The years between 1877 and 1900 were some of the most momentous and dynamic in American history. They set developments in motion that would shape the country for generations, starting with the reunification of the South and North, the integration of four million newly freed African Americans, westward expansion, immigration, industrialization, and urbanization. In addition, it was also a period of reform, in which many Americans sought to regulate corporations and shape the changes taking place all around them. Before the Civil War however, things were much different. Before the Civil War, the south was mainly agriculturally based and relied on slaves and plantations to make income. Hence, their reluctance to industrialize. However, after the Civil War ended and the south was reconstructed, they began to industrialize much more than they had, however the northern economy and industrialization was still much more expanded than that of the …show more content…
However, following the Civil War, a new economy was born in the United States, mainly relying on steam-powered manufacturing, the transcontinental railroad, the electric motor, and the practical application of chemistry. Unlike the pre-Civil War economy and business, this new one was dependent on raw materials from around the world and it sold goods not only in Europe, but all around the world. After the Civil War, business organization also expanded in size and scale. As far as industrial changes go, the period after the reconstruction era was affected in that it used more modern methods to make goods that could be sold faster and more efficiently, with the new railroad system. By the beginning of the 20th century, the nation’s industry would be mainly fueled by banking, manufacturing, meat packing, oil refining, railroads, and steel, as opposed to the pre- Civil War era, in which many people were still farmers or factory