I'd like to add one more issue to the discussion. The Industrial Revolution changed the concept of work in America on several levels. First, as productivity advanced, so did the need for more workers and more work hours. More people entered the workforce than ever before, actually causing a nationwide shift in polulation from the rural to the more urban areas, where the jobs were.
The State Children's Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP, was established by the federal government ten years ago to provide health insurance to children in families at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty line.
The computer chip was developed by Intel and first hit the market in 1971, with approximately the same power as ENIAC. However, where ENIAC cost over $400,000, the first chip, the Intel 4004, cost $200. And instead of taking up a room, as did ENIAC's 18,000 vacuum tubes, it was a mere 12mm2.