking Standards
Historical Comprehension
Reconstruct the literal meaning of a historical passage.
United States History Content Standards
Era 4: Expansion and Reform (1801-1861)
How the industrial revolution, increasing immigration, the rapid expansion of slavery, and the westward movement changed the lives of Americans and led toward regional tensions.
The student understands how the factory system and the transportation and market revolutions shaped regional patterns of economic development.
Era 6: The Development of the Industrial United States (1870-1900)
How the rise of corporations, heavy industry, and mechanized farming transformed the American people.
The student understands the connections among industrialization, the advent of the modern corporation, and material well-being.
Massive immigration after 1870 and how new social patterns, conflicts, and ideas of national unity developed amid growing cultural diversity.
The student understands how new cultural movements at different social levels affected American life.
World History Content Standards
Era 7: An Age of Revolutions, 1750-1914
Patterns of nationalism, state-building, and social reform in Europe and the Americas, 1830-1914.
The student understands the political, economic, and social transformations in the Americas in the 19th century.
Patterns of global change in the era of Western military and economic domination, 1800-1914.
The student understands connections between major developments in science and technology and the growth of industrial economy and society.
Major global trends from 1750-1914.
The student understands major global trends from 1750 to 1914.
Era 8: A Half-Century of Crisis and Achievement, 1900-1945
Reform, revolution, and social change in the world economy of the early century.
The student understands the world industrial economy emerging in the early 20th century.
The search for peace and stability in the 1920s and 1930s.
The student understands the interplay between scientific or technological innovations and new patterns of social and cultural life between 1900 and 1940.