Do you know what the Transportation Revolution is? Well you should! The United States didn’t used to be the great, interconnected nation that it is today. In the 1800s, the United States was just beginning to grow. A free market was building the United States a booming economy. The northeast began to industrialize and as a result, began to urbanize as well. With the population beginning to grow exponentially along the Atlantic coast, people began moving west. When news came back from the west that the soil was rich and fertile, the migration only intensified. Northeastern farmers could not compete with the agricultural empire growing in the west and soon were giving up their farms in favor of industrialization. Americans from the Mid-Atlantic States and the south had depleted the soil in their states and saw new opportunities by moving west. These pioneers were looking for a piece of land to call their own and they were willing to brave the dangers that such a journey entailed.
Originally, when pioneers were moving westward, their only means of transportation was to take a ship from an Atlantic harbor around the tip of South America and up the western coast till they reached California. If you traveled overland, then you were limited to traveling by foot or by horseback. The most famous way of moving west was the iconic covered Conestoga wagon. While the covered wagon allowed pioneer families to travel in larger groups and cover greater distance, the trek was still incredibly difficult. However, this did not stop the proud spirit of the American people and they continued to trail blaze their path west and began to put down roots and put up houses.
With the settlement of the west, a plentiful abundance of new crops flowed back east and people realized the need for a safer means of covering vast distances quickly and efficiently and it is here that the Transportation Revolution began. It was the name given to the growth of different ways of moving through America and further west in addition to shipping goods back east. So, why don’t we take a look at the Transportation Revolution and how it related to AP® US History?
Turnpikes
Have you ever wondered where the word “turnpike” comes from? Well let’s find out! The turnpike was an originally a broad, concrete road similar to the highways that we have today. Its name came from the sharp spikes, or pikes, that were placed at tolls along the highway that prevented someone from passing unless they pay the toll. The very first turnpike in the United States was the Philadelphia-Lancaster Turnpike and soon after its completion in 1794, the United States saw an explosion in the growth of turnpikes all across the northeastern seaboard. By the time 1821 rolled around, only 27 years after they finished building the Philadelphia-Lancaster Turnpike, the United States had over 4,000 miles of turnpikes running up and down the coast. Turnpikes ran all throughout the American northeast and made it easier to travel from one major city to the next. Not only did the expanded access help industrialization grow, but the turnpikes helped to fund the growth from the tolls that were paid.
Canals and the Power of the Steamboat
While state governments and private companies all over the United States worked on a series of turnpikes, there was still a bigger issue. Travel overland, even by turnpikes, was still not fast enough. Corn and other crops from the west could only last so long before spoiling and when they did spoil they were useless. Businessmen and inventors everywhere looked for a solution to their problem and they found their answer in the water. Americans along the Mississippi River had been rafting down its length for decades. Crops grown in the Midwest would be rafted down to Louisiana and sold. However, once you had rafted down the Mississippi, there was no way to travel back up its length. You either had to walk or take a horse back north to sell another shipment.
This problem was quickly solved Robert Fulton. Robert Fulton created the very first steamboat, named the Clermont. Originally he was laughed at; many claimed that Fulton’s steamboat would never work. That ended when he made the run from New York City to Albany on the Hudson River. He completed the 150 mile trip at five miles an hour and proved that steamboats were indeed a viable means of efficient transportation. Soon after, steamboats grew to dominate the Mississippi with its ability to travel both up and down the river. It also, for a time, became the preferred means of transportation. Steamboats offered a more comfortable travel experience where passengers were allowed to eat, drink, and gamble while onboard. Some steamboats offered cabins where their passengers could rest while they made their journey.
Canals became prevalent in the northeast because of their ability to reduce travel time and facilitate the transport of trade goods. The Transportation Revolution’s greatest event was the opening up of greater movement in the north east through the growth of the canal system. For example, the Erie Canal that connected the Hudson River and Lake Erie was astounding in its effect. At its greatest length, the Erie Canal ran 363 miles connecting Albany and Buffalo. The trip between the two cities was shortened to an amazing six days from a former 20 days. Most importantly, however, the Erie Canal connected the Great Lakes with the eastern seaboard and enabled the growth of cities like Chicago.
After the Erie Canal’s success it did not take long for the United States to begin a series of serious canal projects. After 1840, the United States had about 3,000 miles of canals. The productive Ohio Valley was opened to the northeast and farmers began shipping their goods towards the growing centers of industrialization on the east coast.
The Railroad
How was the west won? It was through the might of the railroad. The turnpike opened up the northeast. Steam engines and canals widened the scope of settlement in the west. However, it was the railroad that completed the picture. It was what brought the east and west coast together. Railroads truly made western states part of the union by providing a safe means of reaching them. It brought to life the concept of Manifest Destiny, the idea that the United States truly was supposed to be a great nation reaching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.
Early development of serious railroad expansion began in 1828 with the Baltimore and Ohio, or B&O, Line that stretched from Baltimore to the Ohio River. Then in 1833, the Charleston and Hamburg Railroad overtook the B&O Line. By 1840 the United States was on track to have the greatest number of railroads in the world, doubling the amount that Europe had with 3,000 miles of track. Twenty years later in 1860, the United States was uncontested more than 30,000 miles of railroad track. Yet we cannot speak of railroads without discussing the importance of the Transcontinental Railroad. Running from California to Iowa the Transcontinental Railroad was the first complete overland link between east and west. It provided cheap and fast transportation across the width of the United States. Goods could be moved along the Transcontinental Railroad. Finally, it gave tangible proof that the United States was one single, cohesive country.
Still, the quest for a unified America was not an easy one. There were many challenges to face during the Transportation Revolution, especially in regards to the construction of a railroad suitable for the needs of a growing nation. Initially, the railroad business had excessive competition. Rival companies rarely ever coordinated the design of their railways and would often use different sized tracks to prevent opposing companies from using their lines. Railroads could not originally be built on steep grades or around sharp curves because locomotives of the time were not yet strong enough. These same locomotives also ran on wood which was extremely hazardous due to the possibility of fire. But as with so many other challenges before and after the United States overcame and thrived as a result.
The railroad was so important to the Transportation Revolution for several reasons. Travel by railroad became so popular because of its relative cheapness compared to travel by water and it was undoubtedly faster. Prior to the creation of railroads running east and west, there was no reliable way across the vast plains of the United States. With the construction of the railroad, the plains were opened up to settlement because pioneers could get there quicker and ship their crops east and west as well.
When studying AP® US History, it is vital to understand that America could not have become the powerful nation that it did without the Transportation Revolution. America’s growth could only have been possible if there were an underlying infrastructure to support it. Through the growth of transportation the United States as able to spread out, moving crops and goods all over the country. It brought the nation closer and intensified an underlying sense of nationalism. By understanding and being able to explain, the Transportation Revolution you are one step closer to getting that perfect score on the AP® US History exam.
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