Transportation in the 19th Century

During the first half of the 19th century, improvements in transportation developed rather quickly. Roads, steamboats, canals, and railroads all had a positive effect on the American economy. They also provided for a more diverse United States by allowing more products to be sold in new areas of the country and by opening new markets. Copied from ideas begun in England and France, American roads were being built everywhere. In an attempt to make money, private investors financed many turnpikes, expecting to profit from the tolls collected. Although they did not make as much money as expect…