Machine_Age

The machine age in America was a time period between 1870 and 1920. During this time period the nation saw great growth in the number of manufacturing jobs. The economy was shifting from agriculture to manufacturing. The rise of the steam engine and use of electricity made this all possible because they were the power behind the machines. Workers in 1920 would have considered themselves better off because the access to previously scarce goods was profound, and things once considered luxuries were becoming necessities. Workers during the machine age were starting to be viewed less as an individuals and more of an accessory to the machine. Henry Ford’s introduction of the assembly line allowed workers to specialize in one part of the car and allow much faster production of the automobile. Workers were becoming specialized in one part of development of a product and not part of the whole process as in previous years. As a result of this workers were becoming forced to become more efficient because the product could not be worked on until their part was done. Frederick W. Taylor, father of scientific management, introduced new ways to become efficient. In 1898 Taylor went to Bethlehem Steel Company and studied the workers. His findings were that there was a certain shovel and way to shovel iron ore that would increase production and cut down workers. Frederick Taylor’s introduction of science as a way of efficiency caused great turmoil and forced many strikes. Labor Unions were formed to try and deal with some of the problems such as better wages, working conditions and hours. One union was called the Knights of Labor, they focused on cooperation of employers and workers to try and create a sense of equality. Labor unions in general were not focused on hours they were mainly concerned with wages and working conditions. Although unions tried their best to achieve better working conditions this did not happen, working conditions were becoming increasingly dangerous because the machines had exposed moving parts. In the new way of doing business during the machine age wages were not very high. The “Iron law of wages,” (which states that wages tend to stay around subsistence levels) was a good way to describe the era because workers were being paid just enough to live on. Labor Union’s main focus was increasing wages however this was not possible because their was an abundance of workers willing to work for low wages so the employers had no incentive to increase the wages. The low wages forced whole families to work, women and children worked long days but did not bring in as high of wages as men because they didn’t do the “job” that men did. Along with low wages jobs were not very secure employers could hire and fire workers as they pleased and did so on slow seasons or when their income was not sufficient to pay their employees. The cost of living increased during the machine age because their was more demand for homes and goods because more people were earning money however wages stayed down and didn’t change as rapidly as the cost of living. Even though the cost of living went up goods that were once considered luxuries such as cigarettes, oranges and silk stockings were becoming necessities because of the increased production of the goods. The diets of people in this time period improved because of the availability of different fruits and vegetables. John H. Kellogg and his brother William Kellogg also contributed with their breakfast cereal that substituted for eggs, potatoes, and meat. Goods once considered unattainable were becoming common due to improved transportation of the expanding railways. Advances in medicine, diets and improved housing lowered the death rate and lengthened the life span of people. Deaths from previous diseases such as typhoid and diphtheria decreased but deaths from cancer, heart disease and diabetes increased with the new ways of life. Life inside the home changed as well, their was a new sense of privacy and hygiene with flushable toilets and private baths. Overall life got better for people and they had hope for what the future would hold. Factory workers could not depend on many people for sympathy or help improving their working conditions. The only people workers could depend on was members of unions who were workers themselves and could not do much to change things. Employers did not want to give any ground on improving their employees working conditions. An example is when Pullman fired 3 workers coming to him just to discuss negotiations on better wages. Consumers were not being helped out either because congress was passing tariffs on foreign goods so that American goods could be raised just below that price. The public could not afford any higher prices so therefore were not sympathetic to workers efforts to try and raise wages because this would mean in increase in the price of goods. President Cleveland showed no sympathy for the workers either because during the Pullman strikes he sent troops to break it up, and arrest and prosecute the leaders of the strike. The courts would not support workers or consumers either because they did not enforce the Sherman-Anti Trust act which prohibited pools and trusts. In one case a sugar trust controlled 98 percent of the manufacturing power the Supreme Court deemed this not to be a control of trade and therefore was not a violation of the act. Factory workers didn’t have anyone to depend on for support so they had to deal with the harsh conditions. In general the machine age saw an improvement in life of people. Workers were earning wages and could afford goods that were once luxuries. The life expectancy went up and the diet improved. Even though the working conditions and wages were not what they should have been and the government showed no support for factory workers; life in the machine age showed improvement.