C H A P T E R 9
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Pennsylvania During
the 20th & 21st Centuries
I
n Chapter 8, you read about how the
great American Civil War started
Pennsylvania on its way to becoming
an industrial giant. Between 1860 and
1900, the industries of Pennsylvania grew
very rapidly. This time period became
known as the “Age of Big Business.” You
discovered how several new industries
helped Pennsylvania to grow into that
giant. However, not everyone was helped
by this huge industrial growth. You learned
about the living conditions of workers in
the cities and children in the coal mines.
Finally, you read about the flood that
ruined the city of Johnstown.
In this chapter, we will learn how
once again many changes occurred in
Pennsylvania. The Industrial Revolution
was on-going during the 20th century.
However, therehavebeenmany changes to
our way of life since 1900, such as
airplanes. Now, in the 2000s, we are faced
withwhat has been called the information
super highway. We have many inventions
occurring in the computer and telephone
industries that allow us to get the
informationwe needmore quickly.
In this chapter, we will look at
Pennsylvania’s role in the two world wars
that happened.Wewill see howhard times
fell upon the people of Pennsylvania and
the rest of the world. Finally, we will learn
about how the way we live continues to
change in the 21st century.
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Chapter 9
More than onemillionmen andwomen from Pennsylvania served in themilitary during
WorldWar II, more than any other state except New York.
