In 1838 there were 200 locomotives in the United States, by 1880 that number had risen to 1,962 and to 3,153 by 1900. (Rogers, 2009, p. 21) The expansion of the railroad system helped to increase American industrialization, and industrial output, which increased American overseas trade. But there could not be overseas trade without American ships to carry American products to foreign nations. While primitive iron ships had come into existence during the American Civil War, it was the period after the war that iron ships became numerous. For example, "The number of iron and steel ships built in a year increased from one in 1867 to 31 in 1880, and to 90 in 1900." (Rogers, 2009, p. 21)

The 1800's were a time of development for the United States; as a nation it began as an agricultural country and developed into an industrialized nation. As the population of American...
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