Economy From 1865-1900

The United States, between 1865-1900, had a series of important technological advances that helped the country strive toward a stronger economy and industry. Certain inventions helped progress the industry away from being focused on family farms and rural villages to connected cities with thriving businesses. The specific inventions and discoveries that made this possible were electricity, updated farm equipment and transcontinental railroads. In this time period, there was a intense presence of immigrants, the majority were from Ireland and Germany. These immigrants worked for very little pay, that allowed there to a be cheap labor force. Additionally, there was an act passed in the late 1800s that allowed companies to acquire grants to build the transcontinental railroad. Electricity meant that the sun no longer dictated the length of a day. Factory workers could now work 24 hours, while being illuminated by the light bulb. This blatantly helped industry through the larger production of goods to be sold. The increase in supply boosted the economy and brought in more money. Electricity changed the American life, people no longer went to bed when the sun went day, the expanded days allowed more work to be done, more things to be achieved in the same 24 hours period.

High tech equipment overpowered the usual family owned farm and what once was traditionally family owned became a industry. Additionally with the turn away from family owned, farms were able to grow, produce and harvest faster than even. Threshers, reapers, etc. forced the industrialization of farmed goods. In turn this helped the economy, the production of food by corporation put money back into the economy. However, this also negatively impacted many. The updated technology took jobs from immigrant workers and laborers. The farm equipment gave money to the rich, but took it from the poor, it strengthened the caste