The Industrial Revolution Of Maryland By Lewis W. Hine And...

Following the end of the American Civil war, the Industrial Revolution came rushing in and brought with it tremendous changes – the mechanization of agriculture, the invention of steam and electricity used machinery led to mass production factories, and the emergence of a massive railroad system. Change in the economy and society brought great wealth to the United States. Consequently, it was a giant magnet for immigrations. However, the distribution of wealth across the population was not even. The American working class in the last half of nineteenth century suffered from poverty and oppression. Several documentations and stories were written in response to the people suffering. Two of them - â€Å"Child Labor in The Canning Industry of Maryland† by Lewis W. Hine and â€Å"Maggie: A Girl of The Streets† by Stephen Crane - vividly described the living and working conditions for the working poor. In the period of 1860-1900, the majority of the working class, incl uding native born and immigrants, clustered in two largest industrial areas: the North East industrial cities and the West agriculture farms. In the West, agricultures were dominated by land and railroad companies. Although the farming industry grew simultaneously, workers life did not improve. In fact, they faced many hardships such as severe oppression from their owners, unfair payment for their work, and serious lack of education for their children. In his 1909 report, Lewis H. Hine revealed the harsh working condition