Western Transportation Improvements

Definition

These were advancements in transportation methods (like railroads, canals) during the late 1800s that facilitated faster movement across the western United States.

Analogy

Imagine if your school upgraded from old textbooks to iPads - information would be easier and quicker to access. Similarly, these improvements made travel across vast distances quicker and more efficient.

Related terms

Transcontinental Railroad: A train route across the United States finished in 1869 which greatly reduced travel time across country.

Erie Canal: An artificial waterway connecting Hudson river at Albany with Lake Erie at Buffalo; it lowered shipping costs fueling westward expansion.

Interstate Commerce Act (1887): Federal law designed to regulate railroad industry particularly its monopolistic practices.