When you ask yourself what were the most important factors that contributed to the American Industrial Revolution, there are many possible answers. However, in my opinion, of all the factors discussed in the video, the ones that stand out the most are the railway industry, the steel and oil industries, as well as the problems that have arisen with immigration. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The railway revolution was literally gigantic. Railroads moved large quantities of people and goods faster and more efficiently than ever before. The success of a city's economy depended on having a railway station. Between 1870 and 1890 the rail network went from 57,000 miles to 167,000 miles. However, this growth in such a short period of time has been very problematic. Problems with binary security popped up left and right because developers were solely concerned with money rather than security. Charles Francis Adams admitted that “our way of doing business is based on lying, deception, and theft—all bad things.” (626) By the 1880s too many railroads were built and the economy could not support them. The steel and oil industries took off as new railroads were built across America. After William Kelly and Henry Bessemer found a way to make steel in 1859, steel became affordable and used to make many things. The Pittsburgh company led by Andrew Carnegie was eventually sold to JP Morgan and is now known as US Steel. On the other hand, oil initially wasn't of much use. It was only with the discovery of gasoline, kerosene and distillates that people appreciated oil. John D. Rockefeller saw the potential of oil trading early and controlled 90% of the overall trade, leading him to become the first oil billionaire. Immigration began to become a serious problem in 1882, when 800,000 new immigrants arrived in America each year. It created inadequate living conditions, unethical working conditions and, for the first time, pollution. Large businesses were unwilling to pay fair wages and forced their workers to work 18 hours a day, women and children were often found working in sweatshops. Business owners have adopted the mentality that if one worker is unable to work or doesn't like the conditions, there will be another waiting outside the door for his or her job. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay The Knights of Labor were established during the 1880s to address these problems and eventually outlaw child labor. Laws/acts were enacted between 1880 and 1900 to help preserve natural resources, set aside land for forests, and end water pollution.