2.  Manufacturing replaces farming agriculture as largest industry. Arises due to industrialism.  Due to Civil War manufacturing is turned from agriculturally bases to consumer goods.  Steelmaking and mining were instrumental to development of new industries.  Tech boom especially inventions created by Thomas Edison improved living standards.

3.  Thomas Edison created over 1,000 new and different inventions.  Before 1860- 36,000 patents  Between 1860-1900- 676,000  Most important inventions:  Telephone (Alexander Graham Bell)  Camera  High-Speed Printing Press  Petroleum

4.  Transportation leads to unified National Market  Refrigerated Railroad Cars developed by Gustavus Swift leads to distribution of meat, fruit, and other perishables around the U.S.  National companies also arose with many large businesses opening stores across the U.S.  “Ma and Pa Stores” begin to decline.

5.  Consumerism begins during this period as do advertisements that push people to buy items not essential for their everyday lives.  Mergers begin as companies brought stability to the market by combining several companies under one brand.  This leads to Monopolies.

6.  Vertical integration or mergers means a company or group of companies have all the means needed to collect materials needed, ship them, and build them. (Andrew Carnegie, Steel)  Horizontal integration or mergers means a company owns all means of one aspect needed to create a certain product. (John D. Rockefeller, Oil)

7.  Strong companies make mergers and create monopolies while weaker companies (ma and pa stores) fail or are bought out  Loosely related to the idea by Darwin that “only the strong survive.”  Despite this theory which nearly all big business leaders flocked to, they all believed they should give back to the less fortunate and found ways to give money to the poor.