Discover how transportation in the 1800s dramatically changed. Explore how the transportation revolution affected railroads, turnpikes, and steamboats in the 1800s.
Updated: 04/30/2022
Turnpikes, Steamboats and Railroads: The Transportation Revolution
The Transportation Revolution: A Definition
At the start of the 19th century, transportation remained slow and arduous even though the American population was growing and the need for westward expansion was great. Paved roads were a new concept, and most rivers ran north to south, making it difficult to travel any great distance from east to west. The transportation revolution changed all of that. The transportation revolution was a major leap in transportation with the adoption of paved roads, canals, steamboats, and railroads, which had a direct influence on the country's ability to expand westward.
After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, which included the region between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains, steamboats on the Hudson River were used to ship goods between Pennsylvania and Louisiana, resulting in a thriving trade market. Canals were later established, connecting the major waterways, and for the first nearly half of the century, this was the most important method of shipping goods in the interior of the nation. However, that would soon change with the development of the railroad.
A Need for Transportation
 |
In the antebellum era, it seems like everything about America was growing: the population, income, immigration and especially the Western frontier. But, there was one big problem: you couldn't get there from the East. Most rivers ran North to South (not East-West), and wagons were slow and difficult over bad roads.
In 1811, the federal government opened the 'National Road,' connecting the Potomac and Ohio Rivers (and expanding every year) to open up the West for settlers. But, this type of internal improvement was hotly contested in the early nation, since states that didn't benefit resented paying for it. As a result, transportation was mostly left to individual states or to private investors. A number of entrepreneurs and inventors did step up in the mid-19th century, and the transportation revolution provided a number of new, reliable, safe and cost-effective ways to travel to different parts of the nation, including new land in the West.
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Railroad Transportation in the 1800s
Transportation in the 1800s relied heavily on the railroads. In 1827, Baltimore merchants needed to compete with New York merchants who had the newly opened Erie Canal. Local Baltimore merchants and investors funded a railroad that would eventually connect Baltimore to Ohio, establishing the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad Company. Ground broke on July 4, 1828, and in 1830, the first American steam locomotive, Tom Thumb, was put to use.
During the second half of the 19th century, railroad construction in the United States began to increase dramatically, though it did not come without its difficulties. Turnpike operators were opposed to the construction of railroads as well as other business owners who benefited from the use of turnpikes. Additionally, the digging of canals had dried up state funds, and the panic of 1837 limited private funding. Eventually, the benefit of the railroad was realized and in 1862, Congress passed the Pacific Railway Act. Despite construction being interrupted during the Civil War, seven years later, on May 10 of 1869, the first transcontinental railroad was complete. Roughly 45,000 miles of track had been laid prior to 1871. Between 1871 and 1900, an additional 170,000 miles were added largely due to the addition of four additional transcontinental railroads. What improvements did the railroads help to create? These improvements include the affordable shipping of goods as well as passenger travel, leading to migration of settlers as well as a prosperous economy.
How Did Railroads Influence Modern Business Practices?
The B&O Railroad quickly became a huge success, transporting goods collectively worth millions of dollars through Baltimore each year as well as transporting passengers. The extension of the railroad had the ability to connect small farm towns and isolated communities along the railroad to the national markets, providing new economic opportunities for the country as a whole. This easy method of transport also led to regional specialization as each region would now produce specific goods based on the natural resources available to them.
When wealthy businessmen and investors began to see the potential in railroad transport, they jumped at the opportunity to be a part of the expansion. This led to unnecessary competition as different companies began to produce several tracks traveling between the same destinations, forcing railroad companies to lower their rates in order to stay in business. Eventually, it was realized that they needed to consolidate, which resulted in a few powerful corporations monopolizing the entire rail system. In 1887, the U.S. government stepped in and established the Interstate Commerce Commission, which ensured the rates set by railroad companies were fair. These practices are still used in modern business today.
Steamboats in the 1800s
In the 1800s, steamboats played a pivotal role in the early stages of the transportation revolution. In 1807, Robert Fulton developed the first steamboat in the United States. His boat, the Clermont, made its maiden voyage up the Hudson River from New York to Albany and proved to be an enormous success. Traveling at a speed of five miles per hour, the steamboat took a third of the amount of time it took a sailing vessel to make the same journey. By 1830, more than 200 steamboats were traveling the country's major inland rivers, including the Mississippi, the Hudson, and the Ohio River, carrying both passengers and cargo. Steamboats provided an efficient and cost-effective method of travel between the east and the west, as ships could easily make their way from Pittsburgh to Louisiana.
How Was Water Transportation Improved in the 1800s?
The movement of cargo by water was proving to be a huge success, but there was a limit to where these goods could be transported. Land-locked states were still underserved and economically underdeveloped while regions near major rivers boomed. Europe had been effectively using man-made rivers since the 1700s, using mules to pull small boats upstream. But American businessmen struggled to convince the federal government to dig a canal. In 1808, the state of New York funded a survey for a canal connecting Lake Erie with the Hudson River and in 1817, construction began.
The Erie Canal proved to be a success, allowing efficient travel between Ohio and New York City. The canal allowed for western expansion, and settlers soon began migrating to Ohio, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin. In the late 1820s, the country experienced a rise in canal-building. The cost of shipping dropped significantly, from $0.30 a ton per mile to $0.02 a ton per mile by 1830. Previously unprosperous regions were now able to transport goods, and agriculture boomed. The affordable transport of farmed goods from the western region allowed the less productive New England farms to shut down, shifting their labor force to other developing industries in the region. By 1840, the United States had over 3,000 miles of canals. For the first half of the century, canals were the most important method of transporting goods to the interior of the country.
Turnpikes in the 1800s
While there was a need for widespread transportation networks, states that didn't benefit from the improvements objected to funding them. The federal government decided that these improvements should be funded by the states themselves or private investors instead, resulting in the rise of turnpikes in the early 1800s. The states and investors who built these turnpikes would profit by collecting a toll from travelers who used the roads. New York led the way in turnpike production. By 1820, roughly 4,000 miles of these private roads weaved throughout the East, connecting to one another as well as the federally funded National Road, or Cumberland Road, that stretched from Maryland to Illinois. Better roads were an important first step to westward expansion, but they would soon be surpassed by the construction of canals and railroads that provided quick and cost-effective options for travel and transport.
Lesson Summary
What was the transportation revolution? In the 19th century, the transportation revolution took place in the United States. This resulted in the development of pivotal methods of transportation in the 1800s including steamboats, railroads, and canals. The transportation revolution greatly expanded the nation's future. The federal government was opposed to funding these transportation networks, so they were largely funded by individual states and private investors. In 1807, Robert Fulton's steamboat, the Clermont, became the first commercial steamboat transporting goods and people up and down the Mississippi River. Utilizing the nation's large rivers proved extremely useful, but it was still difficult to access the innermost states.
The Erie Canal was the first canal to be constructed. Due to its success, thousands of miles of canals were dug throughout the country. At the start of the century, canals were the most important method of shipping goods to the interior of the nation. By the middle of the 19th century, railroads had taken over, though they faced struggles along the way. Around the same time, canal building had drained much of the state funds, leaving little left for the production of railroads and the panic of 1837 limited private funding. Turnpike operators also opposed the construction of railroads, knowing it would reduce the number of travelers utilizing the roads. Despite the setbacks, the benefits of the railroad were finally realized, and thousands of miles of railroads spanned the country by the late 1800s. Some of the improvements that railroads helped create include the affordable transporting of goods as well as passenger travel, leading to westward settlement as well as a prosperous economy.
Turnpikes
Roads were the most logical place for early improvement in transportation. By 1821, about 4,000 miles of turnpikes, or private roads, crisscrossed the East, connecting to each other and to the National Road (also called the Cumberland Road). They were constructed and maintained by local and state governments or by private investors who made a profit by collecting a toll from people who used the road. Turnpikes were so named because the first such private road had a series of spikes that the toll collector would move aside once the driver had paid. Beginning with the National Road in the 1830s, many of these turnpikes were made from an early type of pavement. But, turnpikes couldn't solve the nation's transportation problems alone; they were slow and uncomfortable for passengers and impractical for shipping large quantities of goods. More Americans considered how they might improve water transportation to meet the needs of industry and westward migrants.
Steamboats and Canals
Back in 1807, Robert Fulton had adapted a steam engine for use in a boat called the Clermont. This kind of power allowed the boat to travel up the Hudson River as easily as it could travel down, but skeptics nicknamed the ship 'Fulton's Folly,' doubting it could be commercially successful. They were wrong; within four years, passengers and goods could travel by steamboat all the way from Pittsburgh to the Ohio River and from there to the Mississippi. Travel time and shipping rates dropped dramatically compared to overland transportation. By 1830, more than 200 steamboats ran up and down the rivers, putting cities like Cincinnati and St. Louis on the map. It seemed now the only limit was in the location of the waterways. But soon, even that obstacle was surmounted.
 |
The greatest breakthrough in the movement of cargo by water was in canals. English industrialists had been using these man-made rivers successfully since the 1700s, using mules to tow small boats upstream. But, American businessmen had been unsuccessful in convincing the federal government to dig a canal between the Great Lakes and the Hudson River. Finally, the state of New York decided to act and broke ground on the Erie Canal in 1817. It took eight years and $7 million, but it was a political and financial success.
The cost of shipping freight from Buffalo to New York City dropped from $0.19 per ton per mile down to $0.02 during the 1830s. By connecting the interior of the continent to the Atlantic Ocean, the Erie Canal allowed for the settlement of northern Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. It helped open up agriculture and industry since products could now be transported easily, quickly and inexpensively back to the population centers in the East. Chicago boomed and quickly became the most important city in the region. The canal forged a physical and economic bond between the farms of the Midwest and the Northeast that would become important in the political battles over slavery and states' rights. Less productive farms in New England closed down, opening up the labor force for developing industry. Perhaps most significantly, the Erie Canal helped New York City replace Philadelphia as the commercial center of the nation.
Other states quickly jumped on the bandwagon, ushering in the canal era and allowing for the growth of cities, such as Pittsburgh and Cleveland. By 1840, more than 3,000 miles of canals connected most major waterways in the nation. For a time, canals were the most important means of shipping goods in the interior of the nation. But, even this breakthrough was about to become obsolete.
Railroads
 |
In 1827, the city of Baltimore did not have a canal, despite being the third largest city in the U.S. A group of merchants and bankers began investigating their options for competing with the Erie Canal and hit upon a completely different idea for transporting people and goods - a railroad.
Financed by selling common stock, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company was chartered to open up traffic from the port of Baltimore to the Ohio River, ideally to provide an even faster route to the Midwest than the Erie Canal. With much fanfare, the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence, Charles Carroll, was on hand to break ground on the 4th of July, 1828. In 1830, the B&O built Tom Thumb, the first American steam locomotive, proving that steam engines were better than horse-drawn railway cars.
The B&O Railroad was not only the first railroad chartered in the U.S., it was one of the first commercial lines in the world and was enormously successful. By mid-century, tens of millions of dollars' worth of goods passed through the city of Baltimore, generating $2.7 million in profit every year. Baltimore surpassed Charleston and other cities to become the most important economic center in the South.
Despite the success of the B&O, many states had already spent their limited investment dollars on canals and could not compete in the short term. Then, the Panic of 1837 (a financial crisis) interfered with private investment. There was also considerable opposition to railroad construction by companies who owned or operated turnpikes, canals and stagecoaches, and the many business owners along their paths. In 1840, there was still more canal mileage than railroad track. But, the speed and ease of rail transportation finally caught on, and by 1860, America had 30,000 miles of track, 3/4 of which was in the Northeast. Despite being interrupted by the Civil War, the transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869.
Effects of the Transportation Revolution
 |
The transportation revolution had dramatic social, economic and political effects. Indirectly, convenient transportation encouraged settlement and transformed agriculture. Much more land could now be developed since farmers had access to national markets. Reduced shipping costs encouraged regional specialization; however, overall, it helped forge a continental economy. Along the roads, canals and rails, towns sprang up. These new forms of mass transit meant the new towns and cities didn't have to be located on a river as nearly all early settlements had been; by 1840, only 1 in 5 new towns was on a river. The railroad transformed America by defining new management practices for business and by standardizing time in order to ensure safety and efficiency on the rails.
Lesson Summary
Let's review. In the half-century before the Civil War, America experienced a transportation revolution that improved the way people and goods crossed the nation, opened up new areas for settlement and altered the centers of economic power. Though the federal government shied away from funding many internal improvements, the National Road opened up the frontier, and many private turnpikes connected to it. The Erie Canal opened in 1825, transforming New York into the most important city on the East Coast and kicking off a boom in canal building. For more than two decades, canals were the most efficient means of transporting cargo in the interior of the nation. Likewise, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad allowed Baltimore to become the financial capital of the South. Despite a slow start, the railroads overtook canals by mid-century as the most important method of transportation.
Learning Outcomes
After watching this lesson, you should be able to:
- Describe the motivation for building turnpikes, steamboats, canals and railroads
- Explain how the cities of New York, Chicago and Baltimore were changed by the transportation revolution
- Summarize the ways that the transportation revolution affected the country
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Video Transcript
A Need for Transportation
|
In the antebellum era, it seems like everything about America was growing: the population, income, immigration and especially the Western frontier. But, there was one big problem: you couldn't get there from the East. Most rivers ran North to South (not East-West), and wagons were slow and difficult over bad roads.
In 1811, the federal government opened the 'National Road,' connecting the Potomac and Ohio Rivers (and expanding every year) to open up the West for settlers. But, this type of internal improvement was hotly contested in the early nation, since states that didn't benefit resented paying for it. As a result, transportation was mostly left to individual states or to private investors. A number of entrepreneurs and inventors did step up in the mid-19th century, and the transportation revolution provided a number of new, reliable, safe and cost-effective ways to travel to different parts of the nation, including new land in the West.
Turnpikes
Roads were the most logical place for early improvement in transportation. By 1821, about 4,000 miles of turnpikes, or private roads, crisscrossed the East, connecting to each other and to the National Road (also called the Cumberland Road). They were constructed and maintained by local and state governments or by private investors who made a profit by collecting a toll from people who used the road. Turnpikes were so named because the first such private road had a series of spikes that the toll collector would move aside once the driver had paid. Beginning with the National Road in the 1830s, many of these turnpikes were made from an early type of pavement. But, turnpikes couldn't solve the nation's transportation problems alone; they were slow and uncomfortable for passengers and impractical for shipping large quantities of goods. More Americans considered how they might improve water transportation to meet the needs of industry and westward migrants.
Steamboats and Canals
Back in 1807, Robert Fulton had adapted a steam engine for use in a boat called the Clermont. This kind of power allowed the boat to travel up the Hudson River as easily as it could travel down, but skeptics nicknamed the ship 'Fulton's Folly,' doubting it could be commercially successful. They were wrong; within four years, passengers and goods could travel by steamboat all the way from Pittsburgh to the Ohio River and from there to the Mississippi. Travel time and shipping rates dropped dramatically compared to overland transportation. By 1830, more than 200 steamboats ran up and down the rivers, putting cities like Cincinnati and St. Louis on the map. It seemed now the only limit was in the location of the waterways. But soon, even that obstacle was surmounted.
|
The greatest breakthrough in the movement of cargo by water was in canals. English industrialists had been using these man-made rivers successfully since the 1700s, using mules to tow small boats upstream. But, American businessmen had been unsuccessful in convincing the federal government to dig a canal between the Great Lakes and the Hudson River. Finally, the state of New York decided to act and broke ground on the Erie Canal in 1817. It took eight years and $7 million, but it was a political and financial success.
The cost of shipping freight from Buffalo to New York City dropped from $0.19 per ton per mile down to $0.02 during the 1830s. By connecting the interior of the continent to the Atlantic Ocean, the Erie Canal allowed for the settlement of northern Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. It helped open up agriculture and industry since products could now be transported easily, quickly and inexpensively back to the population centers in the East. Chicago boomed and quickly became the most important city in the region. The canal forged a physical and economic bond between the farms of the Midwest and the Northeast that would become important in the political battles over slavery and states' rights. Less productive farms in New England closed down, opening up the labor force for developing industry. Perhaps most significantly, the Erie Canal helped New York City replace Philadelphia as the commercial center of the nation.
Other states quickly jumped on the bandwagon, ushering in the canal era and allowing for the growth of cities, such as Pittsburgh and Cleveland. By 1840, more than 3,000 miles of canals connected most major waterways in the nation. For a time, canals were the most important means of shipping goods in the interior of the nation. But, even this breakthrough was about to become obsolete.
Railroads
|
In 1827, the city of Baltimore did not have a canal, despite being the third largest city in the U.S. A group of merchants and bankers began investigating their options for competing with the Erie Canal and hit upon a completely different idea for transporting people and goods - a railroad.
Financed by selling common stock, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company was chartered to open up traffic from the port of Baltimore to the Ohio River, ideally to provide an even faster route to the Midwest than the Erie Canal. With much fanfare, the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence, Charles Carroll, was on hand to break ground on the 4th of July, 1828. In 1830, the B&O built Tom Thumb, the first American steam locomotive, proving that steam engines were better than horse-drawn railway cars.
The B&O Railroad was not only the first railroad chartered in the U.S., it was one of the first commercial lines in the world and was enormously successful. By mid-century, tens of millions of dollars' worth of goods passed through the city of Baltimore, generating $2.7 million in profit every year. Baltimore surpassed Charleston and other cities to become the most important economic center in the South.
Despite the success of the B&O, many states had already spent their limited investment dollars on canals and could not compete in the short term. Then, the Panic of 1837 (a financial crisis) interfered with private investment. There was also considerable opposition to railroad construction by companies who owned or operated turnpikes, canals and stagecoaches, and the many business owners along their paths. In 1840, there was still more canal mileage than railroad track. But, the speed and ease of rail transportation finally caught on, and by 1860, America had 30,000 miles of track, 3/4 of which was in the Northeast. Despite being interrupted by the Civil War, the transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869.
Effects of the Transportation Revolution
|
The transportation revolution had dramatic social, economic and political effects. Indirectly, convenient transportation encouraged settlement and transformed agriculture. Much more land could now be developed since farmers had access to national markets. Reduced shipping costs encouraged regional specialization; however, overall, it helped forge a continental economy. Along the roads, canals and rails, towns sprang up. These new forms of mass transit meant the new towns and cities didn't have to be located on a river as nearly all early settlements had been; by 1840, only 1 in 5 new towns was on a river. The railroad transformed America by defining new management practices for business and by standardizing time in order to ensure safety and efficiency on the rails.
Lesson Summary
Let's review. In the half-century before the Civil War, America experienced a transportation revolution that improved the way people and goods crossed the nation, opened up new areas for settlement and altered the centers of economic power. Though the federal government shied away from funding many internal improvements, the National Road opened up the frontier, and many private turnpikes connected to it. The Erie Canal opened in 1825, transforming New York into the most important city on the East Coast and kicking off a boom in canal building. For more than two decades, canals were the most efficient means of transporting cargo in the interior of the nation. Likewise, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad allowed Baltimore to become the financial capital of the South. Despite a slow start, the railroads overtook canals by mid-century as the most important method of transportation.
Learning Outcomes
After watching this lesson, you should be able to:
- Describe the motivation for building turnpikes, steamboats, canals and railroads
- Explain how the cities of New York, Chicago and Baltimore were changed by the transportation revolution
- Summarize the ways that the transportation revolution affected the country
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Frequently Asked Questions
What were the effects of the transportation revolution in the early 1800s?
The transportation revolution in the early 1800s led to the growth of the nation as a whole. Convenient transportation led to the westward migration as canals and railroads expanded, providing access to previously isolated regions. Goods could now be transported efficiently and cost-effectively, providing farmers access to national markets.
What were three innovations in transportation during the 1800s?
During the transportation revolution during the 1800s, many new innovations took hold. The use of steamboats and railroads made transporting large quantities of goods easy and cost effective. Canals were also dug, providing the interior of the country with an easy method of transporting goods.
What was the fastest form of transportation in the 1800's?
At the start of the 1800s, water was the fastest form of transportation. Large steamships carried both goods and people from port to port. During the second half of the 19th century, railroads took over and provided a fast method of travel across the interior of the country.
What were steamboats used for in the 1800s?
In the 1800s, steamboats traveled along the major inner waterways of the United States. They were used for both personal travel as well as the transport of goods from one port to another. By 1830, over 200 steamboats traveled along the Hudson, Mississippi, and Ohio Rivers.
Why was the steamboat such an important invention in the early 1800s?
In the early 1800s, steamboats proved to be an important tool in the westward expansion of the United States. Boats on the Hudson River could transport goods from Pittsburgh to New Orleans, officially connecting the eastern and western economies.
Why was the transportation revolution important?
The transportation revolution in the 19th century led to huge changes in the country's transportation networks. Construction of railroads, canals, and roads connected small farm towns to larger markets and allowed their economies to grow. It also facilitated migration as the country began to expand westward.
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