From colonial times into the early 20th century a majority of americans lived in the countryside and worked on farms. A dramatic expansion in farming took place from 1860 yo 1910. The number of farms tripled from two million in 1860 to 6 million in 1905. The number of people living on farms grew from about 10 million in 1860 to 22 million in 1880 to 31 million in 1905.
This means that the <em>cities at the end of the 19th century</em> were large because of the rural life. Although the eastern image of farm life on the prairies emphasizes the isolation of the lonely farmer and farm life, in reality rural folk created a rich social life for themselves.
Through laws that guaranteed them equal access to education
It allowed the transportation of goods to be more efficient and quicker
Everything was part of the colonial economic system: the overseas territories supplied raw materials to the metropolis and these often sold the manufactures they produced under a monopoly regime to their colonies. With the passage of time, these practices were banned in the different countries that carried them out. Or at least officially, since unofficially the slave trade continued well into the nineteenth century, practically until the last colonial territories obtained independence or achieved a more rigorous political status within the State than that of a mere colony.
The reason that gave birth to similarities between the Almoravid and the Almohad empires which were Muslim dynasties was the pilgrimage that they undertook. This is because as a result of this pilgrimage, they brought back foreign Arabic culture and influences to their respective empires. Because the origin of these cultures was the same, it lent similarity to the two empires.
