History Essay: Middle Class Disruption in the 19th Century

Middle Class Disruption in the 19th Century.
Name:
Instructor:
Institution:
Date:
The early days in America were quite full of upheavals, both politically and economically. This was due to the ever-increasing need for a better life, as people jostled for opportunities in the emerging industries and politicians tried keeping up pace with the same too. In other terms, the society was in a frenzy, trying to settle down with the new realities of a new nation. Tim Coogan has always been an individual who spoke his mind, especially on issues that he either believed or greatly opposed. He had a vigor and optimism about the new developments, and his realism when it came to the changing landscape around the country can be better illustrated through his article Mill Workers and their World: Adams Massachusetts.
In the article, Coogan captures the labor, political as well as the social aspects of the then society quite vividly. In the article, he captures the temperance struggle, which was led by the clergy as well as the upper-class. The movement generally focused on trying to convince people and the workers on the reasonable, if not controlled drinking of alcohol. Places that sold or manufactured alcohol became to be known as “places of pollution” (p.93). The movement would later on become so influential and powerful, to try and put measures that would result in completely banning the manufacture as well as the use of the same. It illustrates just how much a society can be changed, if there are certain rules and regulations that are strictly followed to the latter. A society can easily be changed to move towards a given direction, if the authorities in place are steadfast in the same.
The dawn of the Industrial Revolution in the early 19th Century shook up the social and political structures of society. A new working class was created that disrupted the hitherto established middle class that consisted of bankers and other professionals. New industries like the textile industry helped towns like Adams, Massachusetts establish themselves as industrial centers and challenge the existing dominance of the urban centers that existed then. A deeper focus on the relationship that existed between the mill workers and the mill owners reveals areas of conflict. The rift between owners of capital and labor started by the late antebellum years and become irreparable.
This also reveals something about the society by then. It seems like the society was so divided along social lines and the upper class had a lot of influence and control over the course of things. The ability to play a key role in trying to force people into abstaining from taking alcohol is indicative of quite some influence. The society by then was quite susceptible to what can only be termed as upper-class promulgation, where their ideas ruled over those of the other individuals.
The first signs of this class wars occurred in the 1820s when manufacturers employed based on one’s good character and sobriety, while mill owners employed based on one’s value for hard work and temperance. Some factory owners initiated measures to limit alcohol use in Adams and reduce the sale of alcohol there. One Daniel Anthony, actually banned intoxicating liquo...