Expansion of Industry

Question:

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

The three major factors that contributed to the immense technological boom that took place in the United States after the Civil war were the plentiful natural resources, support of the government for business, and growing urban population, which supplied labor and business for new markets. The natural resources were important, especially oil. Oil was a hugely popular industry and it still is today. Companies rushed to drill for oil wherever it could be found, and the byproduct, gasoline, became the most inportant factor once cars came into use. Also, iron and coal became huge industries as well. The iron was used to form steel by the technique discovered by Henry Bessemer, called the Bessemer process, during which air is injected into the molten iron to remove the carbon and any other impurities. The new steel was used for many things, and railroads was an important use for steel. It could also be used to build stronger structures.

The expanding popluation was very helpful to the booming industry as well. The greater the population, the more people there are looking for work, and also more people to purchase the products created by the industries. Also more people meant more potential investors and more inventors. The growing population greatly facilitated the industrial boom.