1. TRANSPORTATION REVOLUTION, 1790-1860
(TURNPIKES, CANALS, TRAILS, RAILROADS,
STEAMBOATS)

2. SIGNIFICANCE
 Westward Expansion
 Industrial Revolution (connecting raw materials with
factories and markets)
 Created a national market economy with regional areas
specializing in certain economic activites.
 Jump started the building of new cities.

3. TURNPIKES AND ROADS
 The Lancaster Turnpike in Pennsylvania was highly
successful, and helped jump start western
development.
 Turnpike boom lasted about 20 years.
 The National Road (Cumberland Road) is built in 1811.

4. STEAMBOATS
 Overlapped the turnpike boom
 The first successful steamboat was built by Robert
Fulton.
 Steamboats were a big hit because in changed
America’s navigable steams which doubled the carrying
capacity.
 Ran 10 miles an hour
 Played a big part in opening the West and South

5. CANALS
 The Erie Canal linked the Great Lakes with the Hudson
River (1817-1825)
 Shipping time reduced from 20 days to 6 days.
 New cities emerged such as Rochester and Syracuse.
 NY became the fastest growing and wealthiest city on
the east coast.

6. RAILROADS
 The first transcontinental railroad is built in 1869.
 They were faster and cheaper to build than canals.
 By 1860, 30,000 miles of railroad track covered the US.

7. OPPOSITION
 Turnpikes- States’ rights advocates didn’t want federal
aid to local internal improvements, and the Eastern
states were concerned over population growth.
 Railroads- canal builder, turnpike investors and some
famers who made money transporting goods were
opposed to the railroad system.