The American Industrial Revolution

Industrialization in the USA

Century in England and spread to North America and other parts of Europe. Industrialization in the USA grew in the years following reconstruction after the civil war had occurred. During this time America was considered the land of opportunities. Several factors contributed to the industrialization process including the economic movement of Laissez Faire and free enterprise, mechanization, national resources, new transport systems and the establishment of the factory system. Another factor that resulted in industrialization in the USA was the availability of labor majorly from immigrants. During the 18th century, several advancements took place which made the textile industry to become more efficient from the merchant based cottage mills (Mantoux, 2013).

Textile Innovations in America

Early textile innovations which had initially occurred in Britain were soon spread to America. During this time, American textile firms rewarded English mill employees to bring the knowledge and innovation of textile technology from the UK to the USA. It is this English technology that sparked off the industrial revolution in America. Before the era of industrialization, textile manufacturing happened in small scale in homes. The transmission of textile milling technology from Britain to the USA mechanized the weaving of fabric thus creating the potential for its transition from small-scale home-based business to large-scale industry (Kilduff, 2005). Since the textile industry had already established in small scale, the mechanization fired it off making it one of the leading industries in the USA. Increased demand for clothes and the availability of machines created the synergy for growth. With the ability to process textile into finished goods faster and at lower costs, the factories had to brace up for more work leading to new and better ways for them to achieve success.

References

Kilduff, P. (2005). Patterns of strategic adjustment in the US textile and apparel industries since 1979. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, 9(2), 180-194.

Mantoux, P. (2013). The industrial revolution in the eighteenth century: An outline of the beginnings of the modern factory system in England. Routledge.