1. The Transcontinental Railroad System provided jobs across the nation. The invention of the steam engine caused transportation to improve. As a result, businesses made profit, and transporting products were easier and faster.
2. John McAdams was a Scottish engineer who modernized the way we built roads. He is important to transportation because of the changes he made to roads. He changed the roads by making sure the roadbeds were raised to make sure there was adequate drainage. The roadbeds were then laid with broken stones in symmetrical patterns, and covered with small stones to make a hard surface. McAdam discovered that the best stone or gravel for road surfacing had to be broken or crushed, and then graded to a constant size of chippings. This revolutionized roads, and helped a lot in regards to transportation, making it easier and faster.
3. The Erie Canal was a canal located in New York City and was completed in 1825. We benefited from railroads and canals while shipping goods because it made shipping cheaper and faster. Before railroads and canals took in place, shipping took longer because they had to deliver them, most likely on horses, and it often made the goods damaged.
