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The 19th century was an interesting time in American history because as a young, vast nation, the advent of modern infrastructure greatly affected how it would come to be structured both economically and politically. More fundamentally, the influx of canals, roads, and railroads built in this time period would serve to carve a new perception of space in the minds of most americans, as new settlements became easier to build, and as the need for everything for survival to be produced in every town ceased to exist. The three sources analyzed in this essay demonstrate both the scope of the transformation american infrastructure underwent and also the reactions some Americans had to it.

The map produced by civil engineer, David Stevenson in 1838 gives a clear visual representation of the shape American infrastructure had taken by that time. It is also important to note that all rivers wide and deep enough would have been used to transport goods and people as well as the wholly man-made routes of transport. One feature of the map that jumps immediately to mind is the westerly trend of the canals across the United States, alluding to the use of infrastructure to expand into the mainland of America now that goods necessary for survival (food, textiles for clothing, firearms for hunting, construction materials, etc.) could be shipped over from the coast. This newfound expansionary power changed the mindset of Americans towards the prospect of moving west and was indicative of the ideological movement of manifest destiny that would sweep the nation in the 19th century. This map was produced early on in the railway boom in America and as such features very little in the way of railway lines (the number of lines would more than double before 1860), but we do see in this map a tendency to use rail in order to connect the northern and southern states. As another source analyzed in this essay will look into, the South was slower to hop aboard the notion of internal commerce, but the process, shown in its infancy in this map, to connect the states more naturally suited to agriculture with those more inclined towards industry was the beginning of a new way of looking at the geographical features of the nation. These railway lines, whilst also facilitating the movement of curious settlers, allude to the changing mentality towards economic specialization in the United States, and to the new understanding that different regions can be used of for the production of separate goods, which could improve both efficiency and average quality.

There were clear economic benefits to the revolutionary means of transporting goods long distances for both the northern factories and the southern plantations, but the map shows a clear disparity between the state of technological and infrastructural advancement in the North and that of the South. The editorial entitled, “National Industry” from the National Intelligencer outlines this same idea, as by the end it becomes more of an outcry to the landowners and agriculturalists in the South to embrace the exciting new world of internal commerce, making the point that they stand to make a great deal more money by using the newest technological advancements in order to ship their wares across the country to a new host of potential buyers. The point is outlined most clearly when the editor writes, in a plea to the southern landowners, “Who can have so much interest as you in the opening of canals and roads, the increase of national industry and capital, with all its ramifications, which must reach you like irrigating streams of living waters, and enhance the value of your possessions?”. It is clear from looking at strongly worded editorials like this one and the economic suggestions found in newspaper articles such as the article, “Thoughts on Commerce and Agriculture” from the Raleigh Register in which the author constantly sings the praise of devoting sales efforts to other Americans (newly possible as canals were beginning to take shape in 1800 when it was written) rather than overseas buyers. The new focus on the domestic market as a separate target for exporting goods is a perfect example of the changing views of space in America at this time because no longer were goods produced in America just distinctively American, but goods in each state could now be viewed (and therefore marketed as) as distinct to that particular state, allowing a drastic increase in the marketability for products in regions where there was a more suitable climate for them.

The final source investigated here will be a later part in Stevenson’s survey of American infrastructure in which he remarks on the staggering ease, affordability, and speed with which one can now traverse unbelievable distances hitherto undreamt by man. Stevenson remarks on page 187 how many of these railway lines and canals cut through forests that previously made travel impossible, acting as further proof of the fervor with which people were getting behind the expansion in infrastructure. The excitement with which Stevenson talks about the ground covered by and the space aboard the steamboats for both personnel and cargo coupled with the newspapers’ rave reviews of the prospects of using said new infrastructure to expand the southern economy provides overwhelming testament to the new vision that americans were conjuring for both themselves and for their country. As mentioned earlier, America is a much larger country than most, and with the advent of means of moving around it, Americans were finally starting to realize that their country spans a similar range and array of climates and resources as other continents, let alone other countries. Through their newfound ability to move about their young nation, they realized it was more like several countries in one, each with different advantages, than one homogenous land mass.

Stevenson, David, and Burndy Library. Sketch of the Civil Engineering of North America: Comprising Remarks on the Harbours, River and Lake Navigation, Lighthouses, Steam-Navigation, Water-Works, Canals, Roads, Railways, Bridges, and Other Works in That Country: by David Stevenson. London: John Weale, Architectural Library, 1838. Nineteenth Century Collections Online. Web. 19 Mar. 2015.

“Thoughts on Commerce and Agriculture.” Raleigh Register, and North-Carolina Weekly Advertiser [Raleigh, North Carolina] 15 July 1800: n.p. 19th Century U.S. Newspapers. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.

“National Industry.” Daily National Intelligencer [Washington, District Of Columbia] 8 Feb. 1817: n.p. 19th Century U.S. Newspapers. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.