Includes bibliographical references (p. 168-171) and index.

Provides a critical look at the cause and effect of the industrial revolution on America and its impact on today's society. As modern man's greatest growth sport, the industrial Revolution ushered in an era unsurpassed in the history of the modern world, from technology to industry to migration. Using an eclectic group of viewpoints including presidential addresses, anonymous testimony, and the perspectives of such figures as Jack London, H.G. Wells, and Henry Ford, this title seeks to understand the scope, origin, and effects of the Industrial Revolution. The reader is drawn into a time and place that is still affecting the world today.