How Did The Industrial Revolution Affect Westward Expansion

At one time, American people only lived to the East. The American people faced many problems trying to move West. The Industrial revolution helped Americans move westward. There were many ideas of transportation that helped Americans. Some of the inventions were Railroads, Steamboats, and Roads. These were a big help to moving. It made it easier for people. The late nineteenth century dealt with the railroads. They were important to economic expansion. The railroad was first made in Britain. A man named George Stephenson was able to successfully use the steam technology of the time to create the first locomotive. Americans came to England to see this, and they were impressed because railroads dropped the cost of carriage by 60-70 percent.

It was able to efficiently transport goods and products. Being able to harness the power of steam launched this. Steam-powered things replaced man-powered hand tools that resulted in more production. Before steam power, a water wheel was the main source of power in a factory. Robert Fulton invented his first steamboat in 1807. This boat was named The Clermont. It only took The Clermont 32 hours to travel from New York City to Albany, New York. Before this, people had to rely on wind-dependent boats, which took around five days. When the steamboat came in, people didn’t have to rely on favorable wind to travel. This allowed scheduled departures and arrivals. Steamboats also changed the type of goods that could be sold. Because transportation was now faster, farmers could sell surplus crops to remote locations without worrying about them spoiling while they are being delivered. In result, the selling of surplus crops boosted economic growth in local communities. Because of strong currents, older boats could only travel downstream on the Mississippi. However, the steamboat could travel up and down the Mississippi. It could travel from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to New Orleans,

They easily flooded, were muddy, and had many boulders. This made travel by stagecoach or wagon extremely difficult. In 1817, everything changed. Congress authorized the construction of the National Road. This is also known as the Cumberland Road. It went from Maryland to the Ohio River at Wheeling, Virginia. This was the first road to go through the Appalachian Mountains and into the territory of the Old Northwest. The National Road was the biggest road-building project to happen before the 20th century, and it was a rout of crushed stone. Although these roads were not as advanced as the ones we have today, they were still a major improvement. Crushed stone was way easier to travel over. It wouldn’t get muddy or even flood. Along the National Road were turnpikes, or toll roads. Not only did these roads provide easier and quicker travel, but they also collected revenue for the states. Roads made transportation on wagon much more quickly than it was