In 1838 there were 200 locomotives in the United States, by 1880 that number had risen to 1,962 and to 3,153 by 1900. (Rogers, 2009, p. 21) The expansion of the railroad system helped to increase American industrialization, and industrial output, which increased American overseas trade. But there could not be overseas trade without American ships to carry American products to foreign nations. While primitive iron ships had come into existence during the American Civil War, it was the period after the war that iron ships became numerous. For example, "The number of iron and steel ships built in a year increased from one in 1867 to 31 in 1880, and to 90 in 1900." (Rogers, 2009, p. 21)
The 1800's were a time of development for the United States; as a nation it began as an agricultural country and developed into an industrialized nation. As the population of American increased, along with the agricultural and industrial output of the nation, the United States first spent it's inexhaustible energy to settling the West. But by the late 1800's, the American frontier had been settled and a new outlet was necessary for the nation's ever-increasing industrial and agricultural output. Technological advancements like steel allowed the development and construction of railroads, canals, and bridges; which led to increased trade, communication,...
Steel also allowed the development of industry, leading to the explosion of American industrial output at the end of the
19th century. Needing markets and raw materials, the United States then turned it's national focus from the settlement of the West to the expansion of overseas trade and influence. ("Imperialism and War") By the late 1800's, the United States developed to a point where it became a major industrialized nation and a major player on the world stage. The isolationism that had been part of the American psyche since the time of George Washington ended with the development of America as an industrialized nation.
References
"A History of American Agriculture: 1800." Agriculture in the
Classroom.
http://www.agclassroom.org/gan/timeline/1800.htm
Barney, William. A Companion to 19th-century America. 2006. Malden, MA: Blackwell
Publishing. Print.
"Imperialism and War: American Foreign Affairs 1865-1920." Academic American
History.http://www.academicamerican.com/progressive/topics/imperial.html
Rogers, Robert. An
Economic History of the American Steel Industry. 2009. New York:
Routledge. Print.
Washington, George "Avalon Project - Washington's Farewell Address 1796." 1796.
Avalon Project - Documents in
Law, History, and
Diplomacy.
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/washing.asp
