Did the industrial age and the rise in the numbers of factories help or hurt the expansion of the middle class in the United States? Explain.

Question

a

It helped the expansion of the middle class because poor factory working conditions forced the government to enact laws that eliminated many predatory business practices.
b

It hurt the expansion of the middle class because the factory system replaced the domesticity of goods, in which individual workers would use personal tools or simple machinery to fabricate goods in their own homes. These craftsmen were forced to take lower-paying factory jobs.
c

It helped the expansion of the middle class because factories offered citizens with little-to-no education a stable job with good wages and benefits.
d

It hurt the expansion of the middle class because factories forced citizens with little-to-no education into low-paying jobs with no benefits.

Answer 1

b - It hurt the expansion of the middle class because the factory system replaced the domesticity of goods, in which individual workers would use personal tools or simple machinery to fabricate goods in their own homes. These craftsmen were forced to take lower-paying factory jobs. While the industrial age did create new job opportunities, it also had a negative impact on skilled workers and the domestic economy. The factory system led to the concentration of workers in urban areas and the decline of traditional crafts and trades, which weakened the economic power of skilled workers and artisans and their ability to maintain high wages and job security.