Thomas Jefferson said “Every generation needs a new revolution.” The 20th century experienced many types of revolutions. One of the most important events of the 20th century was the revolution in transportation. The transportation revolution helped make us a globally connected world, brought the import and export business to a whole new level, and changed our lives profoundly. Before the War of 1812, natural waterways provided the least expensive routes for people and goods, but the limitations were apparent. Land transportation was also limited.
By the end of the 19th century, railroads had changed transportation and travel in America.
People were traveling quickly across America on steam locomotives. By the beginning of the
20th century however, new ideas and improvements in Automobiles allowed them to become a practical and dependable form of transportation. Meanwhile, in 1919, a whole new form of transportation had begun flight. Airplanes began connecting the world. Pan American World Airways, also known as, Pan Am, was the principal international air carrier for the US; delivering mail throughout Key West, Cuba, and Havana. World War I is the first war in which airplanes were largely used in warfare. The impact of aircraft on the war was limited, but it would change the course of use in future wars. Mass transit systems were introduced well before the 20th century, with that of stagecoaches and steam locomotives. But the 20th century brought street railways to New York
City and other metropolitan areas. Buses were introduced in the 1930’s and who can forget the hand that buses played in the Civil Rights Movement. After the Civil War, foreign trade was prominent in the growth of the United States. At the outbreak of the World War I, exports reached $2.5 billion. Most American products were sent to Britain and Canada but more and more were being sold to Latin America and Asia; helping American investments abroad. In 1913, the US outranked both Great Britain and
Germany in the production of manufactured goods for the first time. The United States was
Finally able to balance it’s imported and exported goods. New materials, new fuels, and engines gave rise to the