The development of the railroads was a key element in the expansion of the United States and in the economic well-being of the nation during the nineteenth century and into the twentieth century. The railroad was a transportation and communication marvel compared to anything that had existed previously. It crossed the territories of the nation and made it possible to travel from one end of the country to the other or to send mail and goods along the same routes. The development of the railroads was itself a mater of business expansion on a grand scale, starting with small lines and ending with vast networks of tracks which nurtured cities and towns all along their length. In terms of business history, the development of the railroads was not only the first big business venture in America but also made it possible to expand other businesses into not merely local entities but regional and national corporations. Distant business offices could now be linked to the central office, allowing a business to cover a much wider range than was ever possible prior to that time. The development of the railroads has been of great importance to historians for this very reason, and how they treat the issue says much about how they view the development of American business in history.
All of the historians surveyed considered the development of the railroads as a vital element in the growth of the economy of the United States, though not all of the economic change brought about by railroads is viewed as positive. The pattern set by the railroads wold be the pattern followed by other monopolistic enterprises in the late nineteenth century, for instance, and often the railroads were complicitous in the creation of such monopolies as large business entities whose business served the needs of the railroads for shipping and the like. The problems associated with employee relations and this new entity, Big Business, also started with the railroads...