Calhoun & Wood 1

Joshua Wood and Jordan Calhoun

Bennett/Martin
Humanities 2: Periods 4-5/AP World: Periods 1-3
18 February 2016
A Lack of Work Ethic in an Industrial United States
The Industrial Revolution lead to technological innovations that had never been
seen before in history. The general opinion of the Industrial Revolution period was that
nationalism was at an all time high, and work ethic was what pushed major civilizations
into greatness. However, one of the downsides of these revolutionary developments were
the cruel working conditions that the lower class had to operate in. From the dangerous
mining conditions to the long working hours in machinery-filled factories, the life
expectancy for these lower-class people was extremely low. Recent studies have shown
that the work ethic seen in the workforce of the United States were actually at an all time
low during the Industrial Revolution, and the only people who made gains were the
middle class. The motivation of the middle class during the Industrial Revolution covered
up the fact that the lower class were suffering immensely.
Comparatively to the lower class, middle class citizens benefitted the most from
the Industrial Revolution. Small businessmen were appearing in larger numbers causing
Peter Lindert, a distinguished professor, to comment that the rich have become more
numerous, but not richer individually (Lindert 1128). This middle class became the
common family; the father working and the mother staying at home, caring for the kids.
These families had a reasonable amount of wealth at their disposal. This was possible due
to the income they received from selling products the lower classes produced. Another

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reason that the classes were so distinct was because the middle class developed a system
of preferences and values centered around parsimony, the work ethic, and delay of
gratification. (Doepke 749). This dedication and work ethic allowed the middle class to
progress within the society much more quickly than other economic groups. This allowed
for citizens of the middle class to push their social influence to new heights, making them
the most significant social group of this era. The middle class had the work ethic to push
themselves so that they could achieve the American Dream and create a better life for
their families.
The Industrial Revolution was the turning point in the development of the world.
The problem was that working conditions were so poor and the wages were so low
during this time that historian Gayle Porter found that Industrialization upset the
certainty that hard work would bring economic success (Porter 538). In this era, they
middle class had the most influence, and they were the main group that reaped the
benefits of the working class labor. The poor realized this and soon began to lose moral,
and work ethic thusly fell. Gayle Porter also noticed that a disconnect between hard
work and a sense of control over one's destiny is considered by many authors to have
instigated a diminishment of the work ethic (Porter 538). Impoverished people felt as if
they didnt have control over their future because their hard work was amounting to very
little. The poor working conditions in this era, combined with the growing feeling of
hopelessness among the working class lead to a lack of work ethic, which had a negative
effect on the competition between the U.S. and other major civilizations, because
competition is driven by a motivated workforce.

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Now, in all fairness, the Industrial Revolution was the catalyst for most of the
technological developments over the past several centuries. Without these advances,
theres no telling how many technologies wouldnt even exist that we take for granted
today! However, this topic, as already explained, is a double-edged sword. It was the
sophisticated middle class that determined the historical impression of the Industrial
Revolution, and they did a good job of glossing over the gritty details in many of their
historical accounts. During this time, the working conditions of all facets of the
workforce were detestable, and despite the nationalist enthusiasm of the middle class,
motivation in the workforce was sorely lacking. As a human being, we urge people to
understand that the Industrial Revolution brought technology to new heights, but brought
humane treatment in the workplace to an all time low.