transportation in the 1900s
During the first half of the 19th century, improvements in transportation developed rather quickly. Roads, steamboats, canals, and railroads all had a positive effect on the American economy. They also provided for a more diverse United States by allowing more products to be sold in new areas of the country and by opening new markets. Copied from ideas begun in England and France, American roads were being built everywhere. In an attempt to make money, private investors financed many turnpikes, expecting to profit from the tolls collected. Although they did not make as much money as expected, these roads made it possible for cheaper (not cheap) domestic transportation of goods. It still cost more to transport a ton of freight a few miles over land than it did to send it across the Atlantic Ocean. But because of turnpi
kes, for the first time, goods were able to make it over the formidable Appalachian mountains. The steamboat reduced the price by over thirteen cents. This also made the northwest less self-dependent because it was now able to purchase southern goods. These canals were not only economical for exporters, but also for the state. Although expensive ($25,000 per mile), and difficult to build, canals were an important source for those farmers and merchants who needed a cheap method of inland transportation. While steamboats sparked the economy on the western frontier, canals became increasingly popular on the east coast. With these new technological breakthroughs, American economic growth was significantly increased. And aside from material items, our country benefited economically from tourism. By allowing cheaper importation and exportation of goods, manufacturers were able to produce more of these products. The cotton gin, invented by Eli Whitney, would never have been able to develop fully if the transportation system did not make it easy to obtain cotton from the south. During this time period, manufacturing also boomed. The water allowed horses, once only able to pull a ton of materials, to now pull over a hundred tons with the same amount of work. " So although manufacturing did have a significant role in developing the American economy, it is because of transportation that manufacturing could have ever improved. In the northwest, where coffee was an expensive luxury (costing almost seventeen cents per pound), it was now a common item.
Common topics in this essay:
Atlantic Ocean,
Eli Whitney,
Erie Canal,
,
France American,
Western Canal,
american economy,
produce products,
tolls collected,
transportation system,
19th century,
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Acceptance Essays
