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=__Industrial Revolution: U.S.A. vs. Haiti__ =

Peter Park

Availability of Food


The American man in the left picture enjoys a meal of cheeseburger and fries, a dish which is ubiquitous throughout America in various fast food restaurants, available at a cheap price. The Haitian woman in the right picture is forced by poverty, hunger, and lack of access to food to resort to eating "mud cookies". The Agricultural Revolution and the Industrial Revolution had accumulated much wealth within the United States, which lessened the instances of food shortage. Haiti, however, is not industrialized and did not go through an Agricultural Revolution, so it frequently suffers from the problems of food shortage.



Treatment of Children


The left picture shows a group of American students who are provided with public education, and are not subject to enter the labor force. The right picture depicts Haitian children who serve as domestic laborers for other families. Their former families were destitute and lacked the resources to support them, so they were sent to work in other families. In Haiti sending children away was a legitimate course of action if a family was not economically fit to take care of them, which was often the case, for Haiti was not industrialized and thus did not have a stable economy.

Agriculture and Farming


The left picture shows mechanized farming in America. The right picture shows how farming is done by hand in Haiti. America, which has underwent its Agricultural Revolution over 200 years ago, is presently very capable of using mechanized farming tools, such as the tractor shown in the left picture. Haiti, however, did not undergo an Agricultural Revolution, and still does not possess enough technology to drastically increase agricultural output.



Health Care


The left picture depicts an American hospital with high-tech lab equipment, qualified staff, and hygienic environment. The right picture displays an outdoor health care system with primitive medical equipment and a large chance for infection. This juxtaposition of indoors and outdoors, clean and dirty shows how the accumulation of wealth in America following its industrialization led to a better, safer health care system and increased medical research, while Haiti, which lacks these monetary assets, does not have an advanced health care system, and often relies on the medical supplies of other nations and NGO's.

Housing and Shelter


The left picture shows a well-off, stable American neighborhood, with houses that have a high standard-of-living. The right picture portrays a Haitian neighborhood, where the houses are not durable and built with primitive building materials and techniques, and have very low standards-of-living. Often, houses in a typical Haiti village do not have access to electricity, flowing water, and other utilitarian assets that the citizens of MDC's take for granted.



What role did the Agricultural and Industrial Revolution play in the differences you see?
The Agricultural Revolution and the Industrial Revolution in America allowed for an increased accumulation of agricultural surplus and capital within America. During its industrialization, many laborers suffered from unjust working conditions, long hours, and high demands. However, legislative actions against these injustices against the labor force soon arose, and gradually, the temporary setbacks of industrialization became outweighed by its permanent benefits, including a shift from agricultural to working society, exponentially increased societal productivity, and an overall boost in economy. The overall increased wealth of the nation directly enhanced the standard-of-living of many Americans, as shown in the increased availability of food, better education, and improved housing.

Haiti, though, which did not undergo an Agricultural Revolution or Industrial Revolution, does not have access to these benefits. As a result, the average standard-of-living of Haiti is extremely low when compared to that of the U.S., and Haiti is accordingly plagued by child labor, lack of food, poor housing, and poor health care. Another major drawback of not being industrialized is the lack of technological means (e.x.: for agriculture), as shown by the primitive farming methods illustrated above.

Despite drastic differences between the economical powers of America and Haiti and the consequences of these differences, industrialization does have some drawbacks. For one thing, industrialization causes the division of labor, which widens the gaps between social classes. To illustrate, in an American car factory, there is a financial class difference between the specialist who builds the car engine and the worker who makes the tires. However, in Haiti, the gaps between social classes are significantly smaller, as the majority of them are farmers working in the agricultural sector. The disadvantages of industrialization, however, are vastly outclassed by its broad spectrum of advantages; overall, it can be said that the typical life of a citizen of a developed country is far better and more comfortable than the typical life of a citizen of an undeveloped country.

Images Cited
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American School. Digital image. North American Chinese School. North American Export Council, 16 Jan. 2010. Web. 16 Jan. 2010. .

Cubillos, Ariana. Dirt Cookies. Digital image. MSNBC. MSN, 29 Jan. 2008. Web. 16 Jan. 2010. .

Jfinn1. American Eating Habits. Digital image. Vaneepedia. MediaWiki, 27 Mar. 2009. Web. 16 Jan. 2010. .

Lowney, Jerry. Haitian Helath Foundation. Digital image. Ferry Orthodontics. Ferry Orthodontics. Web. 16 Jan. 2010. <http://www.ferryortho.com/images/image-haitian-1.jpg>.

Mattioli, Franco. Rice Production in Haiti. Digital image. Trade and the Disappearance of Haitian Rice. American University, June 2004. Web. 16 Jan. 2010. <http://www1.american.edu/TED/images4/haitirice_harvestrice2.jpg>.

Maverick. American Suburb Neighborhood. Digital image. Dreamstime. Dreamstime. Web. 16 Jan. 2010. <http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/thumb_38/1137173074Ivas07.jpg>.

Mitropolitski, Simeon. How to Handle the Haiti Crisis. Digital image. International Real Estate Digest. IRED.com, 11 July 2003. Web. 16 Jan. 2010. <http://www.ired.com/pix/news/mkt/haiti.jpg>.

Modern and Mechanized Farming. Digital image. Otter Tail Power Company. Otter Tail Power Company, 2008. Web. 16 Jan. 2010. <http://www.otpco100.com/OurCustomers/PublishingImages/FarmCropSpraying.jpg>.

S, Swati. Restaveks. Digital image. Stolen Childhood. Instablogs Network, 26 Aug. 2007. Web. 16 Jan. 2010. <http://www.instablogsimages.com/images/2007/08/25/haitian-children-salvery_5248.jpg>.