Title: The Working Class in the Early 1900s | The Classroom
Headings: The Working Class in the Early 1900s
The Working Class in the Early 1900s
Rural Farmers
Factory Workers
Survival in the Lower Class
Growing Middle Class
Women in the Workplace

Content: Many struggled to survive. The Library of Congress estimates that by 1904, one in three people living in the cities was close to starvation. Poor urban workers experienced overcrowded living conditions, dirty and poorly lit working conditions, insufficient clean water supplies, poor sewage methods and disease. The poor working class resided in slums and relied on low wages for basic survival. Many had a better standard of living as rural farmers in America or in their native homelands than in industrialized American cities. Growing Middle Class
There was an increase in the middle class during the beginning of the 20th century. A surplus of jobs and increasing wages, especially for skilled workers and small business owners who specialized in particular trades, resulted in a growing middle class in urban areas. Experienced, skilled workers often held leadership roles in factories and industrial plants. The middle class enjoyed leisure, shopping, amusement parks, stadium sports, movies and recreation -- entertainment and resources that rural workers weren’t privy to. Department stores, restaurants and improved transportation systems made city life exciting and enjoyable for those in the working middle class who had disposable income to afford such luxuries.