Expansion of Industry

What were the three major factors that contributed to the immense technological boom that took place in the United States after the Civil War? Explain how two of these factors helped to bring about this technological boom.

Three major factors that contributes to the technological boom that took place in the United States after the Civil War were the discovery of Oil and coal, new and more efficient ways to make steel, and the many inventions that were made. With steel easier to make and thus more plentiful, large numbers of railroads were able to be made. This connected the country. Also, it allowed the construction of skyscrapers and bridges. This allowed for the creation of new jobs for people as well as more places for them to work without having to use a lot of ground space.

However more important than steel were the inventions made in this period. The most important of these inventions was the harnessing of electricity. This allowed for the creation of some of the most important inventions of the modern era, such as the telephone and the incandescent light bulb. Electricity also allowed for the creation of electric streetcars which made city travel cheap and allowed for the spread of cities. Furthermore, factories and plants no longer needed to be near sources of power to exist. Electricity powered everything from instead of local power. However, none of this could have been possible with out Thomas Edisons electrical distributing system.