n industries like the textile, machinery, and metal industries also began to rise. Immigration resulted in a growing population and labor force resulting in urban expansion. Americans were more mobile than ever before and more women were entering the workforce than at any time in history. In the American economy, all of this success did little to erase the gap between the wealthy and the poor, as today’s economic success occurs in the face of an ever growing gap between the wealthy and the poor “In 1890, the top one percent of American families possessed over a quarter of the wealth, while the share held by the top 10 percent was about 73 percent.”
The effect of all of this manufacturing and production was a surplus of goods. Isolationist sentiments began to dissipate as businessmen and politicians recognized the value of trade with foreign nations. Free enterprise, open markets for investing, and exporting products became the American way of participating in the global economy of the era “American businessmen saw huge profits beckoning in the heavily populated areas of Latin America and Asia. They also believed it essential to get their share of these markets to stay competitive with European countries.
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