Before the Gilded Age, transportation of any sort was slow, unreliable, and unavailable. However, with the invention of the assembly line and some invention, mass produced automobiles, subterranean trains, elevated trains and basic airplanes were spread out. Therefore, during the late 19th century, transportation was allowing for extreme expanse of trade and economic capability. One of the most prominent methods of transportation even before this time, railways were experiencing a major change during this time. Though it would eventually cause a stock market crash due to the closure of two major rail businesses, the roads themselves saw considerably more traffic due to a major expansion of the system. More than 170,000 miles of rails …show more content…
Furniture would be made in certain areas in China or Chicago and be sold on the east coast. Fruit would be farmed in California and Florida and be sold in Montana. This also came along with the rise of shipping companies such as Sears and Montgomery Ward. They sold everything from appliances to footstools, all sent directly to your doorstep without leaving the house. These businesses became extremely wealthy because of their ability to serve the people with ease of living. Electricity, though already a pretty big part of most people’s lives at this point, also became a major part of transportation. Some automation was introduced into train systems with routes. Operators became a less necessary role in train travel because routes could be set from before a train reaches a turning point. Refrigeration in storage and shipping became a major part using meat, milk, and other cold …show more content…
Being one of the youngest countries at only just over 100 years old, its policies were so great for the people that the country now needed ways of letting its massive population grow without the limit that has shown itself in every other country. However the other factor - resources - is still progressing to be more of an issue. Soon, it will be an economy killer. With all of these recent innovations, the people of the United States in the early 1900’s were enjoying being the wealthiest people around. For the most part, anyway. Crime was rampant, poverty was controlling the city’s people, and the immigration explosion was allowing corruption to spread by exposing them for their own purposes. But the future would only hold good things for movement of people, goods, information, and
Industrial and Transportation Revolution During the late 1800s, the United States economy changed due to new inventions, remarkably rapid growth, and new forms of communication and transportation. Different factories were being built, and manufacturers had begun to reorganize the way of work. Factories and workers were going from hand production to machinery. The Industrial Revolution marked a turning point.
For an example, roads, waterways, railroads, and steamboats were being created. The industry started to change due to more factories being opened.
In the 19th century, individuals became incredibly wealthy due to the rapid expansion of railroads throughout the United States. These railroad tycoons amassed fortunes by investing in and controlling the transportation industry. The development of railroads allowed for faster and more efficient transportation of goods and people, ultimately leading to the growth of cities and industries across the country. There is no denying the significant impact these individuals had on American history and the economy. Cornelius Vanderbilt, also known as the "Commodore," was a prominent figure in American business during the 19th century.
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.
There have been steam engine trains trailing the United States in the early 1800’s. Many of the early ones ran only a few dozen miles. When the railways ran longer distances, the cost to build and later ride them were be extremely high. However, long distances were what Minnesota needed to keep up with the competitive and growing nation around it. “Construction began on the first track in 1861 in St. Paul and was completed in 1862.”
Shipping things around the country really made a great change in the technological advancements. At the same time we had massive changes going on in politics. Big business took control over politics. The senators never had a say in anything that was going on. The Big Businessmen were bribing the senators to say what they wanted.
At the turn of the 20th century, America was in the midst of a new era of growth. During the Second Industrial Revolution, millions of Americans saw the rise in technological innovation and the corporation. Those who made it rich in America did so by mass producing goods, like Andrew Carnegie and steel. In New York City, the arrival of thousands of immigrants per day allowed a labor-intensive industry to prop up among a land restricted area. With new inventions and ways to manufacture goods, mass amounts of cheap labor, and a pro-business government the economic conditions involving the garment industry in New York City during the Second Industrial Revolution was one of major, but sometimes volatile, growth with mass inequality.
The major decline in railroad transportation during the 1950’s was primarily due to the vast construction of interstate highway by the government. The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 authorized the vast construction of 41,000 miles of roadway with a steep price of 25 billion dollars that would come from taxpayer money. With the increase in air and road travel, the need to travel by rail, in a less direct route, seemed unnecessary. This would ultimately leave railroad companies to believe traveling by rail was in a permanent decline. On February 18, 1947, the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) formally announced that they were operating at a loss.
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.
According to the article The Railway Journey, modern transportation “created a definite spatial distance between the places of production and the place of consumption did the goods become uprooted commodities” (40 Railroad Journey). Basically, this means that since the railroad allowed goods to be shipped to further distances at faster rates which resulted in mass productions and shipments of goods which resulted in a stable economy for the United
Transportation Revolution The transportation revolution is believed to have begun in 1807 when the government seemed it was going to become active in growing infrastructure. The treasury secretary, at the time, Albert Gallatin was asked to develop “a plan for the application of such means as are within the power of Congress, to the purpose of opening roads and making canals” (W&R). This plan was not to happen and throughout this revolution the government was only responsible for a few projects. Without much government aid, entrepreneurs took matters into their own hands, creating competition.
One major industry during this time period was found in the railroad. The of course was also considered the center of national or both financial and political corruption (White, 21). While transcontinental railroads were essential developments for the growth of the United
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.
This graph of the early forms of transportation in the United States fascinates me because it gives a timeline as to when transportation entered the economy, while also showing the efficiency of price dropping within transportation during these times. Specialization provokes revolutions in markets and transport. The westward push along with land sales, are making the country larger. New forms of transportation are needed to reach these new parts.
The story about the Streetcar Conspiracy states that the death of the electric streetcars is no accident. Many people believe, between 1938-1950, General Motors’(GM) conspired with other companies, including Standard Oil and Firestone Tire’s, to put an end to electric streetcars. During this time, electric streetcars were a popular method of transportation, but GM wanted it gone so they could sell diesel and gasoline buses instead. The urban legend states that, GM began purchasing streetcar lines, then shutting them down, and not long after advertising a trend away from them. Thus, leaving 90 percent of the population without transportation options.