There were many revolutionary inventions that contributed to the giant leap made by America during the Industrial Revolution. There were inventions in the textile industry, inventions in transportation, and many other things and people that influence the Industrial Revolution. The Railroad was one thing that played a central role in the rise of the industrial nations. .
The development of the railroad was a major turning point in the Nineteenth century and in our American history. The American railroads helped to settle and expand America's borders further to the west. American lines reaching to the West had to find their own way through vast tracts of land. The railroads made settlement of these lands by American and European immigrant's possible on an unprecedented scale. Agricultural and mining interests, for example, suddenly had easy access to an expanded range of markets that increased the value of their products. In addition, government subsidies to the railroads provided lands that were used to attract even more settlers; in fact, the railroads actively recruited immigrants from Europe. The railroads strongly influenced where people would settle, laying down track and then establishing towns along the route. .
Railroads not only help to expand West but had a big impact on transportation, management, trade, business, and overall on the economy. Railroads increased the iron industry and were the first in establishing rights and unions for the labor worker. All of these aspects are all interrelated. Due to better and faster transportation, trades increased, and management policies and business increased, which boosted the nation's economy.
The early railroad development had a great impact on changing the face of the United States. From helping the expansion westward, the speedy transportation and communication it enabled allowed the growth of the industrialized economy the country was adapting to.