American Industrialization

Between 1865 and 1920, industrialization caused significant changes in many people’s lives. First, the development of a new railroad system help settle the west and made it more accessible to people. Second, public transit systems in big cities provided an outlet from congested cities. Last, the discovery of a method for transmitting electricity helped to light up our daily lives. I feel that these are three of the most important changes in people’s lives caused by industrialization.

First, the building of railroads out west played a huge part in the successful expansion of our country and the fulfillment of American dreams. Priot to the development of a more efficient railroad system, the movement of people and freight were relatively slow, difficult, and costly. Because of different rail gauges, sometimes freight had to be unloaded and then reloaded on boxcars. Second, most goods had to be produced and provided locally on a small scale. As a result, prices for products were very high. Nevertheless, with the help of federal grants, railroad promoters were able to build a more efficient railroad system that would connect the settled east with the unsettled west. After the completion of the new railroads system, farmers were in reasonable distance of railroad depots, which meant manufacturers could locate their plants anywhere and be able to bring in raw materials and send their products wherever they could find customers. Also, freight and passengers could travel by rai...