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The Incorporation Of America Summary

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“The Incorporation of America” by Alan Trachtenberg discusses historical trends and events that lead to the rise of America as an industrial nation. The expansion of the West lead to booming industries that helped grow particular industries. Due to the industrial expansion it lead to a growth in many industries and the country itself. The author is referring to the expansion of the West and the Industrial Revolution when discussing “The Incorporation of America”. “The incorporation of America” is an argument that the rise of corporatization in the Gilded Age restructured the idea of American culture.

The Railroad industry extended to the West as the factory system developed in cities. However, the conception of the “West” did not appear until the late 19th century. The West was viewed as the land of opportunity. The West had railroad development, mining, and cattle ranching. Cities such as Denver, San Fransisco, and Salt Lake City grew. During the expansion of the West there was confrontation between the …show more content…

Mechanization led to the industrial revolution. The nineteenth century was built on the business world. Household names such as Carnegie and Morgan were well known. The railroad industry was one of the first corporations. In 1890 there was approximately billion in revenue generated. The concepts of time zones was also formed due to this industry, “The necessity of regulating times appeared with the railroad..”(60). Other industries including steeling oil grew as well. The growth of corporations was due to the industrialization and the American culture moving forward. Corporations were so successful because they were able to make goods more cheaply and quickly to cut manufacturing costs. This pushed the expansion to the West, the country had to move forward or it would be stuck in the past. The machine itself seemed like the organ of progress and new products but eventually it became poverty industrial

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