As briefly discussed in class, the first major public highway built in the U.S. is known as National Road, or Cumberland Road. It was constructed over the period of almost two decades, beginning in 1811 around Cumberland, Maryland and ceasing development in Vandalia, Illinois in the 1830’s. Interestingly enough, over half a century earlier, a …
Rev in Transportation I and II
Rev in Transportation I and II
Summary on “The Emergence of Big Business” by Mansel G. Blackford
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Blackford begins this article by describing an 1841 train crash where two trains collided head on. This crash killed 2 people and injured many others and showed how unorganized the railroad system was. He goes on to show that the railroad business was not like any other businesses at the time. The railroad business employed…
Rev in Transportation I and II
The railroad and big business
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As the railroads system in the 1850s further evolve and get more complex, it seems that more advanced management is required to keep pace with such a fast development. As Blackford mentioned in his article titled The Emergence of Big Business, “On Oct 5, 1841, as a result of scheduling foul-up, two trains collided in …
Rev in Transportation I and II
Tarkov- Engineering the Erie Canal by David Barney
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Towards the beginning of the 19th century, the United States had demand for the construction of public works but a lack of domestic engineers to carry out these tasks. Often engineers from Europe had to come to the United States in order to construct public works, such as canals. The construction of the Erie canal …
Continue reading “Tarkov- Engineering the Erie Canal by David Barney”
Rev in Transportation I and II
McNown – Canals in America
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McNown begins by explaining the development of canals in Europe in the 16th Century. The expansion of the canal system in Europe began by improving the navigability of rivers by removing obstacles or digging canals around rapids or other barriers. As engineers learned the advantages of canals for transportation compared to roadways, the expansion of…
Rev in Transportation I and II
Engineering the Erie Canal by John Tarkov
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When the idea of the 363 mile long Erie Canal was first proposed to Thomas Jefferson in 1809, he dismissed it claiming that it could not be accomplished. The Erie Canal was the first large-scale canal in the United States, so there were many critics of the idea. The Santee Canal had been completed in…
Rev in Transportation I and II
Summary of the Chapter “The Emergence of Big Business” in Mansel Blackford’s Business Enterprise in American History
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Mansel Blackford attempts to express the important roles railroads fulfilled before and during the rise of big business in the United States in this chapter. He claims that railroad companies fore-fronted big business and bureaucracy because of the unprecedented amount of capital they required to operate and the precise organization needed to run the complex, …
Rev in Transportation I and II
Getting There – Boorstin
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Overtime throughout history, the need to always move was at the forefront of Americans minds. Americans built wagons, steamboats, and railroads without knowing the impact that it would make for public transportation for generations to come. When wagons were first … Continue reading →
Rev in Transportation I and II
McNown on Canals
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Before the 16th century the most efficient way to transport materials was by natural waterways. However, these rivers or streams had non-navigable at some points thus transport was impossible. During the 16th century European engineers began to expand the waterway network. They started by removing obstacles and digging canal loops around rapids or the obstacles. …
Rev in Transportation I and II
Boorstin – Getting There First
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Technology during the late 18thcentury into the 19thcentury was developed to be a technology of haste. American’s thought of technological development like a Nascar driver in a race. It was important to get there first and fast. “ If you ain’t first, you’re last.” – Ricky Bobby from Talladega Nights …