The Industrial Revolution that occurred in the post-Civil War era had consequences for both business and labor. Some of these were good while others were very bad. But nonetheless, it paved the way for modern ways of living and making a living.
Business in America was changed greatly by the second coming of an Industrial Revolution. The first Industrial Revolution was brought on by steam, but this one was brought on by steel. Both Henry Bessemer in England and William Kelly in the U.S. discovered that blasting air through molten iron produced high-quality steel. This changed the world and led the way for railroads, factories, and automobiles. One man emerged as the leading steel tycoon, Andrew Carnegie. He used a combination of salesmanship and the use of the latest technology in his business, U.S. Steel, climbed to the top of the industry. Another man that benefited from this Industrial Revolution was John D. Rockefeller, the richest man of his time
Before the Industrial Revolution, workers had a personal and relaxed workplace that valued an artisan’s skills. After the development of factories, the assembly line, and mass production things radically changed. People were assigned just one step in manufacturing and had to work under the clock. Labor unions started being established after there were many battles between management and the labor force. But last draw was the Great railroad strike of 1877. When railroads cut wages, a strike spread quickly across 11 states shutting down 2/3 of the country’s rail trackage. President Rutherford B. Hayes used federal troops for the first time since the 1830’s. This led way for many workers to form unions. The first attempt to organize all workers in all states, both skilled and unskilled was the Nation Labor Union. Another that was only open to skilled workers who formed 25 individual craft unions was the American Federation of Labor, which still exist
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