HIST 405N Week 5 Discussion: Industrialization, Imperialism, and America s Entry Into WWI

Week 5 Discussion: Industrialization, Imperialism, and America’s Entry Into WWI Describe the basic industries of America's Industrial Revolution. Explain what made the men who controlled them so successful, and analyze the role of immigrants in industrialization. America’s rapid industrialization took off in the late nineteenth century despite being latecomers compared to other nations such as Europe. America had a large amount of raw materials such as coal, wood, silver, gold, copper, cotton, and oil along with cheap labor from a rise in immigration and American-born workers who moved to industrialized areas (Keen, Cornell, & O’Donnell, 2012). Also, the railroad industry according to Keen et al. (2012), “… played a key role I transforming the Unite States into an industrial power” (p.472). Immigrants also played a big role on industrialization as they were a cheap source of labor, worked hard, and didn’t complain about hard working conditions. The sheer number of immigrants in America during this time helped with the industrialization of America as there were more people in the labor force.