The Railroad, the Telegraph, and Other Technologies

The Railroad, the Telegraph, and Other Technologies — page 5
CHAPTER ONE THE COMING OF THE RAILROAD At the dawn of the nineteenth century the United States looked very different from the way it does today In 1800 the United States had been a country for only a few decades The Mississippi River served as the border for the entire country and the entire population lived to the east of it People traveled differently from the way we do today Many simply walked where they needed to go Roads were bumpy muddy and rough Horses pulled carts wagons wagons and stagecoaches at a slow pace Boats navigated rivers and lakes Sometimes boats were pulled along waterways by teams of horses or mules on the shores Around 1820 however a revolution in transportation brought more and better ways to travel Canals like the great Erie Canal in New York were dug opening new waterways for the transport of goods and people Soon many waterways were also carrying the newly developed 8