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-The growth of industry and business in America left many working-class citizens with a thirst for easy-access commodities that improved the quality of life.
-More goods became more easily available at lower prices.
-People no longer needed to visit general stores for shopping, as large department stores were often only a train ride away.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

Describe the characteristics of the new consumer culture that emerged at the end of the nineteenth century

Despite the challenges workers faced in their new roles as wage earners, the rise of industry in the United States allowed people to access and consume goods as never before. The rise of big business had turned America into a culture of consumers desperate for time-saving and leisure commodities, where people could expect to find everything they wanted in shops or by mail order. Gone were the days where the small general store was the only option for shoppers; at the end of the nineteenth century, people could take a train to the city and shop in large department stores like Macy's in New York, Gimbel's in Philadelphia, and Marshall Fields in Chicago. Chain stores, like A&P and Woolworth's, both of which opened in the 1870s, offered options to those who lived farther from major urban areas and clearly catered to classes other than the wealthy elite. Industrial advancements contributed to this proliferation, as new construction techniques permitted the building of stores with higher ceilings for larger displays, and the production of larger sheets of plate glass lent themselves to the development of larger store windows, glass countertops, and display cases where shoppers could observe a variety of goods at a glance. L. Frank Baum, of Wizard of Oz fame, later founded the National Association of Window Trimmers in 1898, and began publishing The Store Window journal to advise businesses on space usage and promotion.

Even families in rural America had new opportunities to purchase a greater variety of products than ever before, at ever decreasing prices. Those far from chain stores could benefit from the newly developed business of mail-order catalogs, placing orders by telephone. Aaron Montgomery Ward established the first significant mail-order business in 1872, with Sears, Roebuck & Company following in 1886. Sears distributed over 300,000 catalogs annually by 1897, and later broke the one million annual mark in 1907. Sears in particular understood that farmers and rural Americans sought alternatives to the higher prices and credit purchases they were forced to endure at small-town country stores. By clearly stating the prices in his catalog, Richard Sears steadily increased his company's image of their catalog serving as "the consumer's bible." In the process, Sears, Roebuck & Company supplied much of America's hinterland with products ranging from farm supplies to bicycles, toilet paper to automobiles, as seen below in a page from the catalog.

The tremendous variety of goods available for sale required businesses to compete for customers in ways they had never before imagined. Suddenly, instead of a single option for clothing or shoes, customers were faced with dozens, whether ordered by mail, found at the local chain store, or lined up in massive rows at department stores. This new level of competition made advertising a vital component of all businesses. By 1900, American businesses were spending almost $100 million annually on advertising. Competitors offered "new and improved" models as frequently as possible in order to generate interest. From toothpaste and mouthwash to books on entertaining guests, new goods were constantly offered. Newspapers accommodated the demand for advertising by shifting their production to include full-page advertisements, as opposed to the traditional column width, agate-type advertisements that dominated mid-nineteenth century newspapers (similar to classified advertisements in today's publications). Likewise, professional advertising agencies began to emerge in the 1880s, with experts in consumer demand bidding for accounts with major firms.

It may seem strange that, at a time when wages were so low, people began buying readily; however, the slow emergence of a middle class by the end of the century, combined with the growing practice of buying on credit, presented more opportunities to take part in the new consumer culture. Stores allowed people to open accounts and purchase on credit, thus securing business and allowing consumers to buy without ready cash. Then, as today, the risks of buying on credit led many into debt. As advertising expert Roland Marchand described in his Parable on the Democracy of Goods, in an era when access to products became more important than access to the means of production, Americans quickly accepted the notion that they could live a better lifestyle by purchasing the right clothes, the best hair cream, and the shiniest shoes, regardless of their class. For better or worse, American consumerism had begun.

Advertising in the Industrial Age: Credit, Luxury, and the Advent of "New and Improved"

Before the industrial revolution, most household goods were either made at home or purchased locally, with limited choices. By the end of the nineteenth century, factors such as the population's move towards urban centers and the expansion of the railroad changed how Americans shopped for, and perceived, consumer goods. As mentioned above, advertising took off, as businesses competed for customers.

Many of the elements used widely in nineteenth-century advertisements are familiar. Companies sought to sell luxury, safety, and, as the ad for the typewriter below shows, the allure of the new-and-improved model. One advertising tactic that truly took off in this era was the option to purchase on credit. For the first time, mail order and mass production meant that the aspiring middle class could purchase items that could only be owned previously by the wealthy. While there was a societal stigma for buying everyday goods on credit, certain items, such as fine furniture or pianos, were considered an investment in the move toward entry into the middle class.

Additionally, farmers and housewives purchased farm equipment and sewing machines on credit, considering these items investments rather than luxuries. For women, the purchase of a sewing machine meant that a shirt could be made in one hour, instead of fourteen. The Singer Sewing Machine Company was one of the most aggressive at pushing purchase on credit. They advertised widely, and their "Dollar Down, Dollar a Week" campaign made them one of the fastest-growing companies in the country.

For workers earning lower wages, these easy credit terms meant that the middle-class lifestyle was within their reach. Of course, it also meant they were in debt, and changes in wages, illness, or other unexpected expenses could wreak havoc on a household's tenuous finances. Still, the opportunity to own new and luxurious products was one that many Americans, aspiring to improve their place in society, could not resist.

Review Question

Briefly explain Roland Marchand's argument in the Parable of the Democracy of Goods.

Answer to Review Question

Marchand argues that in the new era of consumerism, workers' desire for access to consumer goods replaces their desire for access to the means of production of those goods. So long as Americans could buy products that advertisers convinced them would make them look and feel wealthy, they did not need to fight for access to the means of wealth.

Critical Thinking Questions

1. Consider the fact that the light bulb and the telephone were invented only three years apart. Although it took many more years for such devices to find their way into common household use, they eventually wrought major changes in a relatively brief period of time. What effects did these inventions have on the lives of those who used them? Are there contemporary analogies in your lifetime of significant changes due to inventions or technological innovations?

2. Industrialization, immigration, and urbanization all took place on an unprecedented scale during this era. What were the relationships of these processes to one another? How did each process serve to catalyze and fuel the others?

3. Describe the various attempts at labor organization in this era, from the Molly Maguires to the Knights of Labor and American Federation of Labor. How were the goals, philosophies, and tactics of these groups similar and different? How did their agendas represent the concerns and grievances of their members and of workers more generally?

4. How did the new industrial order represent both new opportunities and new limitations for rural and working-class urban Americans?

5. How did the emergent consumer culture change what it meant to be "American" at the turn of the century?

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By the end of this section, you will be able to: Describe the characteristics of the new consumer culture that emerged at the end of the nineteenth century Despite the challenges workers faced in their new roles as wage earners, the rise of industry in the United States allowed people to access and consume goods as never before.

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A labor union is an organization of workers that get together to discuss and make choices about how they work and working conditions. Read this web page to find out more about labor unions!

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A labor union or trade union is an organized group of workers who unite to make decisions about conditions affecting their work. Labor unions strive to bring economic justice to the workplace and social justice to our nation.

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-The rise of a need to protect basic workers' rights as a result of industrialization
-Low wages that wouldn't support a good living
-Dangerous working conditions w/o insurance
-Long hours that reduced ability to have a family life
-Child labor and its working conditions

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The American Federation of Labor consisted of 4 million members at its peak, all aimed at creating smaller labor unions with those of the same career with the goal of improving wages, hours, and working conditions.

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The American Federation of Labor (AFL) was organized in 1886. Its president was Samuel Gompers, who served until 1925. During Gompers' presidency, the AFL rose to more than 4 million members by 1920, after which its membership declined until 1933, when it was not much more than 2 million.

The purpose of the AFL was to organize skilled workers into national unions consisting of others in the same trade. Their purpose was not political, and aimed simply at shorter hours, higher wages, and better working conditions.

The unwillingness of the AFL to address the needs of unskilled and semi-skilled workers in mass production industries led to the establishment of the Committee for Industrial Organization by eight international unions within the AFL. The CIO did not succeed in changing AFL attitudes and the following year, the then-ten members of the CIO were expelled from the AFL. The CIO reorganized in 1938 and changed their name to the Congress of Industrial Organizations.

The AFL and CIO were eventually reunited as the AFL-CIO in 1955.

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The American Federation of Labor (AFL) was organized in 1886. Its president was Samuel Gompers, who served until 1925. During Gompers' presidency, the AFL rose to more than 4 million members by 1920, after which its membership declined until 1933, when it was not much more than 2 million.

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A political cartoon featuring a common saying that echoed throughout many labor unions.

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The KOL was the first national labor union in the United States, aimed at preventing employer retaliations towards workers. It was a secret organization, which tempted many people into joining, but in 1186, after more than a thousand strikes and the infamous Haymarket Riot, it dissolved and the AFL soon came to be.

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This article was most recently revised and updated by

Knights of Labor (KOL), the first important national labour organization in the United States, founded in 1869. Named the Noble Order of the Knights of Labor by its first leader, Uriah Smith Stephens, it originated as a secret organization meant to protect its members from employer retaliations. Secrecy also gave the organization an emotional appeal.

The organization's original platform was partly ideological. Based on a belief in the unity of interest of all producing groups-shopkeepers and farmers as well as labourers-it proposed a system of worker cooperatives to replace capitalism. After the election of Terence V. Powderly as grand master workman of the national organization in 1879, the group abandoned its secrecy and mystical trappings and struck the word noble from its title. Because Powderly was unwilling to initiate strikes or use other forms of economic pressure to gain the union's objectives, effective control of the organization shifted to regional leaders. Membership in the Knights grew after the railway strike in 1877, reaching a peak of 700,000 in 1886. At that time the Knights were the dominant labour organization in the United States.

The KOL's influence declined sharply after 1886-a year marked by 1,600 strikes (some of them violent) and the deadly Haymarket Riot in Chicago. The resulting backlash against unionism, along with the dissatisfaction of many KOL members, led to the union's demise and fostered the establishment of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) in December 1886. The AFL focused on winning economic benefits for its members through collective bargaining. As a federation, it represented several national craft unions that each retained autonomous operations. The Knights, by contrast, represented both craft and unskilled workers in a single national union.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Meg Matthias.

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Knights of Labor (KOL) | History, Goals, Tactics, & Significance

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Overview of the Knights of Labor, the first important national labor organization in the United States, founded in 1869. Named the Noble Order of the Knights of Labor by its first leader, Uriah Smith Stephens, it originated as a secret organization meant to protect its members from employer retaliations.

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Watch this video to learn about the labor movement in the United States.

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The Labor Movement in the United States | History

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The Panic of 1873 was a five-year-long financial crisis triggered by a stock market crash in Europe and the United States. It was known as the Great Depression until the more formally known Great Depression struck in the 1930's and claimed the title for itself. People were madly running to banks, mainly Jay Cooke and Co., that had failed, demanding back money that the banks formally had before bankruptcy due to failed stock investments.

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A political cartoon about the Panic of 1873, picturing various labelled objects falling out of a flying boat labelled "Gold Speculation." The items falling could possibly represent the overload of unregulated growth and abuse that led to the economical failures.

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Watch this video to learn about Frederick Taylor and his theory of Scientific Management.

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-As companies found new ways to manage and handle the working class, the working class would adjust to new social and economic pressures by the day, making them a very adaptable and resilient group.
-Politics spiraled through change as the working class found more problems with population and quality of life, and the government had to create new regulations to meet the demand.

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Today the working class is not looked on by society as something to aspire to be, but the whole class did not exist largely before the 19th century and was instead a peasant class existed that performed labor for lords of the land. At the eve of Industrial change throughout Europe, London stood above the other powers.