Natural resources brought people over and invested the market by selling with countries world-wide. The U.S. became the largest market in the world for industrial goods because of the grown population and advanced transportation. Farmers became more dependent on labor saving technology that would increase productivity. Overproduction of crops lowered the crops' prices which caused farmers to into debt. Talented entrepreneurs emerged who were able to build and manage vast industrial enterprises. The U.S. also had an abundance in natural resources and labor supply (immigrants).
Railroads became the nation's first big business. They were the main source of transportation and allowed distant markets. It created national market for goods and encourages mass production. The Transcontinental railroads make it easier for goods to travel faster and cheaper. They run from California to the rest of the Union. The Native Americans land is taken away even more. The Eastern Trunk Line was a major route between large cities (Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and Pennsylvania railroad connected eastern seaports with Chicago. Western railroads played an important role by promoting settlement on the Great Plains and linking the west with the East. Federal government provided companies with loans and land grants. A negative effect was that the land grants and loans promoted poor construction and led to widespread corruption in all levels of government. Railroads competed by offering discounts to favored shippers. The Panic of 1893 forced 1/4 into bankruptcy.