Essay on the Artisan Republic and Industrial Revolution

The artisan society was one of the most organized society during the 17th and 18 the characterized by small-scale farmers, skilled craftsmen and general, the traditional way of life. Individuals depended on traditional production that was not mechanized. However, everything changed the moment the immigrants began arriving. The well-known artisan republic society now became an economically diverse community with wealthy individuals, yet most of the Americans still languished in poverty. The Native Americans could not accommodate the changes hence had to unite with the aim of defending the principle of equality in the divided society. The American came up with various ways such as the strike to try and maintain the older tradition and somehow they managed to do so.

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Most American were artisans and farmers and produced manufactured good in a traditional manner during the first third of the nineteenth century. There was no mechanization, and various consumer products were made by hand. The artisan world was characterized by skilled craftsmanship, production was in small scale, the existence of local market, self-reliant sense of community and citizenship (342). The workmen referred to themselves as masters of the trade, and unskilled immigrants had a vague relationship with the tradition. Nevertheless, everything appears to change the moment immigrants started coming in the American territory. The native-born Americans blamed the immigrants for coming up with changes that led to industrialization and urban development.

The arrival of immigrants drastically transformed the entire society, and some of these transformations irritated the locals. Commercial growth and transportation improvements increased competition between artisans and undermined their independence. Enlarged markets encouraged large-scale output of ready-made goods, instead of custom-made production of a few times (342). The machines produced high-quality products, and individuals opted to use the machine. There was widespread of inequality, and the immigrants started owning large trucks of land leaving the natives Americans as slaves in their land. Landless farm laborers could be found everywhere, and the majority of free blacks in the rural North owned little or no land(330).Labor population increased in the country, and more factories and industries came up to cover for the demand niche that was present in the market. To cover for production, there had to be a division of labor and as iterated by Clark tasks were further subdivided, making it possible to replace skilled journeyman with less fully trained workers, including women and children; dividing tasks and reducing skill worsened most journeymens prospects (345).

To maintain their older tradition of work, workers resisted their relegation to bosses and proclaimed for equality within the society. There was a series of events took place and as stated by Clark to protect themselves from these changes, a tide of protest by working men and women who resisted their subordination to bosses and asserted their equal rights when economic power was unequally disturbed (351).Workers organized strikes and protests to challenge the inequality in the distribution of resources and the economy at large. Also, the working class in the society encouraged the removal of paper money and wanted compensation to in the form of land something that was readily achievable. The employees were mistreated at workplaces, and this is something that newspapers and journals came clear on and campaigned for good working condition and compensation for those who had been earlier abused. Furthermore, workingmen party came up with a memorandum that entailed imprisonment and punishment of the debtors, retention of the leadership of the banks and more power to the mechanics which received a positive response from voters.

The Native Americans also formed trade unions so that workers could speak with one voice and be heard. The changing organization of work and the increase in the number workers working in different factories challenged the idea of property owners. In the 1820s and 1830s workers joined and protected the principle of parity in already divided society. They organized labor unions to intensify strikes all over the country. An August 1834 convention formed the National Trades Union (NTU) with delegates representing over 2600 workers (355)

Women were also not left behind as they joined various labor unions to protest against poor working conditions and long working hours. Mill owners tried to extend the labor hours and lower piece rates; this was an initiative that was led by women as explained, led by women weavers and supported by the townsfolk, workers went on strike to resist the changes. For example, in the spinning mill, women were mistreated, and some of them opted to quit while others remained intact to fight for their right. Women organized strikes and demonstrated at a workplace, and mill owners realized that the production had reduced and they could not sack everyone and had to respond. The management called for a meeting with the striking workers and the working hours were cut, one of the girls stood on a pump and gave vent to the feeling of her companion in the neat speech declaring that it was their duty to resist all attempt at cutting down wages (356-357).

Women were aggressive just like their male counterpart and increased a few rights. This is evident in 1824 when Pawtucket process proprietor reduced piece rates and increased the working hour per day. Driven by weavers, women went on strike and opposed the progression. Many specialized hindered to strike against any supervisor who wanted employees to work for more than ten hours, and the business called it quits (354). Women also participated in the labor union; more 1600 women joined the New York Tailoresses society to fight to fight a series of wage cuts (354). In 1839, activists pushed for more unity among workers and this time round was a collaboration between skilled and unskilled workers. A joint strike was organized that same year to push for better working condition and reduced number of working hours. In 1842, Massachusetts court legalized strikes, and this came as a major achievement for workers as strikes now increased.

Wageworkers also united and protested to make sure that their demands were fulfilled. The wage workers were against the conversion of small business into the large corporation as they knew that they would lose their jobs as bigger companies will recruit skilled personnel and many of them were unskilled. Journeymen carriage makers from small Massachusetts workshops protested a proposal to incorporate a large carriage-building firm, arguing that this would block their aspirations to become proprietors in their right. (353).The journeymen wanted to enjoy the fruit of their labor through the ownership of a small business, and with the emergence of large companies, this was hard to be achieved. They, therefore, supported for better pay and more favorable working conditions and took part in strikes requesting for working hours to be reduced to ten working hours in a day.

Conclusively, it is clear that Native Americans saw the trickling in of immigrants as a threat from the beginning. The settlers disrupted the artisan society, for, there was increased competition for finished goods from mechanized factories that surpassed tradition production. Social classes that never existed before were experienced as the wealthy people emerged as a result of trading activities. The American had otherwise but to accept changes and fight for their rights while in that already changed society. The major reason for boycotts and strike was to improve the working conditions, reduced working hours and better pay something that workers managed to achieve at the end. As much as America continues to enjoy a revolutionized society of wealthy, economically diverse country across the continent. Americans should always remember and pay gratitude and to brothers and sisters who fought for this freedom being enjoyed at the moment