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Horse Drawn Carriage
During the expansion west, settlers used horses with and without carriages for transportation. Settlers planned their journey west for months and faced many obstacles. Budgetary obstacles include money to purchase needed food and supplies for a trip that would take months to complete. Geographic obstacles included rivers, mountains, and rough terrain. Other obstacles that settlers faced included Indian tribes and illnesses. Settlers risked it all to fulfill their manifest destiny. -
Transcontinental Railway
The government played a big role in this transportation progression by passing the Pacific Railway Act of 1862. This act gave land grants and loans to railroad companies. The Union Pacific and the Central Pacific Railroads built the first transcontinental railroad when they joined in Promontory Summit, Utah in 1869. Completion of the railroads made the expansion west more attainable to the average American, it helped build up local towns, and thus spurred economic advancement. -
Omnibus
Prior to 1880 the Omnibus was the main form of transportation that urban dwellers used. It facilitated the commute to work and shops instead of walking. Horse drawn omnibuses traveled on street rails which allowed a smoother more comfortable ride and allowed the horses to pull more passengers which also lowered fares. Major pitfalls of the omnibus which led to their demise included the horse fatigue and the offensive odor of horse manure that lay in the streets. -
Electric Trolly
Since electricity became readily available in 1882, the invention of the electric trolley soon followed in 1887 by Frank Sprague and was brought to Philadelphia in 1890. This mass transit could run day and night and did not rely on horses thus reducing fares even further for Americans. This new transportation also granted some reprieve to the offensive smells of manure. This method of transportation also allowed the middle class to move to the suburbs and commute to the city for work. -
Subway
As urban areas like Boston became more populated, mass transit became difficult and accidents between pedestrians and trolleys ensued. To alleviate this, Boston introduced the elevated train or L-train, then quickly moved underground when high rise buildings engulfed the city. The subway in Boston opened on September 1,1897 to transport the people in their congested city. Even though people were leery of underground travel, subway travel was faster and more efficient. -
Ford Model T
In 1908 Henry Ford sold the Ford Model T for $795. In 1924 it was produced via an assembly line in Detroit for $300 allowing many every day Americans to own a car. Building the Model T with interchangeable parts made producing it more economical and building it via a moving assembly line allowed it to be mass produced. The revolutionary concept of production changed personal travel forever. Americans are now able to move outside the city and travel for leisure more easily. -
Federal Aid Road Act
In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson enacted the Federal Aid Road Act. Normally roads are a state issue, but roads were in deplorable condition and grossly inadequate to meet the needs of the American people. Farmers wanted reliable roads to transport goods and urban dwellers wanted to take long trips. This act led to the creation of the Federal Highway Act of 1921 that would construct a highway system that connected the states to one another. These acts forever changed transportation in the US. -
First Transatlantic Solo Flight
Charles Lindbergh flies the first transatlantic solo flight from New York and lands in Paris on May 21,1927. With 450 gallons of fuel on board he completed his heroic trip and was greeted by 50,000 people in Paris at 10pm. Lindbergh sparks innovation in aviation and passenger air travel. His achievements allowed the small airline industry to flourish and eventually led to companies such as Boeing and Ford who would tackle air technology and take transportation advancements to the next level.
