Economic Geography and Development of American Industr

The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate the topic of American industrialization, both as a topic of historical interest and as a means of understanding economic development in general. I address the topic of the link between manufacturing and agriculture and examine how characteristics of American geography affect the development of a technologically sophisticated manufacturing sector.;Chapter 1 examines the degree to which a large preexisting demand encourages the growth of connected industries using the case of the 19th century United States' agricultural implements industry. The agricultural implements industry is distinguished by having linkages with both the agricultural and manufacturing sectors which create product-level spatial variation in demand not seen in other manufactures. I study the impact of proximity to demand and of spillovers and find a strongly significant effect for both. These results provide evidence of a role for agriculture as a foundation for manufacturing growth and further implies the existence of positive spillovers which could drive further industrialization.;Chapter 2 considers climate variation as a way in which a large and varied agricultural sector contributed to the development of technological sophistication in manufacturing. Implements exports are compared for four of the largest exporters and 72 importing countries and territories over the years 1871-1910. At the beginning of the study period, difference in climate reduces trade flows, but by the 1900s, this pattern reverses itself: a one standard deviation difference in climate increases predicted trade for that country pair by 95 percent. This change in effect is largest for the United States and provides evidence for increasing adaptability to the requirements of importers.;Chapter 3 contributes new evidence from the United States to the literature on the relationship between export diversification and economic growth. I examine the transformation of the foreign trade of the United States from being very narrowly focused on exporting raw materials to being involved in the trade of comparatively lower volumes of a wide variety of manufactures for the period 1870 to 1938. The United States diversifies continuously during the interwar period. The relationship between tariffs, factor endowments, and export patterns is considered.