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Civil War Dbq

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After the Civil War, the rapid growth of industry led to positive and some negative changes in American society. The shift from handmade goods to manufactured goods and products had mostly positive impacts on different aspects of society, including the rise of organized labor, government involvement in the economy and urbanization. The rise of organized labor positively impacted society in the workplace. During industrialization, the demand for unskilled workers brought new groups to the workplace. These groups included immigrants, woman and children. The workforce tripled during this period. In factories, the laborers worked for low wages, for long hours and often in unsafe conditions. They united together to form labor unions and demanded …show more content…

Governmental involvement in the economy during the growth of industrialization had a positive impact on society in many ways. Progressives were people that favored government regulations of business practices to guarantee competition and a free enterprise. Big businesses like John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Corporation, controlled the supply and price of oil. Ida Tarbell, a muckraker, exposed the aggressive business practices of Standard Oil Company in her book, “The History of the Standard Oil Company”. Standard Oil did whatever it took to gain control of their competitors and had a monopoly in the oil business with little or no competition. In 1890, the Sherman Anti-Trust Act was enacted to restore competition and free enterprise and to break up monopolies. In 1906, the government passed several laws to make sure that food and drugs were inspected before they were sold. The Pure Food and Drug Act, passed during Theodore Roosevelt’s administration, was an example of the government safeguarding the people in a positive way. The Pure Food and Drug Act ensured that food and drugs would be inspected for purity and to make sure they were not contaminated. Governmental involvement in the economy during this period allowed American to surpass leading competitors like Great Britain and Germany. The government also vastly increased transportation which helped the economy by getting goods from one place

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