9 The Industrial Revolution of the Home
Andrew Hudd
9.1 Introduction
Keywords
- Electric Grid – Site near communities that generate electricity
- Electric Range – Predecessor of the electric oven
- Great Depression – A period of massive recession during most of the 1930’s
- Industrial Revolution – The revolution in the 1800’s that led to machine-based industry
- Mechanization – To turn something from manual labor to machine-based labor
Learning Objectives
By the end of this chapter, a student should be able to:
- Identify three household appliances that were introduced during the Silent Generation
- Briefly describe how these inventions impacted American homes
- Describe how these appliances appeared in most American homes
- Identify how this period is still impacting us today
The industrial revolution of the home is one of the largest social and technological revolutions of all time since, unlike many, this one directly impacted the lifestyles of every American. Occurring between the two world wars, it oversaw the modernization of technology available to the general public. Before it occurred, food was never refrigerated, any hot water or food was prepared over a coal fire, home water came from a nearby well, only the wealthy owned cars. This was the reality for almost every American before World War 1. It would take less than 20 years for most Americans to have indoor heating, running water, electric ovens, vacuum cleaners, and family cars. Even the basic design of houses fundamentally changed as kitchens became more centralized and bathrooms were added to homes. This was the era in which most Americans were first able to take advantage of electricity in their daily lives.
Many of the most famous revolutions in history, from the factory industrial revolution to the French revolution, most have major impacts on history, but rarely affect the common man as much as they affect huge institutions. It was in this revolution that men and women in America learned (very quickly) how to live in a modern home with modern appliances. Many basic roles in society had core transformations such as housewives, children, and the industries that supplied families with these new appliances. These social changes that are seen in our daily lives still today.
9.2 Industrializing the Home
Key Takeaway(s)
9.2.1 What New Technology?
To understand this revolution, let us first look at the technology that drove these fundamental changes in lifestyle. There are many different technologies that appeared during this period. They mostly involved the use of electricity and running water, both of which were generally reserved for the upper class and sometimes rarer than that. This type of technology had been used commercially and by the government throughout the second half of the 19th century but was not well enough understood to safely and effectively introduce it into a typical suburban home. By the end of World War 1, electricity was widely in commercial use, notably for li