Railroads were big business in the mid to late 1800s in the United States.

In the mid to late 1800s or in Beginning in the nineteenth century in the United States. Until the late 1800s the federal government encouraged the growth of big business. By the end of the century.A huge system of railroads was developed that to moved goods and people across great distances, facilitated the settlement of large portions of the country, created towns and cities, and unified a nation.

The earliest railways in the United States were short, wooden railways. The first locomotive for use on railways was imported from England in 1829. By 1840, railroad track in the United States had reached almost three thousand miles. There were Several other innovations helped foster the growth of railroads between 1840 and 1860. Between 1890 and 1900 another 40,000 miles of track were added to the railroad net; after 1900, still another 60,000 miles of line were built

railroads monopolies and other economic abuses of the railroads

Developing of railroads rapidly became huge businesses, imperative to the success of American enterprise. The main need of the railroads helped create several other many industries like steel, copper, glass, tools, and oil etc. The need for all of these industries to stay successful was worrisome for railroad owners. The result was a revolution in the organization and scale of enterprise: “Big business reached greater markets than were ever conceived of before and could benefit from the ability to raise vast amounts of capital that made possible the cost economies of large-scale production” With these huge amount of capital, the railroad companies were able to finance the political campaigns through whatever and whomever was needed in government. With this control in Washington, there was no way to stop the overwhelming control of this industry over society. So we can say that the entire nation was subject to the whims of this monopoly.

We can highlight economic abuses of the railroads as follow

the railroads acquired control of many facets of the new economy.

This body now had the ability to “squeeze out competitors, force down prices

paid for labor and raw materials

the railroads companies were charged customers more

they get special favors and treatments from National and State government” . The railroads had all the power, because they controlled all the prices.

as we all know that citizens of the west could not survive without the use of the railroads, they were forced to pay whatever rates the raildroad companies set.