Deindustrialization in New England
Deindustrialization in New England
This chapter examines the economic, social, and political backdrop of deindustrialization in New England. The region saw dramatic industrial growth beginning in the late eighteenth century based on steady expansion in textiles, shoes, and other factory sectors. During the nineteenth century, active social reform groups and a considerable union presence arose—especially in Massachusetts—leading to the enactment of important reform measures benefitting the working class. New England remained heavily dependent on long-established industries in the early twentieth century. The area was therefore hit hard by the decline of textiles, shoes, and related sectors beginning in the 1920s. Cotton textiles was the largest declining New England industry and the one downsizing most rapidly. Low-wage producers established in the American South after the Civil War drove the changes in cotton textiles. In the decades after World War I, low-cost southern manufacturers forced numerous New England cotton textile producers out of business.
Keywords: social reformers, unions, deindustrialization, Massachusetts, American South, cotton textile industry
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