Final answer:
The character of the Industrial Revolution in the U.S. changed from concentration to expansion due to advances in transportation and communication, particularly with the development of the transcontinental railroad and the telegraph, which enabled businesses to move goods, relocate, and exchange information more effectively.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Character Change of the Industrial Revolution in the U.S.
The character of the Industrial Revolution in the United States shifted from concentration to expansion primarily due to advances in transportation and communication. The post-Civil War era saw significant technological innovations such as the transcontinental railroad, which improved the distribution of goods and the mobility of people, dramatically enhancing the potential for industrial expansion. The introduction of the telegraph, and later the telephone, transformed the way businesses could communicate, enabling more rapid exchange of information.
These technological advancements not only made it possible for industries to operate more efficiently but also allowed them to relocate and spread into new areas that were previously inaccessible. This ability to expand was further aided by the vast resources available in the western states, giving rise to a more geographically diverse industrial landscape.
Such expansion was not just limited to geography; it also encompassed the increasing size and complexity of businesses themselves. Corporations began to replace individual businesses as industrial production scaled up, and the nature of work itself transitioned from manual labor to machine-based production, facilitated by inventions like the assembly line.