The United States began as a nation of farmers living in remote areas, but over a period of two hundred years the country became the wealthiest and most powerful industrial nation of the world. During the American Industrial Revolution inventors and innovators created new and improved machines for manufacturing, while a new breed of American businessmen created revolutionary methods of conducting business and managing labor. The road to industrialization was not always heroic. Ruthlessness and greed were often key ingredients in advancing industry. While a few found wealth and power, multitudes of workers and farmers suffered, and small businesses were crushed by the powerful new corporations. Reformers, unions, and protestors against big business played a crucial role in the industrialization process as they pressed for the rights of workers and regulations on business to help farmers and consumers. The diverse people and...