19th Century Transportation

Some form of transportation has always been used in people's’ daily lives, from hunters in the Stone Age to people now with jobs or vacations. The used of transportation has changed drastically also; now we travel for leisure but thousands of years ago, travel was mainly just for survival. During the Antebellum Period, transportation accelerated industrialization by moving goods and people quickly, efficiently, and cheaply. “Transportation was the most important business in the 19th century,” T.J Stiles told “History”. “When opportunities presented themselves, they almost always were in transportation.” At the time, America’s economy was growing at tremendous rates with industrialization spreading feverishly in the North. Americans living there had access to crops from the South at a cheaper price, while those in the South could purchase farming tools for cheaper prices because of …show more content…
Canals are narrow and long channels of water that were typically man made. One of the most famous waterways was the Erie Canal proposed by a politician and naturalist, DeWitt Clinton. It spans from Albany to Lake Erie using the Mohawk River and few other small rivers to transport small boats pulled by mule or oxen on either side. Eventually, steam boat technology progressed enough, allowing them to float in the 4 foot deep canal. Once the 40 foot wide canal was dug, it connected large river systems, ultimately allowing many cities access to the Empire State, otherwise known as New York. Not only was the Erie Canal “providing an economic boost by allowing the transport of goods at one-tenth the previous cost in less than half the previous time,” it brought prosperity to regions around the canal, something the railroads were not capable of (Klein 2016). Additionally, it was used heavily to transport ideas. Many thoughts about women’s suffrage, anti-slavery, religion, also traveled this 364 mile