Transportation Development From 1860 To 1900

2. In what ways did development in transportation bring about economic and social change in the United States in the period 1810-1840? Thesis: The developments in transportation in the early 19th century brought about the completion of new canals and roads, these developments linked the east to the west an example of this on page 161 in amsco is “The completion of the Erie canal in New York state in 1825 was a major event in linking the economies of western farms and eastern cities” This is showing that transportation simulates an economic dependency of the cities on the farms in which they are receiving goods from.

In the late 19th century there was a spike in Railroad Construction in the United States. The growth began as a result of congress passing the Pacific Railroad Bill in 1862 which began the construction of the Transcontinental Railroads. In the near future the Transcontinental Railroads would connect both sides of the United States, therefore they would eventually lead up to the settling of the west. Railroads in the late 19th century would affect the settling of the west by allowing people to travel to find work in an efficient manner, by allowing faster and more efficient methods to transport goods to consumers, and improving the economy overall. Starting off Railroads greatly impacted travel time from one place to another.

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

He examined miles of track laid to population, land area, and capital invested per mile on a state by state, region by region basis. This book is an interesting account of the American Railroads of the 1850s and is filled with photographs, maps, and tables which are almost as useful for understanding the topic as the text

The editors of the website, “History.com”, said “ In addition to transporting western food crops and raw materials to East Coast markets and manufactured goods from East Coast cities to the West Coast, the railroad also facilitated international trade…the U.S. by the 1890s had the most powerful economy on the planet” (para 3). Being able to transport goods from coast to coast brought new opportunities, and companies began to gain more profit as a result of more products being sold. The economy went from a generally limited location on the east coast to creating industries across the nation. The railroad created a production boom because industries in the eastern U.S. had to create the supplies necessary to build the railroad as well as creating the opportunity for industries to expand to the

(TH) With the formation of the railroads, construction and operation, brought a vast cultural, economic and political change to a country only 46 years old. (SSP1)Geo Right after the creation of the rail roads, people in the US started to realize how amazing this creation actually is and how it changed people’s lives economically. Peoples first thoughts on what to do with the rail roads was to transport goods. (R1)

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first railroad to chart freight and passengers in 1828. (“Railroads”). Very soon after railroads were invented they transported passengers in addition. “ Railroads proliferated so quickly that within 40 years, they extended from the Atlantic to the Pacific and into every settled corner of the land” (“Transportation”). Railroads made cities near where the stops were, and with the mass amount of railroad tracks being built at the time, many new cities were built.

This allowed entrepreneurs and investors to secure their assets and investments and create a stable economic environment in which to operate. Finally, technological innovation played a significant role in the development of capitalism in the early United States. The growth of transportation infrastructure, including the construction of canals and railroads, made it easier and more efficient to move goods and people across the country. This facilitated trade and commerce, making it possible for entrepreneurs to reach new markets and expand their

Transportation played a key role in allowing the Union to defeat the Confederate States of America. Transportation in the 1860’s was difficult, because it was fairly limited. Especially during the Civil War, with many people and communities wanting to use these things to transport goods or men wherever needed. One type that played a major factor were railroads, there was a major growth in the 1850’s so by 1861 there was 22,000+ miles of track in the northern states, and 9,500+ in the South (Railroads In The Civil War). Countries and town have always fought over who is to control the supply centers or railroads, but with the confederate government to slow to recognize the importance of them, they weren’t in good shape by 1963.

The railroads of America took many years to advance into what it is now. The process was fundamental to the growth of America. They began somewhere around the 1820’s and grew as the country did. Many different people throughout America were allowed to live successful lives thanks to the effect that the railroads had on their lives. The Railroads throughout America has allowed her to grow and prosper throughout the industrial Revelation.

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.

With the advent of the railroad, many of these issues disappeared. Railroads had a major impact on advancing the American economy, transforming America into a modern society, and improving an antiquated transportation system. The building of railroads created rapid economic growth in America. Railroad companies employed more than one million workers to build and maintain railroads. At the same time, coal, timber, and steel industries employed thousands of workers to provide the supplies necessary to build railroads (Chapter 12 Industrialization).

The industrialization of transportation included that building of canals, bridges, and railroads. All of these made travel so much easier in America. Between 1820 and 1860 the industrialization of transportation helped with urbanization in westward expansion. The population in urbanized areas doubled between these years due to easier, cheaper, and faster travel. Not only was it easier for people to travel, but also goods could travel up to ninety percent faster than before letting people out west send their goods to the major towns for profit.

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.

Guesstimating, Measuring the Impact of the Railroads (Fogel, Fishlow, Chandler)Impact on Productivity: rrs advance, even though it slowed over time = 2% annually. paving the way for the creation of a NATIONAL MARKET. Many Linkages and a Variety of Impacts: commercial flows, agriculture, industry, labor, finance, conceptions of time, notions of progress, regulation, but by no means “indispensable” to growth. Population growth. Unevenness of patterns and geographical spread Fishlow: cost of moving freight and passengers carried by rail in 1859 estimated as if rrs vanished and shippers relied on wagons; found that higher costs figured to be about 4% GNP in 1859.