New methods of transportation in the 1920’s changed the way of life for many people in the U.S and around the world. People in the 1920’s began to travel in ways no one had ever thought of before. People began to travel by trains, cars, planes, and by boats for the first time. . For the first time ever, people were able to really afford to travel and explore the places they wanted without sacrificing much money or time. This paper will explore the different transportation methods that were introduced and improved upon in the 1920’s. I will explore the many challenges that manufacturing companies faced as well as how these transportation methods affected the people of the 1920’s. This paper will also explore the benefits of these new transportation …show more content…
methods on the human population and what it took bring upon these methods of transportation to the people. Based on research, I concluded that new methods of transportation in the 1920’s allowed people to be free in the sense that they weren't tied down with limited methods of transportation. During this decade, people were given the chance to fulfill their travel needs no matter how far their destination was without making big sacrifices. How New Methods of Transportation Shaped the 1920’s Before the 1920’s, only the very rich could afford to travel around the world as they wished.
In the year 1912, a trip from Seattle to Chicago would cost about $65.00 (Boylan, M. 2013). During these years, the average US worker was only making anywhere from 30 dollars to 62 dollars a month. Add in the cost of food and other expenses and certainly an average person could not afford to travel. Prior to the 1920’s there were ships, but these were used to mostly transport immigrants. Before the 1920’s, they were only small networks of railways, though it provided passengers with cheap travel, it was a very limited transportation method. Soon that will all change because the people wanted to change the way the traveled. When World War 1 ended, people felt optimistic about the future so they set out to change the way people could travel (Turner, W. 2004). The purpose of this paper is to inform on how new methods of transportation shaped the 1920’s and why these methods were so important and beneficial to the people of this decade. These new methods of transportation in the the 1920’s allowed people to travel at an affordable price without making big sacrifices. They also allowed people to travel easier and it changed their way of life for the …show more content…
better. The Early 1920’s The early 1920’s was the first time people could really afford a car. Many more trains were now being operated as well as much more railways were being built. In the early 1920’s, more and more cities began to have railway stations and hundreds of trains were being used. People began to visit different cities. Comfortable rooms and good quality food made long distance travel a pleasure (Turner, W. 2004). These early years paved the way to a better tomorrow in terms of travel. The First Affordable Car The Ford Model T was the world’s first affordable car. For the first time, people could live in the reality of owning a car and traveling the country, all while making an average salary. The Model T quickly became prized for being a low cost, durable, and an ease of maintenance car (History.com Staff. 2010). At first it was expensive, but then the assembly-line production made it possible to buy one for around $400. It was the perfect car for an average American family, a car which gave people the joy of travel and the freedom the people wanted. The Ford Model T’s 20 horsepower engine which reached the top speed of 45MPH was more than enough to please the average worker. This was only the start of new transportation methods. The Trains Improve Trains were already in use by the 1920’s, but the improvements to trains is what made travel by train very popular. The train provided a comfortable and reliable way of travel to millions of American vacationers. (Editors of Publication International. 2008). In the early 1920’s, many railroad companies began to offer dining in their trains as well as rooms with beds which made long-distance travel popular. Trains also had ample lounges and even smoking spaces which people loved because it reduced the sense of being confined.(Editors of Publication International. 2008). The train industry excited the people by producing the first successful diesel-electric in 1925. All of these improvements and many more really made the train a new way to travel. The Late 1920’s Trains and cars gave people the sense of freedom when it came to traveling in the early 1920’s .
Trains provided a comfortable and reliable way to travel with its dining rooms and beds which made it perfect to travel long distance. Trains also provided the people with a quick trip without breaking the bank. The car was now finally affordable and people felt proud that they could afford one with their average work. The car gave mostly everyone a chance to explore the country and even take their families with them. But now, a whole new way of travel that no one thought of before was now becoming a reality.
The Dawn Of Air Travel
World War 1 introduced the world to airplanes, even though they were in its infancy, by the mid-1920’s they really took off. At first, airplanes were used to deliver mail and were made out of wood, but that all changed by the 1920’s. Pilots who returned from WW1 were the first to travel to cities and make money by offering rides to paying passengers (Turner, W. 2004). Planes soon began to become larger and more reliable. Small aviation companies began to experiment and fly passengers from one city to another. The world knew airplanes would soon transport many people to different locations, but it was only a matter of time. Soon enough, people desired to explore the world and airplanes pleased these desires. In the late 1920’s, airplanes began to be boarded with crew members and a few dozen passengers. Wages increased which
really allowed people to travel in all of these new ways.
When our country was at war, the military identified the need for trucks. Trucks were very important because it was difficult to find away to transport all the supplies, troops, and food. After WW1, this brought an increase in good roads plus an expanding economy. This helped grow the trucking industry. The 1920’s were the years of innovation. The balloon tires were introduced along with the rail road’s that were established “piggy-back” service. The first mechanically refrigerated van was introduced. In 1925, there were 500,000 miles of hard surface roads in the U.S. In 1926, a fully loaded 2 ton truck was driven from New York to San Francisco in five days.
WriteWork. "The 19th Century 'Railroad Boom.'" WriteWork . N.p., 1 May 2003. Web. 28 Feb. 2011.
A brief summary of the changes from the 1920’s is provided in this source. The article discusses the birth of mass culture and how an economy of automobiles is born. The site also discusses social and political changes along with the economic growth seen during this era.
From 1865 to 1900, technology transformed the United States during the period known as the Gilded Age. During this time, the lives of the American people ultimately changed, for many Americans, including farmers, were able to share better food, yield more land, and help contribute to the overall standard of living. However, in order to attain a profit, farmers had the precarious responsibility of gathering the essential tools and crops to meet the nation’s demands. As a result, more raw materials, such as wood were being consumed in factories. In order to uphold the continuum of the vast growing nation, there was a demand for faster and easier means of transportation.
As well as, family began to take long vacations which didn't happen before the automobile. This led to Americans being able to see different areas of the country they lived in first hand. The automobile also helped the development of an educated population from an early age because student could access school multiple grade levels and went to school longer. To conclude, Shannon believed that manufacturing changed the 1920’s not social rebellion by
After World War I and during the 1920s, America’s economy was growing to be the best in the world. Consumerism had led to the increase in purchases made by Americans and the amount of products that had been produced. Some of the consumer goods that were now in demand had included the automobile,
The bureaucratization of business in the 1920’s meant that more people could be employed in higher paying white-collar jobs than before, including, for the first time, housewives. This new income combined with the reduced prices for goods that resulted from mechanized production, assembly lines and a general decrease in the cost of technology created a thriving consumerist middle class that went on to fuel the economy in all sectors, especially the upper classes. Likewise, during World War II Americans saved up around 150 billion dollars, and this sum combined with the income of the GI Bill allowed normal people to buy expensive things, from houses to cars to electronics to education at a rapid rate, fueling the trademark prosperity of the 1950’s. The new automobile culture of the 50’s spawned new businesses that catered to mobile Americans, such as nicer and more standardized hotels like Holiday Inn, and drive-up restaurants like McDonalds. Just as the culture of the 1920’s was transformed by modernist ideas, the world of the 1950’s was reinvigorated by the introduction of the automobile to the middle class....
Throughout the late nineteenth and the early twentieth century, the United States economy changed dramatically as the country transformed from a rural agricultural nation to an urban industrial gian, becoming the leading manufacturing country in the world. The vast expansion of the railroads in the late 1800s’ changed the early American economy by tying the country together into one national market. The railroads provided tremendous economic growth because it provided a massive market for transporting goods such as steel, lumber, and oil. Although the first railroads were extremely successful, the attempt to finance new railroads originally failed. Perhaps the greatest physical feat late 19th century America was the creation of the transcontinental railroad. The Central Pacific Company, starting in San Francisco, and the new competitor, Union Pacific, starting in Omaha. The two companies slaved away crossing mountains, digging tunnels, and laying track the entire way. Both railroads met at Promontory, Utah on May 10, 1869, and drove one last golden spike into the completed railway. Of course the expansion of railroads wasn’t the only change being made. Another change in the economy was immigration.
The 1920's were a time where North America became modernized. Whether it was the music, the culture or the growth in technology, this time era is known to most people as the point where America advanced itself to become a world renowned country. An advancement that will be focused on is the Ford Model T. During this time owning a car was a symbol of wealth. Henry Ford, the creator of the Model T, made a system that revolutionized the automobile industry as we know it today. Henry Ford made it possible for people with an average income to own a motor vehicle by creating the assembly line and the theory of mass production. "The horse, which had been the chief means of land transportation for 3,500 years, had given way to the automobile, and the country's largest industry had been born." (Gordon)
The railroad played a major role in forging the history of many countries including the United States of America. The railroad began to bring people to places that before then where only accessed by weeks of dangerous travel over harsh and deadly terrain. The industrial revolution had ushered in a completely new era. The new era was one of mass production, supply and demand, and new requirements of industry. The growth of industry had created new demands for transit, trade, and more robust supply lines. The railroad boom across the U.S. had spread and proceeded to grow the economy quickly therefore, many people began using the rail roads just as quickly. The rail market continued to grow and by the 1860’s all major cities within the United States were connected by rail.
The development of canal, steam boats and railroads provided a transportation network that linked different regions of the nation together. When farmers began migrating westward and acquiring land for crops, cheaper forms of transportation provided the means to transfer their goods to other regions for s...
In the 1920's, corporations started to take better care of their workers than they had in the past. Workers were paid higher wages and worked shorter hours. With more time and money on their hands, workers turned into consumers, which caused an increase in the production of consumer goods. One of the most popular consumer goods is the automobile. To keep up with the high demand, the automobile industry had to create a way to make a lot of cars in a short amount of time, at a low price.
on a car as it passed them. A skeleton of a car went in and after each
Through out the 1920’s many inventions were created that altered human civilization. Transportation was successfully mastered. Radio communication was becoming more common and medicine was saving more and more lives every day.
Discussing the entire history of human transportation within the confines of this brief paper would be, to say the least, a hairy undertaking, so the focus here will resonate on a single individual and the potential unforseen consequences of his and his agents' perfectly intentional actions. In addition, it is far easier, more sensible, and productive, to examine a figure from the relatively distant past. So to begin with, take the case of John Jacob Astor, who died in 1848 as one of America's outstanding foreign merchants ' . Born in Germany, by the time he reached twenty, Astor had already traveled throughout Western Europe and to New York City when he began ...