“The employer as a general rule expects to make a fortune out of his laborers; the laborer can expect nothing more than a moderate support... The relation between employer and employed has changed. The master no longer works by the side of his apprentice; he is now a capitalist, who sits in his counting-room and directs the labor of hundreds. The worker has become a mere machine, dependent on the wills of others for his daily bread.”
— Orestes Brownson, *The Laboring Classes*, 1840
Which of the following historical developments in the period from 1800 to 1848 was the most direct cause of the relationship described in the passage?
- AThe establishment of federal regulatory agencies to govern industrial safety and wages
- BThe decline of economic integration between northeastern cities and western agricultural regions
- The transition from household and artisan production to the factory systemAnswer
- DThe expansion of southern plantation slavery into the territories of the Old Northwest
Answer
The transition from household and artisan production to the factory system
The correct answer is correct because the transition from household and artisan production to the factory system reorganized labor, separating the workplace from the home and replacing the personal master-apprentice dynamic with an impersonal employer-employee relationship.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Impact of the Market Revolution on labor systems and class structures
Estimated Time:1m 0s