Transportation+Revolution

- Transportation was a major barrier to economic devolvement in America - One type of transportation at the time was stagecoach, which is known today as horse and buggy. - It was slow (at only 4mph), could hold few people, and the roads were also in terrible conditions - On top of the terrible conditions, the tolls were extremely high - Because the transportation was so bad, it encouraged the thinking of other options for transportation - This thinking led to the idea of faster and more efficient water transportation - That’s where Robert Fulton came along. He created the first steamboat in America, which was much faster and a cheaper way to travel by water.
 * __Early Transportation__**

- In order to power a steamboat, there are 2 main parts that are needed to make the boat move- the power plant and the paddle wheel - First, water is fed to a boiler, which turns it into steam - Then, a device called the piston cylinder vents the steam out - The exhaust steam helps power the paddle wheel push through the water
 * __Steamboats__**

- He tried many different models of steamboats and many of them failed. - He and Charles Brown worked on perfecting the steamboat together - It used paddle wheels to move - His first steamboat was called the Clermont and its first run was in August of 1807 and it made its run with perfect success.
 * __Fulton’s Steamboat__**

- Water transportation was made //even better// through of the building of canals - It all started with the building of the Erie Canal, which faced extreme opposition. This opposition came form Thomas Jefferson, and President James Madison. In fact, Madison even vetoed a bill that would have helped New York with the project. - Despite the opposition, the Erie Canal turned out to be a great success, and set off an enormous wave of canal building in America. - Canals were man-made rivers that were deep enough for boats to go in
 * __Canals__**

- Cities like Baltimore and Boston, who were unable to reach canals experimented with railroads - A very simple English steam locomotive (which is like a train) was tested and put into regular operation in a few cities - There were //many// problems with the first trains, including bad brakes, boilers frequently exploding, engines catching fire, and bumps causing concussions. - Despite these flaws, railroads soon prospered to become the nation’s leading transportation system. This is for a couple reasons: They were faster than //any// type of transportation known in that time //and// they could travel in any season (something ships couldn’t do)
 * __Railroads__**

- Like steamboats, trains were also powered by steam power - When coal is burned, it produces heat which when transferred to water produces steam - The steam that is produced moves the piston, which turns the wheels of the train
 * __Trains__**