What late-nineteenth-century development made it possible for rural Americans to participate in the national consumer culture?

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Catalogs, such as the Sears and Roebuck catalog, allowed rural Americans to order goods from afar and participate in the national consumer culture without having to physically travel to stores in urban areas. Store chains did exist, but were not as widespread or accessible to rural Americans. Automobiles did not become widely available until the early twentieth century, and billboards were not significant in promoting consumer culture until later in the twentieth century.

What Late-Nineteenth-Century Development Made It Possible for Rural Americans to Participate