Chapter 9 A Revolution in Transportation

Revolution in Transportation-After the War of 1812 political leaders realized that national security, economic progress, and political unity were all more or less depended on a greatly improved transportation network

-President Madison called for a federally supported program of “internal improvements” in 1815

Roads-The first federal transportation project was to build a National Road between Cumberland, Maryland and Wheeling, Virginia

-This toll road had a crushed stone surface and stone bridges and was eventually extended into Illinois

-The Lancaster Turnpike was also built to connect Philadelphia and Pittsburgh

-Other turnpikes were built to connect cities

Water Transportation-The biggest problems were that toll roads did not meet the demands of moving large bulky freight long distances cheaply

-The system of water transportation on boats, using the rivers of the United States, allowed for rapid economic development in the West

-Steam powered boats provided quick and cheap ways to move agricultural products from the interior to the port cities and provided transportation up and down the river for passengers

Changes in Commerce-This ability to move goods and people up and down the Ohio and Mississippi River allowed for an increase in commerce by created a two-way market

-Paddle boats became a source of luxury and entertainment for those aboard by being floating hotels and casinos

The Canal Boom-The transportation system did not have a way to provide an economical way to ship western farm produce directly east to the ports

-This also linked the market to the transatlantic trade

-There was a need to connect the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean, and digging canals was the way to do so

-The state of New York decided to finance a canal to connect Albany and Buffalo

The Erie Canal-The plan was to build a canal that was 364 miles long

-It was a massive project (three times the size of any other canal project) and was expensive

-Governor De Witt Clinton figured out ways to finance the project

-Construction began in 1818 and the canal was completed in 1825

-Economically this canal made the average cost of most goods to drop, opened up new markets along the route, and made New York the center of commerce