Post Civil War Dbq

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To say the time period following the Civil War in the United States involved a lot of change would be a understatement. Between the years 1870 and 1900 the people of the United States lived through a period of great change. Not only did they witness technological advances that would change their daily lives, they also saw new laws and organizations formed. All of this was done in hopes of improving the country. Many of these changes came about because of the type of businesses that were formed. In the post-Civil War United States corporations grew significantly in number, size and influence. Big business had a major impact on the economy and politics in America resulting in changes for many American citizens. As been noted, one way in …show more content…

During this time period there were great technological advancements. One of these advancements was railroads. Railroads were a positive change because it helped transport people and goods across the country. Businesses depended greatly upon transportation in order to transport their goods. Despite the positives of railroads, there were negatives. Perhaps, one of the greatest negatives is the fact that railroads were owned by Big Businessman who had a say in everything. For example in Document B it is shown that an owner of a railroad company has complete control of their industry and could affect many people’s lives. As Document B states, He alone “can control legislative bodies, dictate legislation, subsidize the press and corrupt the moral sense of the communities.” People like this did not have positive impact on their community. It was their way or the highway, no if and, or …show more content…

Affected all aspects of Big business, Economy and politics significantly in size. The Aspects of Big business made it very hard in every day life. Altogether food prices, Fuel and lighting prices and the cost of living index all drastically changed over time. It made every day living a challenge. The Rail roads really started to play a gigantic role on our economy. Shipping things around the country really made a great change in the technological advancements. At the same time we had massive changes going on in politics. Big business took control over politics. The senators never had a say in anything that was going on. The Big Businessmen were bribing the senators to say what they wanted. Overall given these points Between the 1870 -1900 after the post civil war america’s corporations grew significantly in number and