Innovation Within the Colonial Enviornment

In the times following the Civil War, the American economy took off behind the continuing development of its industrial sector. In particular, Iron and Steel made up the majority of the country's exports as America became less agricultural and more industrial. Following the civil war, the North didn't need to worry about re-building and instead could focus on economically improving. This paired with America's plentiful natural resources created an environment perfect for the continuing growth of the economic sector.

The US' large supply of natural resources paved the way for their economic growth. Coal became the prominent natural good of the time and was used in the making of many other goods. Besides coal, this period of time saw the increase in the rise of oil as a main staple of American life. With drillable oil prevalent in the northeast, oil profits increased rapidly. John Rockefeller monopolized the oil trade of the time and extended the drilling of oil all the way to Texas. This paired with the rise in the making of automobiles gave the US two growing industries that were able to fuel each other.

Iron and Steel were two goods that proved to be indispensable during the US' industrial post civil war boom. Iron was important due to its use in the making of not only weapons, but also railroads. With the US continuing to move westward, iron would be used to lay down the thousands of miles of train tracks that would connect the country. Also, in those times, it was very common for the majority of the households to store weapons in their homes. While these two goods helped produce essential goods to many during this time period, it was also a perfect match of a good being readily available at the right time of history.

The US was beginning to drastically change pre-civil war. There was a major shift from being an agricultural economy to now featuring a mainly industrial economy. With cities being built as well as an expansion of the land and goods, the US had an enormous opportunity to become a global power and took it by becoming a more industrial focused country. At the conclusion of the war, this sentiment only proved to be more accurate. Nearly all of the battles fought in the civil war took place in the south. This meant that the southern part of the country was completely destroyed and needed years to re-build and re-grow their resources. As for the north, it was for the most part left unscathed by the war. The north didn't need to worry about re-building, instead focused their attention on growing in an industrial manner. The post war economy was one that was heavily influenced by the north and not the south. The south focused more on an agricultural base for its economy while the north took a more industrial approach.

The post war economy was one that had vast potential. Featuring abundant natural resources, as well as a country eager to bounce back from an internal war