The United States changed dramatically from 1865 to 1950. Many changes occurred in industrialization, foreign affairs, government, as well as society and culture. The events that took place during this time helped shape the country into what it is today. Industrial development began with the railroad, with the help of Republican governments, which provided subsidies, loans, and tax exemptions to railroad companies. Between 1854 and 1879, over 52,000 miles of railroads were laid across the nation. Railroads spurred growth. To build they needed many resources, such as coal, wood, glass, rubber and brass. More importantly, the railway connected the country. Although small factories were already up and running three decades before the Civil War, it was not until after 1850 that the industrial economy prospered. Larger factories were being built that produced goods to sell domestically and internationally. These factories transformed the United States from an agricultural nation into the most industrialized nation in the world. There were advantages and disadvantages to this new industrial order. One disadvantage is the damage that industrialization has done to the environment. Forests have been cut down to make way for large factories which, in some cases, have made rivers, such as those in the northeast, toxic. Another disadvantage was the working conditions. Industrial workers were overworked and underpaid. In 1890, an unskilled worker took home $1.50 for a ten-hour day. Children were exploited, working 60 hours a week and taking home a third of what an adult male earned. African Americans faced an even greater challenge at work, workplace discrimination. They were given menial jobs and paid less than… middle of paper… Plessy v. Ferguson case made it to the Supreme Court. The court ruled that segregation was not discrimination as long as accommodations for both races were “separate but equal.” In 1954, Brown v. Board of Education overturned the Plessy case. In 1894, African American males were granted the right to vote, even before women. In 1917, women picketed in front of the White House to gain the right to vote. Some women became militants and started violence for which they were thrown into prison. Women gained the right to vote in the United States in 1920. The United States experienced many things between 1865 and 1950. It saw many changes in industrialization, foreign policy, government, society, and culture. I believe that these events, along with many, many others, transformed the United States into the great nation it is today.