"No one can observe the signs of the times with much care, without perceiving that a crisis as to the relation of wealth and labor is preparing. . . . The struggle now is not between monarch and subject, nor between noble and plebeian, but between the operative and the employer, between the man who does the work and the man for whom it is done. . . . The system of wages labor, which has succeeded to the system of slavery and serfdom, is not a system of freedom."
— Orestes Brownson, "The Laboring Classes," 1840
The conditions described in the excerpt were most directly a consequence of which of the following historical developments between 1800 and 1848?
- AThe implementation of mercantilist policies to protect domestic manufacturing from foreign competition
- BThe rapid expansion of plantation slavery into the Southwest territory
- The transition of the workforce from independent craft production to factory-based wage laborAnswer
- DThe decline of international trade resulting from federal embargoes and tariff policies
Answer
The transition of the workforce from independent craft production to factory-based wage labor
The transition of the workforce from independent craft production to factory-based wage labor is correct because the Market Revolution fundamentally reorganized the nature of work in the United States. As factory production grew, independent artisans who previously controlled their own labor and tools were increasingly replaced by wage-earning operatives working under factory owners. This shift created a distinct working class and led to growing anxieties and debates regarding labor rights, dependence, and economic inequality, as expressed in the excerpt.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
The Market Revolution: Reorganization of Labor and Class Consciousness
Estimated Time:1m 30s