Evolution of the Nation During the post-Civil War period, 1865 to 1945, the United States of America was a rapidly changing country. There have been many different reforms taking place in the economic, political and urban systems. American industry was growing. New inventions, westward expansion, and new federal laws were making the country a melting pot of cultures from around the world. Also during this period the nation experienced the Progressive Movement, economic collapse, the Great Depression, and President Roosevelt's New Deal. This article will discuss the evolution of the United States in westward expansion, urbanization, and politics, as well as the rise of American industry, the economic collapse of 1873, and the causes of the Great Depression. American industries were booming after the Civil War. The transcontinental railroad was instrumental in the advancement of the nation's industrial movement and westward expansion. The railroad required tons of steel and wood, which were supplied via steel and wood factories. The railroad created many jobs across the nation, according to PBS, "The railroads were the nation's largest nonfarm employer. Banks and other industries were putting their money into the railroads." This meant that industries other than railroads and banks were spending money to build the railroad so they could continue their westward expansion. The sector that would benefit most from westward expansion was agriculture. The northern and southern parts of the country offered few opportunities for a new farmer. Westward expansion promised land through various land grants offered by the government. Farmers weren't the only ones who benefited from the West. Cattle...... middle of paper ...... evolved to our current state, economic collapse and the Great Depression showed governments and industry new ways to regulate the economy. Roosevelt's New Deal was the beginning of today's monetary standards, welfare system, and social security systems. References (1999-2001). Retrieved April 11, 2007, from www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/grant/peopleevents/e_panic.html(2008 Ohio Historical Society). Retrieved April 11, 2008, http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=1517(Ag.). Retrieved April 11, 2008, http://www.agclassroom.org/gan/timeline/1860.htm(2008, April 14). Retrieved April 14, 2008, http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/modules/progressivism/index.cfm (English). Retrieved April 12, 2008, http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/depression/about.htm(Whitehouse). Retrieved April 11, 2008, http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/fr32.html