Impact of the Development of the Railroads
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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 matter 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 railroad has also been credited as a major force in the opening of the West and in the development of the United States as a unified social and political entity. The railroad would bring massive economic changes to the nation, though not all of the economic change brought about by railroads is viewed as positive. The pattern set by the railroads would be the pattern followed by other monopolistic ente
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Ohio and Mississippi Rivers) to east-west (following the newly built railroad lines):
The railroads shared fully in the optimism, expansion, and prosperity so typical of the decade. By 1860 a railway network of over 30,000 miles served all the states east of the Mississippi quite adequately, and few locations of substantial population in the eastern third of the nation were far removed form the sound of the locomotive whistle.
By the middle of the century, railroads were the major big business in America. The rail network grew from 9,000 to more than 30,000 miles by 1860, and the investment increased from $300,000,000 to $1,150,000,000. The rate of rail construction remained uneven in different parts of the country, but the rate increased to the west and south.
The railroad had many effects on the way the American economy would develop, including effects on the shape of business in general. Paul V. Black considers the specific aspect of the development of a bureaucratic and centralized pattern for American business based on the railroad model. He finds that such a system was developed deliberately in order to give the rapidly expanding railroad system the best grade of employees. What was considered a useful practice in
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Maury Klein, , Alfred Chandler, Mississippi Rivers, Paul Black, York's Erie, Burlington Railroad, Ohio River, History Review, Civil War, business history, development railroads, competition regulation, transportation communication, business history review, railroad transportation, railroad meant, nineteenth century, american economy, railroads business, railroad transportation communication, burlington railroad,
Approximate Word count = 1624
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)
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