Railroads were built in the 1800s as transport and transportation; But were they worth the cost? In my opinion yes, this is because the building of railroads innovated transportation and travel. People were able to travel faster than they ever could by taking the railroads rather than riding horses. This also helped the economy grow, making it easier to trade, buy and sell things. The development of Railroads helped the economy in the 1800s thrive by making trade and transport more efficient. As stated in Background information "America's economic transformation in the 1800s was linked to dramatic changes in transportation networks.” This was followed up by "The development of canals, steamboats, roads, and railroads led to the expansion of
During the period of 1815-1860, a Transportation Revolution swept through America (Murrin pg. 293). The improvements in transportation included more and better roads. steamboats, canals, and railroads (Murrin pg. 293). These new railroads were able to connect old communities with previously isolated areas (Murrin pg. 293). In 1815 the United States was a rural area stretching from old settlements on the Atlantic coast to the trans-Appalachian west, with transportation facilities spanning from primitive and nonexistent (Murrin pg. 294).
The Unification of America Through The Transportation Revolution By Robert Beckman From the period 1800 to 1860, many transportation innovations were made as America continued to advance technologically. This period of time was aptly named the transportation revolution as many of the innovations developed in this era laid the foundation of modern infrastructure which supports 360 million Americans each day. The construction of vast road networks and the national road, the invention of the steamboat to transport goods upstream and through canals, and the massive expansion of the railroad system all furthered the unity of the United States by allowing much faster transportation to remote areas of America. Despite political differences, faster
It touched the lives of thousands of Americans and helped bring homesteaders out West and to the Plains to settle. It made moving from rural areas to cities much easier. The railroads were used for shipping and commerce. They helped bring large
Railroads created an inexpensive way to transport materials. 75,000 miles of track were laid in the 1880’s. The railroads with their steam engines quickly replaced animals and humans as a means of transportation because of their efficiency. Steam engines moved trains and connected small towns and sometimes isolated communities to larger cities connecting people with one another as well as goods. America was no longer alone, it was in a sense a new way of globalization.
⦁ They caused an increase in jobs to occur in the booming new industries railroad businesses relied on such as oil, steel, mining, and iron. ⦁ Railroad influenced the production of new forms of transportation industries, which were all in for "big money." ⦁ They had a negative impact on the environment since the trains that railroads were built for produced air and noise pollution by expelling toxic greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and making noise with its whistles and engines. ⦁ They led to robber barons and monopolies in the U.S. financial market. ⦁ They assisted in the use of child labor and sweatshops, although, they also had labor unions targeted against them causing strikes/work stoppages.
Trains and railroads reshaped life in America by encouraging rapid immigration and travel, paving the way for western modernization and settlement, as well as economically expanding the country
Trains were vital for the development of the industrial revolution, as they allowed for the quick movement of large quantities of goods for a cheaper price, and made it an overall much more efficient process. Trains were not only an industrial advancement, but also an improvement to transport of people. Trains were much faster, much more comfortable, and much safer than travel by wagon. Lastly, trains forwarded westward expansion, as manifest destiny would cause railways to be built out west, bringing people with them. Railroads were very important to the industrial revolution at the time, as they provided a quick
Transcontinental railroad. In C. L. Clark (Ed.), The American Economy: A Historical Encyclopedia (2nd ed.). Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.apus.edu/login?url=http://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/abcamerecon/transcontinental_railroad/0?institutionId=8703 Railroads and Westward Expansion. (2011).
Trains helped and worked in various ways during the 1800’s. Railroads were helping the economy surge forward. As the system grew, farmers and manufacturers could ship goods further. Railroads tied the communities together and helped cities grow.
The railway did many things that are integral to Canada becoming the country that it is today. The railway improved are economy tenfold, it helped us and the rest of world during both world wars, it could change the tide of battle from cross the ocean. In addition, it practically made Canada’s tourism industry into what it is today, finally it united are country from east to west and helped colonize central Canada. many people wouldn’t be living or doing what they are now without the railroad being made. Without the construction of the railroad Canada would be a lot different than it is today, the entire would could be
Throughout American History, revolutions in transportation have affected the American society politically, socially and economically. Soon after the war of 1812, American nationalism increased which leads to a greater emphasis on national issues, the increase in power and prevalence of the national government and a growing sense of the American Identity. Railways, canals, and Turnpikes began to increase making many people employed. The era of 1830-1860 represents a shift from agrarianism to industrialism. Overall, during the transportation revolution, construction of turnpikes, roads, canals, and railroads led to the market economy expansion, an increased population in America and alternations of the physical landscape of America.
The Tremendous Impact of Railroads on America In the late 19th century, railroads propelled America into an era of unprecedented growth, prosperity, and convenient transportation. Prior to the building of the railroads, America lacked the proper and rapid transportation to make traveling across the country economical or practical. Lengthy travel was often cumbersome, costly, and dangerous.
The first way that the economy was impacted was that with the ease and efficiency of the railroads, they created a large demand for goods and labor because they needed a lot of people to help build the railroads and also needed a large quantity of steel for the rails and wood for the railroad ties. Secondly the railroads created a huge national market because of the simplicity of delivering goods from place to place. The railroads helped the people in even the most rural place prosper with the cost efficient transportation of the trains. From 1830 to 1861, the United States laid aproximately 30,000 miles of railroad track, which led to an increase in demand for coal which was used to produce iron for the
The building of roads, canals and railroads played a large role in the United States during the 1800s. They served the purpose of connecting towns and settlements so that goods could be transported quickly and more efficiently. These goods could be transported fast, cheap and in safe way through the Erie Canal that was built to connect the Great Lakes to New York. Railroads were important during Civil War as well, because it helped in the transportation of goods, supplies and weapons when necessary. These new forms of transportation shaped the United States into the place that it is today.
In addition, transportation aided Americans in overcoming the challenges of traveling distances and helped increase markets for goods and services that led to essential modifications in production and manufactured goods. In addition, the innovations helped to spark enhancements in communications. It often took days and sometimes weeks at the beginning of the century for news to travel along the Atlantic seaboard. Furthermore, as the nineteenth century stretched, the quickness of communications enhanced significantly. Also, mail was beginning to be delivered by “express.”