In simple words, In 1876, Germany produced the very first gasoline-fueled four-stroke cycle generator. Carl Brass began mass manufacture of internal burning engines for automobiles in 1886. Automobiles had entered their current stage of production by the 1890s. A road vehicle was powered by steam very early as 1769.
Americans believed all people (i.e., white males) possessed the rights to life, liberty, and property. The best way to protect these rights was by limiting the power of government and allowing people to govern themselves.