Emergence Of Modern America: The Gilded Age - Increasing Productivity

The video discusses the impact of steam engines on industrial growth and the expansion of markets through railroads. It highlights how this technology affected American farmers, leading to increased debt and specialization in cash crops. While some farmers profited, others struggled with high shipping costs and low market prices, forcing many to leave farming for urban factory jobs.

What was a major factor that allowed large corporations to grow during the industrial revolution?

• The development of the internet

• The discovery of electricity

• The use of steam engines to power machines

• The invention of the telephone

Why did many farmers in America go into debt during the industrial revolution?

• They hired more farmhands

• They purchased expensive machinery and land

• They invested in new types of seeds

• They expanded their livestock

How did the shift to cash crops affect farmers' self-sufficiency?

• It improved their self-sufficiency

• It made them less self-sufficient

• It had no effect on their self-sufficiency

• It made them more self-sufficient

What compounded the financial problems of farmers during this period?

• High cost of seeds

• High cost of shipping and low market prices

• High cost of labor

• High cost of fertilizers

What happened to some farmers who could not adapt to the new market conditions?

• They expanded their farms

• They became wealthy landowners

• They lost their farms and had to find other work

• They started new businesses