Author Question: Assume you were a middle-class American man residing in an industrial city during the late ... (Read 73 times)

mp14 · **on:** Sep 21, 2019

Question 1

Suppose you were a typical industrial worker in the United States during the late nineteenth century. Describe the conditions under which you would probably be working.

What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Discuss the composition of the American industrial working class during the late nineteenth century and indicate the hierarchy of jobs among the various groups that composed that working class.

What will be an ideal response?

Question 3

Assume you were a middle-class American man residing in an industrial city during the late nineteenth century. Describe the values you might hold and the opportunities which might be open to you.

What will be an ideal response?

cswans24 · **Reply #1 on:** Sep 21, 2019

Answer 1

Answer: The typical industrial worker in the United States between 1865 and 1900 would have been subject to the dictates of some kind of machine. He probably would have been isolated from other workers and have been paid by the piece. His working day would have been long, usually 10 hours a day, six days a week, and his working conditions would have been hazardous. His job in all probability would have been monotonous and specialized. He would also have been subject to the whims of the foreman.

Answer 2

Answer: The American industrial working class during the late nineteenth century was characterized by ethnic diversity, with at least half being foreign-born and unskilled. Native-born, white Protestants usually held the best-paying skilled jobs, while skilled northern European immigrants occupied the middle rank. Unskilled workers from southern and eastern European countries provided the heavy labor, while blacks served at the very lowest levels as janitors, servants, and laborers.

Answer 3

Answer: The typical middle-class American male residing in an industrial city during the late nineteenth century would have enjoyed greater opportunities for social and economic mobility and would probably have embraced the success ethic. Increased access to higher education would have prepared him for specialized professions such as law, finance, architecture, and insurance. The white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant male, however, would have had the advantage in terms of opportunity and mobility.