Industrialization is a vital factor that contributed to the fast growth of the population nationwide. First, industrialization is the reason why the market economy was expanding quickly and made countless goods affordable for more people. In addition to the growth in older industries, new areas, such as the steel industry, power production, and petroleum refineries, started flourishing (Library of Congress, n.d.). People observed the transition of their mode of transportation from having to walk and use horses to steam-powered trains, electric trolley vehicles, and eventually gasoline-powered automobiles (Library of Congress, n.d.). Obviously, the quick transition to steam engines and means of transport made the manufacturing and transportation processes faster and more efficient. Consequently, one can see that with the same amount of time and effort, now it was possible to produce a larger amount of goods. A more significant supply, therefore, contributed to lower prices, and people could afford to purchase different goods.
Moreover, industrialization caused urbanization on a nationwide scale, causing millions of people to move to cities and driving rapid growth in developing locations. Previously, agricultural output accounted for 83% of the American working population in 1800, and crops were mainly produced for personal use (Atack et al., 2022). Additionally, the density of the population was low, with the American population of 5.3 million being dispersed across more than 860,000 square miles (Atack et al., 2022). However, with industrialization, people migrated to cities for better job opportunities. Urbanization led to the increasing demand for a workforce to fill positions for new industries. Therefore, industrialization increased the share of the workforce and contributed to the urbanization of the nation, which set the foundation for further developments.
References
Atack, J., Margo, R. A., & Rhode, P. W. (2022). Industrialization and urbanization in nineteenth century America. Regional Science and Urban Economics, 94, 103678. Web.
Library of Congress. (n.d.). Rise of industrial America, 1876 to 1900. Web.