DeWitt Clinton
________ (governor of NY) took lead, and succeeded despite doubts- the "river of gold "flowed along the Erie Canal after opening in 1825.
Canals
________ enabled speedier and less expensive transport of goods and people.
Transportation improvements
________ were financed by both state governments and private investors- the national government bought stock in turnpike and canal companies, awarded land grants to several western states to support canal and railroad projects, and sent federal cavalry troops to "pacify "Indians along railroad routes.
Pony Express Company
1860- ________ delivered mail between Missouri and Sacramento, CA (at that time, CA had a large amount of population, and needed faster connections to the rest of the nation.
Flats
________ (barges propelled by men using long poles brought goods and people down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.
Henry Wells
________ and William Fargo formed an express delivery service called the Wells Fargo & Company in 1852- stagecoaches delivered passengers, mail, m, and strongboxes (of gold) across CA, eventually coast to coast.
market economy
The ________ needed internal improvements- deeper harbors, lighthouse es, a national network of canals, bridges, roads, and railroads to improve the flow of goods across states and oceans.
Indian attacks
Dangerous journey- climate, environment, ________ on stations- their horses could outrun Indian horses.
Stephen A Douglas
1850 congressional land grant- In 1850, ________ convinced Congress to provide a major land grant to support a north- south rail line connecting Chicago and Alabama.
18th century
most Americans = were farm folk, within a "household economy" = produced a little more than enough to survive and use for themselves (rest for bartering with neighbors)
19th century
more farm families partook in commercial, instead of subsistence agriculture- producing surplus crops and livestock to sell for cash in regional and international markets
Before the 19th century
travel was slow, uncomfortable, and expensive (horse-drawn carriage -> long travel times = farm products only sold locally, before they spoiled)
Coach lines began using continual relays (stages) of fresh horses available every -40 miles (stagecoaches made travel faster, less expensive, and more accessible
became faster as roads improved)
New Roads
as settlers moved west, people demanded better roads
1821
more turnpikes, stagecoach & freight companies = move more people at lower rates
1820s
Turnpike boom => advances in water transportation
Problem
Only went in one direction, downstream; when unloaded in New Orleans or Natchez, MI they were sold and dismantled to provide lumber for construction
Getting back upriver was solved when Robert Fulton and Robert Livingston sent the Clermont (the first commercial steamboat) up the Hudson River from NYC
took a quarter of the time of a sailing vessel
Two-way travel to MI River Valley
transcontinental market and commercial agricultural empire that produced much of the nations cotton, timber, wheat, corn, cattle, and hogs
New Orleans grew even faster
its population grew 10x since acquired from France, perhaps the wealthiest American city bc thriving trade with Caribbean islands and new Latin American republicans that overthrew Spanish rule, a cotton production explosion
Speeded up the market revolution
the Erie Canal in NY connected the Great Lakes and Midwest to the Hudson River and NYC
DeWitt Clinton (governor of NY) took lead, and succeeded despite doubts
the "river of gold" flowed along the Erie Canal after opening in 1825
Longest canal in the world
was built by thousands of laborers (mostly German and Irish immigrants underpaid to drain swamps, clear forests, build stone bridges & aqueducts, and blast through solid rock)
Canal brought lumber, grain, and flour and unlocked floodgates of western settlement, quicker transport of goods, reduced cost of moving a ton of freight
extremely profitable
An advantage over canals
10mph, could travel in winter (canals could not operate when frozen)
Negative effects
quick and shady profits -> political corruption (bribed legislators to pass legislation favorable to their corporations); facilitated access to trans-Appalachian West-> decline of Native American culture; increased tempo, mobility, and noise of everyday life (the whistle)
1845
launch of the first clipper ship (the Rainbow)
Importance increased after the discovery of gold in California (1848)- thousands of prospectors and entrepreneurs from the Atlantic seaboard (Boston/Ny to San Francisco, needed to go around South Americas s dangerous Cape horn)
faster travel (123 days)
New Steam-powered printing presses reduced the costs of newspapers (became the "penny press" for 1 cent newspapers)
sparse in new western states and territories
Henry Wells and William Fargo formed an express delivery service called the Wells Fargo & Company in 1852
stagecoaches delivered passengers, mail,m, and strongboxes (of gold) across CA, eventually coast to coast
1860
Pony Express Company delivered mail between Missouri and Sacramento, CA (at that time, CA had a large amount of population, and needed faster connections to the rest of the nation
Triggered many changes
helped railroad operators schedule trains more precisely, thus avoiding collisions
Transportation improvements were financed by both state governments and private investors
the national government bought stock in turnpike and canal companies, awarded land grants to several western states to support canal and railroad projects, and sent federal cavalry troops to "pacify" Indians along railroad routes
1850 congressional land grant
In 1850, Stephen A> Douglas convinced Congress to provide a major land grant to support a north-south rail line connecting Chicago and Alabama
Cons
________- lacked space for cargo or passengers.
NE
movement for paved roads after Philadelphia Lancaster Turnpike opened in 1794 (admit traffic in exchange for fees)
Railroads
more versatile
Cons
lacked space for cargo or passengers