Modes of transportation in the United States improved significantly during the early to mid-1800s with the building of canals, roads, and railroads, as well as greater utilization of rivers. This transportation revolution made it possible to more easily transport goods, resources, and people across the growing nation and expanding frontier, enabling further economic development and westward expansion. Key developments included the Cumberland Road, Erie Canal, early steam engines applied to railroads, and Robert Fulton's successful first steamboat trip in 1807. With these advancements, interregional trade increased and regions grew more interconnected and dependent on one another.

1. 10 11
12 13 14

2.  Modes of transportation in the United States
were improved during the early to mid 1800s.
 Canals, roads, and railroads were built. Rivers
were also utilized for a means of
transportation.
 These advancements of places for
transportation made way for new ways to get
around the country.
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3.  The Cumberland Road was begun in 1811.
 This road was a way for people in the states to travel to the new
frontier. 1
 Improved roads allowed for wagons, carriages, and other carts such
as these to travel easier between the states.
 The Erie Canal was finished in 1825.1
 This canal gave merchants the ability to send food, clothing, building
materials, and other necessities to the people living on the frontier. 1
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5. SF

6. Erie Canal
 1817-1825
 The Erie Canal revolutionized transportation.
 This Canal allowed the North East and North West to transport things
back and forth easier, quicker, and less expensive. (North East= Buffalo,
New York; North West= Great Lakes region)
 If the price of something used to be 100 dollars prior to the Canal, after
the canal it was around 5 dollars.
 Also before the canal it took someone or something 20 days to get from
east to west and the same from west to east, after the canal it took 6
days.
 The Canal could transport not only products but also people. This helped
immensely with westward expansion.
 Population especially grew on the canal and the great lakes.
 New York became more important than New Orleans because of this
canal.
 However during the winter months the canal was not allowed to be used
considering it was still water which would freeze from the cold. 17
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7. 8
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8.  The first steam engine was designed in 1803 by Samuel Homfray.4
 Prior to this, rails had been used for carts that were pulled by horses.4 Rails were
used for these carts because it was more efficient than pulling a cart of dirt, rock,
and other elements.4
 The steam engine was then added to a type of car in 1804 by Richard Trevithick.4
This was the first train that was powered by steam.4 This steam-powered train
could pull more of a load than the horse-drawn carts, which made it more of an
resourceful way to haul goods across the country.4
 Stockton and Darlington Railroad Company was founded in 1825. 4 This company
used the locomotive to transport people, as well as cargo, around the United
States.4
 Railroads allowed people to travel easier between states, even more than the
improved roads did. The powerful steam engine trains could pull more people
than a wagon or carriage.
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9.  In the 1840’s 75% of railroads were in the North
East and North West. 17
 Trains were convenient for the North East and
North West in the winter month’s considering
they could continue to run no matter how cold it
was. Also they could run the train as long as they
got all of the snow off the tracks.
 Unfortunately the trains were not always
successful.
 Their brakes were extremely poor. Also freight
was not allowed on trains.
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10. 9
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11. 16
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12.  The pony Express was the 7
way to get mail from East
to West.
 The rider would ride for
hours until he got to the
stopping spot and from
there a new rider would
get on and ride. This cycle
would continue until they
reached their destination.
 They would only rely on
speed. The riders only
carried the mail. No
weapons or food. 17
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13.  This first successful riverboat trip was in 1807.5
 The boat was named “The Clermont,” and was developed by Robert
Fulton. 5
 This trip went departed from New York City and arrived in Albany around
two days later.5
 After this, the use of the riverboat quickly spread through the United
States. 5 Riverboat trips were especially popular on the Mississippi River.5
 The riverboat could carry people, as well as other cargo, along the river.5
 The use of the riverboat was more efficient than the previous method of
taking a raft down the river to sell goods, and then making a long journey
back across hundreds of miles.
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15.  The use of roads, rivers, and railways were essential
for the growth of the United States.
 Without these modes of transportation, food, building
materials, clothing, and people would not have been
able to move around the country and across the
frontier as well. If the goods had not been able to be
transported efficiently, then the growth of the
country may not have occurred, or at the least
stunted, because the goods may not have reached
their intended destination.
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16.  By the mid 1800’s, each section of the
United States contributed a particular item
to the national economy.
 Due to climate, original settlement
patterns, and other factors, the North and
South developed very different economies North
and cultures. The north had industry; the
south slaves. The south featured
independent farms, while the North
Manufactured goods
became clusters of specialized workers
whose mass production of one good left
them dependent on others for the food
they didn’t have time/space to grow. This
cotton
food came from the west.
 Cotton plantations in the south provided
the cotton for the textile factories in the Europe
Northeast, and western farmers grew West
grain to export to the Southeast. As the
Southeast began to grow its own food, the
West began to look for a market in the
northeast, and it need transportation to do
so. 17 South
 Southern cotton made up 50% of all
exports within the US from 1815- 1860. 18
 In 1850 alone, 750,00o tons of cotton were HM
produced in America. 18

17. Cotton Plantation in South
19
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18.  Henry Clay proposed the American System
in 1824. This three part plan instituted a
protective tariff, strong national bank, and
improved transportation.20 21
 The protective tariff strengthened
northern industries an encouraged
Americans to buy northern goods over
imported goods from Britain.
 The strong national bank emerged from a
mindset of nationalism that greatly
contributed to interregional dependence.
 Clay’s proposal for internal improvements
was never completely funded, but his ideas
demonstrate the nations increased desire
the better transportation that would
stimulate an interconnected national
economy. 20
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19.  Before the transportation revolution of the 1800’s, the Mississippi River had been the primary
way to send crops and goods between regions. However, travel was slow, and going upriver
nearly impossible.
 The invention of the steamboat in 1807 allowed travel both directions on the Mississippi. This
allowed Mid-western farmers to get their crops to New Orleans more rapidly. Cotton could go
north faster; manufactured goods could be shipped south cheaper.
 The Mississippi and other rivers like it allowed trade between the north and the south, but the
Appalachian mountains were a major obstacle in trade between the West and the East. As
railroads and canals spread west, they allowed for greater westward expansion, allowed cheap
and quick transportation between regions, and encouraged interregional trade (and
interdependence).
 Trade between the West and the East became feasible, and eventually even more important than
the former north-south trade. Once East- West transportation had improved, New York became
the country’s most important port, replacing the former prominence of New Orleans. 17
 As the relationship between the Northeast and the Northwest grew stronger, a foundation was
laid for their alliance against the south in the looming Civil War.
 As the North became more interconnected, the South became self-sufficient and developed less
transportation systems than the North. This would also be important in the Civil War.
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20. 1. National Museum of American History.“Transportation Infrastructure, 1800-
1900.” America on the Move. 26 October 2011.
http://americanhistory.si.edu/onthemove/themes/story_47_1.html (26
October 2011)
2 (Cumberland Road Picture).Weingroff, Richard F. “A Noteworthy Year.” Public
Roads. 2006.
<http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/06nov/02.cfm> (26
October 2011)
3 (Erie Canal Picture). “Locks on the Erie Canal.” The Erie Canal. 2000.
<http://www.eriecanal.org/locks.html> (26 October 2011)
4. Bellis, Mary. “Outline of Railroad History.” About.com, Inventors. 2011.
<http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blrailroad.htm> (26 October
2011)
5. Bellis, Mary. “The History of Steamboats.” About.com, Inventors. 2011.
<http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blsteamship.htm> (26 October
2011)
6. (Riverboat picture). “Welcome to Riverboat Discovery.” Riverboat Discovery.
2006. <http://riverboatdiscovery.com/>(26 October 2011)
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21.  7.USHist, ”19th Century Horses and Tack,” Civilian and Military Horse Equipment, 5 August 2011,
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=pony+express+in+the+1800s&hl=en&gbv=2&biw=1366&bih=541&tbm=isch&tbnid=5zq
0-HBnPsMcZM:&imgrefurl=http://www.ushist.com/19th-century_saddles-
tack_f.shtml&docid=2ZqAV0AAoYm5RM&imgurl=http://www.ushist.com/img/saddles/thumbs/saddle_pony-
express_remington.jpg&w=140&h=133&ei=_UGsTqjlGpG6tgeU8qnWDg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=312&sig=10734095337647
9123034&page=1&tbnh=106&tbnw=112&start=0&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0&tx=100&ty=62 (28 October 2011)
 8. Ohio Historical Society, “The Ohio-Erie Canal 1825- 1913,” Remarkable Ohio,
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=erie+canal+1825&hl=en&biw=1366&bih=541&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=84Ch2bPmjXdt
yM:&imgrefurl=http://www.remarkableohio.org/HistoricalMarker.aspx%3FhistoricalMarkerId%3D303&docid=grfBxIUIzRg
KYM&imgurl=http://www.remarkableohio.org/UserContent/96616/2811.jpg&w=504&h=363&ei=2UCsTtWtEoGltwfGvvHT
Dg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=1054&vpy=230&dur=1950&hovh=190&hovw=265&tx=188&ty=158&sig=1073409533764791230
34&page=1&tbnh=151&tbnw=200&start=0&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:11,s:0 (28 October 2011)
 9. Shirley Hyatt, “Train Wreck,” Clintonville History, 10 October 2008,
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=railroad+tracks+in+the+1800s&hl=en&gbv=2&biw=1366&bih=541&tbm=isch&tbnid=03
awkMHS1jV1AM:&imgrefurl=http://clintonvillehistory.com/page/4/&docid=f3Op53WUyE9qTM&imgurl=http://clintonville
history.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/1065b-train-wreck-
100.jpg&w=1946&h=1330&ei=gEGsTqqvNMO4tgegnZ3vDg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=78&sig=107340953376479123034&pag
e=1&tbnh=157&tbnw=209&start=0&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0&tx=136&ty=55 (28 October 2011)

22.  10. Kathy Alexander, “Weston, Missouri,” Legends of America, 2003,
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=steamboat+1800&um=1&hl=en&safe=active&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENUS244&biw=1440&bih=741&tbm
=isch&tbnid=XuSsZTlISFqCkM:&imgrefurl=http://www.legendsofamerica.com/mo-weston2.html&docid=Y-
PudWdSZRWO0M&imgurl=http://www.legendsofamerica.com/photos-missouri/MissouriSteamboat-
LOC.jpg&w=225&h=201&ei=IAGqTqbTEpDBtgelyIH0Dg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=1043&vpy=297&dur=2446&hovh=160&hovw=180&
tx=102&ty=107&sig=108581704097597441647&page=1&tbnh=127&tbnw=145&start=0&ndsp=28&ved=1t:429,r:12,s:0 (30 October
2011)
 11. KSFAMILY, “Railroad bridge,” 24 June 2007,
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=railroad+1800s&um=1&hl=en&safe=active&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENUS244&biw=1440&bih=741&tbm=i
sch&tbnid=JzDUiCrRQtyatM:&imgrefurl=http://www.zazzle.com/1800s%2Bgifts&docid=P0V3jYMdl4JdVM&imgurl=http://rlv.zcache
.com/railroad_bridge_1800s_postcard-
p239908111421463187td81_152.jpg&w=152&h=152&ei=xAeqToHwN4bqtgeD2PXYDg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=497&sig=10858170409
7597441647&page=1&tbnh=121&tbnw=121&start=0&ndsp=28&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:0&tx=84&ty=51 (30 October 2011)
 12. Georgia Agribusiness Council, “History,” Cotton: Georgia’s White Gold, http://georgiaag.com/?page_id=97 (30 October 2011)
 13. Pamela E. Mack, “The Lowell Labor System,” Textile Factories come to the U.S., 28 September 2005,
http://www.clemson.edu/caah/history/FacultyPages/PamMack/lec122/amir.htm (30 October 2011)
 14. ARTiFactor, “Perennial Grain,” 27 June 2o1o, http://www.sciencebuzz.org/blog/bursts/perennial-grain (30 October 2011)
 15. Teacher’s Domain, “Building the Erie Canal,” 2002,
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=construction+of+Erie+Canal+1800s&um=1&hl=en&safe=active&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENUS244&biw=14
40&bih=741&tbm=isch&tbnid=6JJNytHb5yySrM:&imgrefurl=http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/midlit10.soc.splerie/&docid=
sc7wwli9uIqgOM&imgurl=http://www.teachersdomain.org/assets/wgbh/midlit10/midlit10_img_spleriebarges/midlit10_img_splerieb
arges.jpg&w=269&h=151&ei=owmqTqrrAcK3tgemvdjnDg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=319&vpy=452&dur=2179&hovh=120&hovw=215&
tx=135&ty=61&sig=108581704097597441647&page=1&tbnh=102&tbnw=181&start0&ndsp=28&ved=1t:429,r:15,s:0 (30 October 2011)
 16. Old Rail History, “United States Railroads,” Railroads 1846-1850, 2011,
http://oldrailhistory.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=193&Itemid=225 (30 October 2011)
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23.  17. David M. Kennedy, Lizabeth Cohen, and Thomas A.Bailey, The American Pageant, 13th ed.
(Boston, MA: Houghton Mill Company, 2006, 287- 318
 18. Joyce E. Chaplin, “Cotton,” 21 July 2011, http://www.history.com/topics/cotton (30 October
2011)
 19. Digital Library of Georgia, “Cotton Plantation 1850’s” Georgia Transportation Photos , 2011,
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=cotton+plantation+1850s&um=1&hl=en&safe=active&sa=N&r
lz=1G1GGLQ_ENUS244&biw=1440&bih=741&tbm=isch&tbnid=ofo3m62mR-
59KM:&imgrefurl=http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/gatransportphotos/cottonplantation.htm&
docid=xnekYP7uKjO3yM&itg=1&imgurl=http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/gatransportphotos/co
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&sig=108581704097597441647&page=1&tbnh=118&tbnw=163&start=0&ndsp=30&ved=1t:429,r:2
,s:0&tx=78&ty=78 (30 October 2011)
 20. Online Highways LLC, “Ideas and Movements,” American System, http://www.u-s-
history.com/pages/h278.html ( 29 October 2011)
 21. Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, “Henry Clay,” Matthew Brady Gallery, 18 October 2011,
http://elektratig.blogspot.com/2009/05/henry-clay-outsmarts-john-randolph-of.html (29 October
2011)
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