The post-civil war period was one of great economic expansion for the United States. Transportation develpoments, notably the building of trans-continental railroads, helped spard this growth mastly by making transportation between the east and west easier.
Although railroads were being built in the U.S. since the 1930's this industry bontributed greatly to economic development after the Civil War. Early American railroads were mostly local and were mostly built in the North. However, in 1962 Congress, without Southern representatives, passed the buildin