An Emerging America Late 1800s – Early 1900s

 1.When you exercise in sports, running or weight lifting you almost always feel sore afterwards. 2.That’s because your muscles are actually broken down and need to recover. 3.When they recover they are made stronger and better! 4.In the same way your body rebuilds – the country of America rebuilds. America went through the Civil War which broke America down. 5.The recovery process was Reconstruction and spreading West like we learned in the last unit. 6.Now – America is no longer “sore” and they are much stronger then they have ever been! Analogy Time!

 1.A few reasons: a.Infrastructure b.Technology c.Economy Why is America Strong?

 1.Infrastructure is something that helps the country operate and function. 2.During the late 1800s through the early 1900s America’s infrastructure grew at an extremely high rate. 3.America produced things like railroads and canals that helped grow the infrastructure. Infrastructure

 1.Railroads connected the country east to west and allowed people and supplies to travel faster. 2.The most famous railroad at the time was the Transcontinental Railroad which we learned about in the previous unit. Railroads

 Transcontinental Railroad

 1.Canals were waterways built that connected rivers, lakes and oceans together for faster transportation. 2.One major canal that was built was the Erie Canal that connected Lake Erie with the Hudson River. Canals

 Erie Canal

 1.Advances in technology exploded in the late 1800s through the early 1900s. 2.Thomas Edison was perhaps the most famous inventor in this time period. 3.He invented a cheap and affordable light bulb, a phonograph (a recorder), an early version of a video camera as well as hundreds of other inventions. 4.His contributions helped America quickly advance. Technology

 Thomas Edison & His Light Bulb

 1.The economy is a way a country manages its money and resources to produce, buy and sell goods and services. 2.Goods are products like cell phones, computers or food. 3.Services are duties performed by one person for another such as a bus driver or a carpet cleaner just to name a few. 4.In the late 1800s through the early 1900s, America’s economy was booming because everyone was buying goods and services which helped businesses grow. The Economy

 1.The late 1800s and the early 1900s would show that America was laying the foundation down for their rise as a world super power. 2.In this unit we will learn about events, people and many other things that contributed to America’s success ! A Rising Star