Automobile Influence On American Culture

Automobile has affected on American daily life more than any other invention in 20th century. The rise of the automobile has brought both positive and negative effects on American culture. It not only changed the way American live also, changed the landscape of American cities and suburbs, business model, politics, and even the environment. It hard to find a TV show, movie, music videos, even book that does not have any automobile. The influence of the automobile in American culture is easily noticeable in how American live their lives; passing in a driving test and owning first car is beginning chapter of an American adult’s life, nearly 82 percent of American has a driving license (The Atlantic); moved from cities to suburbs is how American

Since quality and quantity of public transportation in the US is very lower than European countries, and many cities places even doesn’t have any kind of public transportation. Thus, automobile is only efficient way to commute. Although automobile cost in USA cheaper than European countries, it is not cheap enough for lower class American family. Owning car in USA is very cheap but to driving a car is not cheap. According to AAA (American Automobile Association), average fuel cost in US is $1,682, average maintenance and repairs cost $767, average car insurance cost $907, average taxes and fees cost about $665, and all add to up to $4,021 per year, which is very expensive for a lower class American family. Since lower class can’t afford to buy a new car, lower class family spend more money on maintain and fuel than average American. Those who can’t afford car at all move to cities or closer to their workspace. Which is why resident of inner of American cities are often

After passing The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, Government started massive freeway &highway construction projects across the US. In many cases, they decided to run the freeways straight through downtown, bulldozing thousands of homes and businesses in the process (Coates). And most of the home and business were own by black families. After war, when black communities were catching up white communities, like other American, African American families was having a dream own a house in suburbs. Many white communities didn’t welcome black communities move to their suburbs rather they lobbed to construct freeway over black neighborhood to separate black communities from their communities. Most of them were successful at passing a freeway or new parking garage for their car over black communities. As result, many African American families being forced to move to public housing project of inner cities, even though they desire live in better place. Author of “The Case for Reparations”, Ta-Nehisi Coates, in his article where talked about how ghetto area were created by wealth greedy white American, stated that “It is common today to become misty-eyed about the old black ghetto, where doctors and lawyers lived next door to meatpackers and steelworkers, who themselves lived next door to prostitutes and the unemployed.” When a