America changed greatly from 1877- 1900. From an economic standpoint, the US government helped to fund the creation of the Transcontinental Railroad. This method of transportation was supposed to connect the eastern states (like New York, Pennsylvania, etc.) to the western states (like California). This would railroad would help to transport goods and people quicker. Along with this, the increased amount of industrialization had a great effect on the American economy. This increased industrialization was caused by developments like the Bessemer process. This process, developed in Europe, was studied and implemented into the US by Andrew Carnage. This allowed for the cheap manufacturing of steel. Cheap steel lead to the creation of skyscrappers and railroads all over the country.
In terms of political and social change, the late 1800's (1870's specifically) saw the era of Reconstruction. This was supposed to be a period of time when African-American citizens (who were recently freed from slavery) gained rights in American society. Right after the Civil War ended in 1865, three different amendments were passed to help African-Americans gain legal rights in the US (like the right to vote). Despite these laws, southern states developed obstacles for African-Americans to fulfill these rights by creating literacy tests and poll taxes. These were developed to prevent African-Americans from expressing their newly gained right to vote.
