Often people pounder where they come from. Where does my ancestry lead? What is my family’s story? How did I come to be? People have often asked this of others. Such as: Is your ancestors from Germany? Ireland? China? Asking where one has come from is part of ones journey. Understanding ones past in order to understand the future is only human. It is also more than that; it’s knowing how your family has impacted the course of history and how history has influenced your family and how all of this has led to you. Thus, we learn about history because it is important to our identity.
There are key moments in history that an individual can look at and say how their family has influence or was influence by history. However, when it comes to American history there are a few exceptional moments that have led to you. One of these exceptional moments is the Industrial Revolution. The American Industrial Revolution reshaped American society and ultimately led to modernization. Multiple families can trace their family origins back to this time period, and not only because there were so many inventors and key people (A prime example is the Rockefeller family who still are alive and thriving today). No, many individual’s can trace their family’s impact on history via their immigration or emigrant patterns.
Immigration was such an important role during the Industrial Revolution and many Americans today can still trace their family back to Ellis Island and then back to their home country. The importance of this is understanding why their ancestors came to America in the first place (push) or what was so glorious about America (pull). Furthermore, today Ellis Island exist as a lasting reminder that this land is a land of immigrants. One can even visit the Ellis Island museum and research their family history. Having Ellis Island as a material primary source even today, allows individuals to connect to their identity more so and thus demonstrates the true importance of history and why it matters.
History matters, particularly this exceptional time period because it was such a turning point in history and there is no way that everybody in existence today was not effected by the Industrial Revolution. Immigration became under scrutiny, especially those entering through Angel Island and lead to the Chinese Exclusion Act. This act would influence history for the next hundred years and even influence people’s opinions during World War II.
Furthermore, even if you cannot trace your family to Ellis Island, Angel Island, or a well-known inventor, your family was impacted by industry. Industry led American society from an agricultural society to an urbanization workplace. Industry led to unions, a middle-class, the birth of cities, and more. Industry led to more discrimination of women and African American and would ultimately lead to history unfolding (19th Amendment and Civil Rights Movement). Even more so, industry made people, especially the working class, to question their livelihood, their rights, their dreams, and more. Industry would also lead to other careers that were once meant for specialist or was not readily available, such as journalism or better known as your muckrakers. The Industrial Revolution was not just about inventing new technologies and moving to urban centers, but was also about adopting new techniques and making life easier.
Why study history? Why specifically study the American Industrial Revolution? The Industrial Revolution tells us all who we are, were we come from, and why innovation and growth is important.
There are key moments in history that an individual can look at and say how their family has influence or was influence by history. However, when it comes to American history there are a few exceptional moments that have led to you. One of these exceptional moments is the Industrial Revolution. The American Industrial Revolution reshaped American society and ultimately led to modernization. Multiple families can trace their family origins back to this time period, and not only because there were so many inventors and key people (A prime example is the Rockefeller family who still are alive and thriving today). No, many individual’s can trace their family’s impact on history via their immigration or emigrant patterns.
Immigration was such an important role during the Industrial Revolution and many Americans today can still trace their family back to Ellis Island and then back to their home country. The importance of this is understanding why their ancestors came to America in the first place (push) or what was so glorious about America (pull). Furthermore, today Ellis Island exist as a lasting reminder that this land is a land of immigrants. One can even visit the Ellis Island museum and research their family history. Having Ellis Island as a material primary source even today, allows individuals to connect to their identity more so and thus demonstrates the true importance of history and why it matters.
History matters, particularly this exceptional time period because it was such a turning point in history and there is no way that everybody in existence today was not effected by the Industrial Revolution. Immigration became under scrutiny, especially those entering through Angel Island and lead to the Chinese Exclusion Act. This act would influence history for the next hundred years and even influence people’s opinions during World War II.
Furthermore, even if you cannot trace your family to Ellis Island, Angel Island, or a well-known inventor, your family was impacted by industry. Industry led American society from an agricultural society to an urbanization workplace. Industry led to unions, a middle-class, the birth of cities, and more. Industry led to more discrimination of women and African American and would ultimately lead to history unfolding (19th Amendment and Civil Rights Movement). Even more so, industry made people, especially the working class, to question their livelihood, their rights, their dreams, and more. Industry would also lead to other careers that were once meant for specialist or was not readily available, such as journalism or better known as your muckrakers. The Industrial Revolution was not just about inventing new technologies and moving to urban centers, but was also about adopting new techniques and making life easier.
Why study history? Why specifically study the American Industrial Revolution? The Industrial Revolution tells us all who we are, were we come from, and why innovation and growth is important.