Explain Why America Enjoyed Such Economic Success in the Period After 1890.

552 Words3 Pages
There were many aspects that lead to the economic success that America experienced in the period after 1890, all them then becoming factors in America becoming the economic powerhouse it has. America possessed an abundant supply of land, raw materials and natural resources; coal oil and timber and with the expansion onto the newly settled Great Plains, America had the ability to develop in a variety of ways. With the newly acquired land from the Native Americans, agriculture grew and thus followed profit increase in the area. New technologies such as the invention of refrigeration on the move and communication technologies like the telegraph allowed business to grow much further afield, and not just with in the United states, along with the agricultural growth came the expansion of the railways in the west both making money from the resources readily available creating a growing cycle of supply and increasing demand in areas previously untouched furthering the economy. Mass immigration into the USA stretching from the end of the 19th century and well in to the 20th supplied an affordable and readily available source of labour willing to work cheaply in the growing industries, the new immigrants boosted the American economy in two ways; an increased demand in housing and food as well as other day to day commodities profited the economy, but also the cheap labour they provided allowed big businesses to grow. By European standards, where the majority of immigrants were coming from, work in America was well paid, hence the birth of the American Dream, so it became easy for businesses’ to lower standards as jobs could easily be filled, and they would profit, along with the economy. The American government also had a large part to play in the success of the American economy after 1890; before 1900 the US Government had a laissez-faire policy on economic matters
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