Describe two developments of industrialization that positively affected American lives or the United States in general.

One positive effect of industrialization was that it raised the standard of living for many Americans. Though some industrial jobs, such as those in factories and coal mines, were unsafe and not well-paid, there were also some safer clerical positions that provided middle-class incomes for people. In addition, the products made in factories, including housewares and clothing, provided comfort and ease to many Americans who could afford them.

In addition, industrialization provided greater job opportunities and increased independence for women, many of whom worked in factories. Women who worked in factories, particularly during the first wave of industrialization before the Civil War, often lived in dormitories and attended lectures and other opportunities for self-improvement offered by mill owners. Women enjoyed greater independence from their parents than they had previously, when they often lived at home until they married, and they began to exercise greater control over their lives, including decisions about when and who to marry.