From: Dustin Hurt
Date: 3/15/00
Time: 10:46:27 AM
Remote Name: 155.247.193.50
Dustin Hurt
What was the transportation revolution and why was it important to freedom intake early nineteenth century?
The transportation revolution in America was a revolution that changed the way people got around and the way the economy grew. This changes included steamboats, canals, roads, and railroads. Each contributed to the growth that followed. Roads allowed people and goods to travel from place to place with great ease and convenience. The National Road that spanned from Maryland to Indiana was the first of a series of improved roads to be built in the United States. Steamboats allowed commerce to go both ways on a river and found new quicker routes to places of business. Rivers now could be used more efficiently and effectively. Canals allowed for goods to travel by water were there had been no water before. This linked major bodies of water together and allowed for continuous travel by water for very long and direct routes. Railroads linked sections of the country that water could not link. The railheads expanded quickly and created vast networks of transportation by the 1850’s. The impact of the revolution on the economy is most striking. Since goods could now travel faster and cheaper than ever before, it became important and necessary to mass-produce goods. Industry grew and places that were hubs of transportation grew. Urbanization occurs at centers of trade and cities grow. This market economy that grew allowed people freedom in business. It allowed them to be able to go in business on their own and allowed them to make their own decisions.