Industrializing America: The Nineteenth Century (The American Moment) [Hardcover]

Professor Walter Licht (Author)

Book Description

Series: The American Moment | Publication Date: April 1, 1995

Previous books on the industrialization of America have focused either on the industrial revolution in the first half of the nineteenth century or on the rise of big industry in the second. In this groundbreaking study Licht provides a new perspective by focusing on industrialization first as a product and then as an agent of change. As population expansion and greater market activity fueled manufacture, he explains, industrialization led to greater social and economic developments as well as crises that required a more administered political economic order.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Industrializing America is a deft and elegantly written survey of the evolution of the nation's economy through the nineteenth century. What is particularly striking about the book as a whole is the remarkable ease with which Licht incorporates a vast array of historical research on the economy, the polity, society, race, gender, class, as well as technology and industrial geography.

(Michael A. Bernstein, University of California, San Diego. ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review

"Industrializing America is a deft and elegantly written survey of the evolution of the nation's economy through the nineteenth century. What is particularly striking about the book as a whole is the remarkable ease with which Licht incorporates a vast array of historical research on the economy, the polity, society, race, gender, class, as well as technology and industrial geography." -- Michael A. Bernstein, University of California, San Diego.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press (April 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801850134
• ISBN-13: 978-0801850134
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,008,070 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A well-rounded ntroduction to American Industrialization, April 28, 2004

By 

C. Hanzlik (Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Industrializing America: The Nineteenth Century (The American Moment) (Paperback)

Licht's oft-repeated thesis is that American industrialization is characterized by complexity and diversity, yet he still synthesizes a coherent narrative and argument in his book. Plus, he deftly summarizes (and takes sides in) debates regarding several major questions about U.S. industrialization: Did labor scarcity create more mechanization? Was the late nineteenth century a second industrial revolution? Was what transpired a continuation of earlier initiatives or a fundamental shift?

Licht's book is appropriate for an undergraduate classroom, or a graduate seminar in which a quick introduction to industrialization is needed. It presents the major themes of American industrialization, and has enough teeth to leave room for debate, especially if students are prompted with questions before they begin reading. Licht approaches industrialization from many angles--labor, capital, robber barons, government, craftsmen, factory workers--and gives the reader a solid introduction to the issues. Instead of footnotes,the book concludes with a strong bibliograpic essay for each chapter. The book is not intended for advanced scholars of industrialization, but some specialists may find Lichts reframing of American industrialization in a social history lens useful. I did.

Most succinct summarizing quote: "Complexity and diversity marked the whole process of industrialization. The growth of manufacture occurred in different countries, regions within countries, and trades in a remarkably uneven fashion; the timing and pace of change varied widely, as did choices of technology and managerial arrangements. Industrialization destroyed certain skills and occupations but created others; the process similarly generated both small- and large-scale enterprise. In the United States, agricultural expansion, not contraction, accompanied industrial development; professional, clerical, and service sector employment grew alongside." (21)

4 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Information and Analysis, Bad Writing, June 1, 2001

By 

"tukon" (San Jose, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Industrializing America: The Nineteenth Century (The American Moment) (Paperback)

This book was required reading for my AP US History course, so naturally I didn't want to read it anyways. Unfortunately, I also had to write a report on the book so I was stuck. This book is packed full of nonstop information with the occasional analysis of facts. It moves very slowly stating so many facts that it is simply a boring book to read. As I usually am an avid reader, this says a lot. However, if you want to know all the informartion there is about the Industrial Revolution, this is the book for you.

8 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The Ongoing Regurgitaion of Historical Dross, December 21, 1999

By 

Smokey (Washington) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Industrializing America: The Nineteenth Century (The American Moment) (Paperback)

I had to read this book for an advanced history class. If you want a good text book for the nineteenth century, this is your guide. But for anything but an index for the industrial revolution, this book is no different than reading binary code. It is a long string of useless facts about things minutely interesting or important to this time period. Granted, it does have some good information, and I applaud the author for his tenacity on sticking to writing this ticking brain tumor, this book is about as fun and interesting as poking myself with something rusty.