Labor is an indispensable source of economic production, and all other things being equal, more labor contributes to more economic production. During the second industrial revolution factories took full advantage of human labor but set aside workers rights. Following the technological revolutions of the early industrial age, large factories engaged in mass production, supplemented workshops and small foundries. The manufacturing sector expanded from 2.4 to 10 million workers and manufacturing employment grew more than twice as fast as the workforce as a whole from the years 1880 to 1920.
This era of industrial growth transformed American society creating a new class of wealthy entrepreneurs and a comfortable middle class. The increase in industry resulted in a growth among the blue-collar working class. This labor force was made up of millions of newly arrived immigrants and vast numbers of families migrating from rural areas to cities with the hope of job security and prosperity.
