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In the years immediately following the Civil War, the U.S. was in an ideal position to experience rapid technological and economic growth. First, the U.S. had abundant nature resources including coal, iron ore and oil which had been untapped yet showed significant promise for the production of steel in addition to being an abundant energy supply. Second, inventions were being discovered at a rate unseen before in American development and technology. Third, the American economy was strong and had the capital available to invest in new machines, factories and technologies to increase manufacturing and production efficiency.

Fourth, there was a growing labor force due to the immigration occurring during this period. Fifth, entrepreneurs emerged during this period including Andrew Carnegie, John Rockefeller, and Cornelius Vanderbilt who had a high tolerance for risk and provided the capital for these new technologies to become widespread in use. Of the many inventions created during this time, the typewriter (1868), telephone (1876), linotype (1884), adding machine (1888), airplane (1903), light bulb (1879) and radio (1895) influenced both personal and business daily lives of Americans the most.

These innovations brought about rapid growth in the size, scale, and culture of businesses, leading to a mindset of using abundant manual labor to do what eventually would be done through automation. This initial influx of labor gave the New Immigrants an opportunity to earn a wage and survive economically in the urban centers of the country. As the majority of these new yet rapidly growing businesses were located in major urban areas, the opportunity they provided New Immigrants of earning a steady paycheck drew them from the more impoverished areas of the world. In conjunction with this development, the exponential growth of these businesses began to create the need for middle managers, upper management and staffs to support the CEOs and founders. Based on this division of labor the middle class of the U.S. was beginning to take shape. The rise of Big Business was directly tied to the productivity of each of these specific groups of workers, with many becoming consumers for the mass-manufactured products being produced in the nation's factories. In conclusion, this period of American history illustrates how when a series of strong, external factors are present, exponential economic growth can occur. Its effect on the New Immigrants, new middle and upper class were one of duality; America became known as an economic power in the world for the first time.