The United States from 1865 to 1950

The United States changed dramatically from 1865 to 1950. Many changes occurred in industrialization, foreign affairs, government, as well as in society and culture. The events that took place within this time period helped shape this country into what it is today.

Industrial development began with the railroad, with the help of Republican governments, who provided subsidies, loans and tax exemptions to railroad corporations. Over 52,000 miles of railroad were laid all over the nation between 1854 and 1879. Railroads stimulated growth. They required many resources to build, such as coal, wood, glass, rubber, and brass. Most importantly, the railroad connected the country.

Although small factories were already up and running three decades before the Civil War, it wasn’t until after the 1850’s that the industrial economy boomed. Larger factories that produced goods to sell nationally and internationally were being built. These factories transformed the United States from a farming nation into the most industrialized nation in the world.

There were advantages and disadvantages to this new industrial order. One disadvantage is the damage that industrialization did to the environment. Forests were cut to make way for big factories which, in some cases, left rivers, such as those in the Northeast, toxic. Another disadvantage was the working conditions. Industrial workers were overworked and underpaid. In 1890, an unskilled worker took home $1.50 for a ten hour work day. Children were exploited, working 60 hour work weeks and taking home a third of what an adult male made. African Americans faced an even greater challenge at work, discrimination at the workplace. They were given menial jobs and paid less than wh...

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... case, Plessy vs. Ferguson, made it to the Supreme Court. The court ruled that segregation was not discrimination as long as the accommodations for both races were “separate but equal.” In 1954, the case of Brown vs. the Board of Education overturned the Plessy case.

In 1894, African-American males were given the right to vote, even before women. In 1917, women were picketing in front of the White House for a right to vote. Some women became militants and initiated violence for which they were thrown in jail. Women were granted the right to vote in the United States in 1920.

The United States went through a lot between 1865 and 1950. It has seen many changes in industrialization, foreign policy, government, and society and culture. I believe that these events, along with many, many others, have shaped the United States into the great nation it is today.