Unit 5 notes 1

The United States became the world's leading industrial power by 1920 due to its natural resources, government support of business, and large cities that provided cheap labor and markets. Key developments included the oil boom in the Midwest and Texas sparked by Edwin Drake's use of steam power to drill for oil. Henry Bessemer's development of the Bessemer Process to remove impurities from iron led to steel becoming critical to the economy and industries like railroads, bridges, and skyscrapers. Thomas Edison invented the light bulb and helped develop electric power distribution, while inventions like the typewriter and telephone further advanced industry. The transcontinental railroad connected major cities, which grew significantly, and innovations like George Pullman's sleeper cars and later