Technology and economic growth in the pre-civil war period Essay

Technology and economic growth in the pre-civil war period - Essay Example New irrigation techniques also provided more arable land. An additional technological change that had a big impact was the rise of railroads (Boyer, et al, 240). Rail coverage expanded nearly ten times over a twenty year period. Americans of all classes were able to travel freely and comfortably. Perhaps more than anything this helped to open up the West during this period. Culture was rapidly increasing during this period too, as American writers looked inward to their soul and outward to their growing country. Writers like Dickinson, Thoreau and Emerson published works that began the process of defining what it meant to be American. A definition that would be sorely tested during the Civil War. The twenty year period before the American Civil War was a period of great development and change. Agriculture improved and railways became more prominent. American artists and writers won new respect. It is deeply unfortunate much of this growth was lost in the slaughter of the Civil