The new jobs for the working class were in the cities. Thus, the Industrial Revolution began to change the United States from a rural to an urban society. Young people raised on farms saw greater opportunities in the cities and moved there. Millions of immigrants came to American cities from Europe. Providing housing for all the new residents of cities was a problem. Many workers found themselves living in urban slums. Open sewers ran alongside the streets, and the water supply was often tainted, causing disease.
These horrible urban conditions gave rise to the Progressive Movement in the early twentieth century. Progressives also were against child labor and greedy and unfair businesses. They worked to make food and medicines safer and to preserve national resources, like waterways and forests. The result would be many new laws to protect and support people.
Question
Read the summary of “The Industrial Revolution in the United States.”
The American Industrial Revolution led to more products being made in factories than by craftsmen. This changed how millions of Americans worked. Instead of making a product from beginning to end, workers now completed repetitive tasks in factories. Laborers worked long hours in cramped, unsafe conditions. These conditions led to the creation of labor unions, which fought for workers’ rights. Workers organized strikes to highlight their problems and to stand up for themselves. The Industrial Revolution also led to large numbers of people moving to cities for jobs. These horrible conditions led to the rise of the Progressive Movement in the early 1900s. The work of the Progressives led to new laws to protect and support people.
Which sentence should be included in the paragraph to explain one reason for the rise of the Progressive movement and create the most effective summary?
This resulted in many people living in crowded slums with open sewers and polluted water.
In 1877, a railroad strike was ended by outraged citizens, the National Guardsmen, and federal troops.
When craftspeople made barrels, shirts, or dresses from beginning to end, they felt a sense of accomplishment.
By the 1870s, machines were making stockings, shirts, dresses, and shoes and producing millions of nails.
