<span>The long lasting effects from American explorers exploring the west was that it allowed the nation to expand to the west. Settlers began to move to that area and began colonizing it, this would lead to that area eventually becoming the United States. It also allowed for the discovery of mining natural resources which created opportunities for wealth and also led to the development of mass transport like the railroads and shipping.</span>
The conditions were usually of natural causes. For example, since homesteaders relied on self-sufficiency and were mostly agricultural throughout history, a homesteader might suffer immeasurably if a drought hit and destroyed all their crops since it was their only source of income. Sometimes however in the United States they could also get raided by bandits or Native Americans since they would be usually settling in new areas towards the western frontier.
They relied on some technological advancements to survive. For example, they used barbed wires and weaponry to fend off unwanted animals or people who would try to harm them. They would also use things like the steel plow to help ensure that their land was better suited for crops. Some also relied on windmills both for power and for things like grinding grains.<span />
Ida Tarbell (1857 – 1944) pertained to the generation of journalists called muckrackers, who investigated and denounced corruption and unethical practices perpetrated by businesses and government officials during the Progressive Era (late 19th century and early 20th century) in the US.
She published <em>"The History of the Standard Oil Company</em>" in 1904 through which she set a precedent, and many others subsequently started to gather information and to denounce the abuses committed by companies with absolute market power (monopolies) or by trusts operating in olipolistic markets. The Sherman Antitrust Act had been recently passed in 1890 but firms had been able to freely limit competitiveness during the whole 19th century. Tarbell denounced the manner in which certain corporations gathered enormous fortunes by using anti-competitive practices, possible due to their dominant position in the markets, and also impeding others to participate on the profits of the industry.
Such monopolistic practices enlarged the inequality within the industry and also in the whole society where large fortunes started to appear while most people were humble factory workers who earned very modest salaries.
