Industrial Revolution in America

The Industrial Revolution in the United States began during the late 18th century and ended with the outbreak of World War I in the early 20th century. This era is typically divided into two periods: the first covering the start and growth of manufacturing in America up until the mid-1800s and the second occurring during the Gilded Age (c. 19th–20th centuries).

By the late 18th century, industrialization in Europe was already in progress. The United States, in the meantime, mostly produced raw materials and obtained its manufactured goods, such as textiles, from imports. However, over time the demand for industrialization to manufacture and transport goods across the sparsely populated frontiers of the United States increased. Factories, railways, and machinery were...