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For this paper I will identify three key historical turning points during the period between Reconstruction and widespread industrialization in the Western United states. One of those points being the opening of factories from the many resources and vast population in the United States. The second historical event I address will be the history of immigration and emigration and the close link to the first transcontinental railroad. I will then explore the impact of both historical events on America’s current society, economy, politics and culture. In addition I will discuss how the Reconstruction period may have differed had Abraham Lincoln not been assassinated. I will then explain how industrialization and urbanization affected average Americans or the middle class during the period. Finally I will explore how the federal or state courts passed laws which discriminated against non-white citizens and immigrants.

The first historical turning point is the opening of factories and manufacturing boom in the Western United States. A key factor that contributed to the United States’ ability to maintain growth in manufacturing was and in some cases still is being the source of the needed resource such as coal, iron ore, copper, lead, timber, and oil. The other factors that played a part include many laborers due to a high population owed to immigration. This also made the labor economical. The manufacturing boom has affected our current society by evidence of child labor laws and workplace safety regulations. Before 1900 there were no federal regulation of safety and no enforcement of state or local safety regulations existed. There were no safety regulations for women, men or children. By the 1900’s after a census was conducted it proved that nearly 2 million children were working in factories, mines and street corners. The original bill on child labor laws was called “Keating-Owen bill” and was introduced in 1916. Since the first introduction of this bill great strides...