The Main Revolutions in 19th Century: Market, Transportation, and Communications

The Market Revolution, Transportation Revolution, and Communications Revolution completely changed our way of living in 19th century. These revolutions gave us new ways to travel, communicate, and a better means of production. America made big advancements during that time. However, there were also downfalls to these revolutions. Such as, an increase in child labor and slavery. The country suffered from these but also furthered their advancement at the same time.

The revolutions were similar in that one could not exist without the other. The Market Revolution increased the production of goods which could later be sent over seas. Unfortunately, this did more harm than good “as exports rose, exorbitant internal transportation costs hindered substantial economic development within the United States”. Many struggled in their attempts to transport goods across the land because of the horrible terrain. This led to the development of railways, canals, and roads. The development of roads turned a rocky, uneven journey into a sightseeing adventure. Later, “New York State completed the Erie Canal. The 350-mile-long human-made waterway linked the Great Lakes with the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean”. This fake river created a much easier way to transport goods as they could just sail down the river. After that, in 1827 “the United States’ first long-distance rail line launched from Maryland”. This means of transportation was hindered due to the economic impact it had. Everyone started building railroads throughout Maryland, Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, and Charleston, SC. “The economic collapse following the Panic of 1837 made governments wary of such investments. Government supports continued throughout the century, but decades later the public origins of railroads were all but forgotten, and the railroad corporation became the most visible embodiment of corporate capitalism”. 

After the Transportation Revolution was the Communications Revolution which advanced our ways of spreading info and messages. “The telegraph redefined the limits of human communication. By 1843 Samuel Morse had persuaded Congress to fund a forty-mile telegraph line stretching from Washington, D.C., to Baltimore. Within a few short years, during the Mexican-American War, telegraph lines carried news of battlefield events to eastern newspapers within days”.

Without the Market Revolution, creating and distributing goods would have taken months or even years longer. But in order to spread those goods we needed that transportation creation boom. We needed railways, and canals, and roads because even though these things required a lot of funding, they changed the way goods were exported. “Goods could be exported to European countries much quicker and to places much further away” (Arehart, Yawp). However, without the Communication Revolution the rest would have been pointless. Being able to communicate with one another ensured a direct line in relaying information regarding goods and also informing people about the war. Each Revolution was dependent on each other. Having just one of these revolutions would not have helped us advance as far as we did. Having all three revolutions combined made our lives much more productive and forever changed.