Americans on the Move A History of Waterways, Railways, and Highways With Illustrations from the Library of Congress

9781555911836

1555911838

Americans became a distinctively mobile society in order to take advantage of the open lands of this vast continent. The construction of turnpikes, canals, railroads, and highways in America is a monumental accomplishment surpassing that of all other previous historic eras. But even more important is the restlessness - the itch to keep moving - which has given American society its dynamism. Thomas Jefferson, recognizing the economic need for better ways of transporting goods to and from the frontiers, became one of the most eloquent advocates of improving westward and eastward passages. He envisioned a national road that was the conceptual predecessor of the interstate highway system, the realization of which would not occur until the middle of the twentieth century. In Americans on the Move, Russell Bourne traces the history of transportation in America from the colonial years before the American Revolution to the present. This book, which includes rare photographs and maps from the Library of Congress (many of which have never been seen before by the public) explores the inventions, the enthusiasms, and the myths that have kept Americans on the move.