Triumph of the Rails

1. America’s Economic Revolution Triumph of the Rails

2. The Turnpike Era • As the territory of the United States expanded, roads became less practical for moving goods • The need for better long-distance transportation brought an end to the turnpike era

3. Rivers • While shipping downstream was common and convenient, shipping goods upstream provided a challenge. • New Orleans became the shipping center of the United States • Farmers in the West sent their goods in • Sent by Steamship to eastern cities • This arrangement worked, but it also drove prices up

4. Canals • A team of 4 horses could haul 100 times the cargo along a canal than it could along a road • The great expense of building canals meant that the projects fell mostly into the realm of the states • Northeastern states were the first to start construction

5. The Erie Canal • 40 feet wide, 4 feet deep, 350 miles long • The largest construction project undertaken in the United States at the time • Traffic was so heavy on the Canal that tools had repaid the entire cost in 7 years • The Erie and other canals gave New York direct access to Chicago • New York and Chicago begin to compete with New Orleans as shipping centers

6. Early Railroads • Most early railroads in the United States were relatively short • They were initially used to connect water routes • Canal companies and even state governments often interfered with or restricted the growth of railroads for fear of competition

7. Triumph of the Rails • After 1840, railroads begin to replace canals and all other modes of transportation • Rails were much easier and cheaper to lay than digging canals • Private companies could afford it • Chicago became the rail center of the West • State and federal governments helped private companies to finance the rails through loans and land grants

8. Close Why did the rail system supplant the canal system as the nation’s major transportation network?