Iron and steel--by the late 19th century the US became the world leader in iron ore and steel exports.
Access to natural resources and a lot of labor, the US was able to access iron ore which was a hot commodity and necessary for creating steel. If countries had the ability to create steel then they would just buy the iron ore. If they could not produce steel, then US Steel was the export for them. Steel industries dominated states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana.
The answer is the Civil War.
Watt introduced a design enhancement, the separate condenser, which avoided this waste of energy and radically improved the power, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of steam engines. Eventually he adapted his engine to produce rotary motion, greatly broadening its use beyond pumping water.
