Roads, Canals, and Railroads
California Content Standard 8.6.2
By the end of the lesson, I will be able to…
Outline the physical obstacles to and the economic and political
factors involved in building a network of roads, canals, and
railroads (e.g., Henry Clay’s American System)
As evidenced by…
Taking notes and a quiz.
Essential Question
• What was Henry Clay’s American System?
Henry Clay’s American System
• Kentucky Representative Henry Clay developed a plan that
came to be known as the American System.
• It was a series of measures intended to make the United States
economically self-sufficient
• Among the measures was a protective tariff.
• Clay wanted tariff money to be used to improve roads and canals.
• He believed that these improvements would unite the
country.
Early 1800s – Roads
• In the early 1800s, land travel was difficult.
• Most roads in the country were made of dirt.
Cumberland Road
• The Cumberland Road, begun in 1815, was the first road built
by the federal government.
Water Transportation - Canals
• Water transportation was usually quicker, easier, and cheaper.
• For this reason, canals were built.
• Canals had to be dug by hand, and they took years to complete.
• Steam-powered boats revolutionized transportation.
Railroads
• Trains revolutionized transportation.
• American railroads often had to run up and down steep
mountains, around tight curves, and over swift rivers.
• Tracks, however, were built quickly, and by 1860 about 30,000
miles of railroad linked almost every major city in the eastern
United States.