One of the many concerns for a business regards shipping their products to customers. Whether the business is Microsoft or the U.S. Postal Service, shipping costs can take a big bite out of profits. Businesses are always looking for a cheap and efficient way to move their products.
During the early days of the 19th Century, there was a series of changes made in the methods of transporting people and goods. These changes would unite towns and communities with urban centers and ports, linking regions together. Some of these changes were motivated by profit, others by the need to make improvements.
One of the first changes to occur during this time period was regarding American roads. Traveling on early American roads were often dangerous and slow going. Wagons tended to get stuck in mud or clay following a rain storm or the melting of snow in early spring. Tree stumps, logs, and ruts from wagon wheels, all posed as hazards to travelers. It could take weeks to travel between cities.
A group of investors in Pennsylvania created the first private road in the United States. This turnpike was 60 miles long and paved with gravel. The turnpike charged a toll to use it, but the cost of that toll provided for the maintenance and care of the turnpike. During the 1820s, the Cumberland Road was created by the U.S. government that would connect Maryland to Illinois. The Cumberland Road became a popular method for travelers to head out West. Towns and villages popped up along the route, providing travelers with hotels, inns, taverns, and places to purchase supplies.
Soon turnpikes began appearing in different states. The federal government encouraged the creation of roads hoping to improve commerce. Tolls provided revenue for the states and federal government.
The downside of the turnpike system was that it still took a long time to move goods. The tolls also meant that it would not be cheap to move your products.
During the 1820s and 1830s, the federal government as well as various state governments began sponsoring the construction of canals. These manmade waterways connected two bodies of water. Towns that were miles from the ocean or a river now had access to a port. It was cheaper to move products using a canal then by turnpike. Canals made it possible to move goods from Ohio to New York City.
Robert Fulton proved that it was possible to have a steam engine on a vessel. Soon afterwards, steam boats began to appear on major rivers in the U.S. With a steamboat a merchant can chip goods upriver against the current much easier and faster. Prices of goods were lowered between 75% and 90%, now that merchants had a cheap reliable method of getting their products to the people. It became easier for cotton from the South to get to the cities of the North. People living in the West now had a way of getting goods from the East.
While steamboats made it possible to navigate rivers such as the Ohio and the Mississippi, they could not make the journey across the Atlantic. Ship makers began redesigning ships giving them smaller hulls and larger masts to fit more sails. With a smaller hull, these ships were able to slice through the water at a fast clip. Known as clipper ships, these vessels began to break records for crossing the Atlantic in a matter of days. American merchants now had quicker access to cities in Europe and Asia.
The downside of the clipper ships was the size of the ship. Since the hull was so small, they could not carry large amounts of cargo. This method of transportation was very fast, but also very expensive.
Finally, one of the most influential changes in transportation occurred with the invention of the locomotive. In the 1830s and 1840s, railroads began to be constructed in parts of the Northeast. These trains relied on steam engines that made it possible to move goods at the then exciting speed of 13 miles per hour. These early trains made it possible to ship a large amount of goods at a cheap rate.
The technology was still brand new during this time and not fully understood. Accidents were common, as rails tended to bend and break under the heavy weight of the trains. Engines also tended to overheat and the locomotive would explode.
As time would go on, the railroad would link major cities such as Chicago and New York. People, goods, and ideas, all were able to travel faster in the U.S.
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