The industrial revolution was a time when humans started to use machines instead of raw manpower. Instead of goods being made in people's homes they were now made in large factories. Exportation of goods increased and so did ways to export them. Steam engines, textile mills and other machines were invented during this time. For factory owners and businessmen life was good because they would make a large profit from the factories production but for the factory workers life was horrible. With minimum pay, long hours and hazardous conditions many died. The industrial revolution changed how products were made and the very definition of America.
The Progressive Reform Era, also known as the Gilded Age, was muddled with political scandal and trials.