Railroads Impact in the United States Railroads were the first big business, they extended over thousands of miles and employed tens of thousands of workers. The railroads required an immense amount of equipment and facilities; no single person could supervise it alone. The railroad stood as the most visible example of the complexity that came with industrialization. The completion of the transcontinental railroads signalled the new pace of rail development and progress of a better …showed first 75 words of 576 total…

…showed last 75 words of 576 total…enough or even calm enough, and distances were too far for goods to be carried on steamboats. The railroad was the first big business in the United States. They had a great impact on the progress and development of the economy. Our economy today would have been a lot different if the railroads had never been constructed. Thus, the expansion of the railroads was a key element in the dramatic changes brought about by industrialization.