Moshe Fogelman
Essay III.
At the turn of the nineteenth century, the first western pioneer farmers faced economic challenges, regarding food, clothes, and, most notably, a lacking in transportation. American transportation was so weak and slow that battles were often fought after treaties had been declared, such as The Battle of New Orleans, which occurred two weeks after the Treaty of Ghent had been signed. Despite highly influential manufacturing and agricultural developments, transportation developments in the first half on the nineteenth century had a greater effect on American economic growth as well as encouraging the manufacturing and agricultural developments. The development of railroads, turnpikes and canals prove the claim.
In the first two decades on the 1800s, turnpikes had a great effect on the American economic
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New York’s Erie Canal was built in part of the east–west, cross-state route of the New York State Canal System, initially running 363 miles from Albany to Buffalo. It acted as the first transportation method in the United States that did not need portage, cutting costs by 95%. This cheap form of travel from east to west and advanced trade between these regions, thereby generating industrial development in the agricultural West. The Eerie Canal also gave New York a flood of trading options. These new opportunities helped New York flourish as an industrial capital, creating more factories and jobs. This canal also inspired future roads in cities such as Baltimore and Philadelphia who felt inferior to the booming New York. In an effort to carry more efficiently on this canal, the steamships were developed and welcomed mass production at cheaper prices since the shipping became easier, thereby making these goods more available and boosting the market. These steam-powered boats inspired the industrial exploration of harnessing this steam power to fuel