Figure 1.--This is Oak Stree in a leafy suburb of Chatanooga, Tennessee at the turn of the 20th century. The street is not paved, although there are sidewalks that the children can play on. (Click on tghe image to see what they are up to.) Notice there is a trolly line--it would have been a horse-drawn trolly. You can tell from the homes that the families were well to do, but theywoukd have been very constrained with there they could go if it was not on the trolly line. To go anywhere off the trolly line they had to engage a horse-drawn carriage of some kind. Also notice the number of cross bars onm the electrical poles.

The automobile also have a profound cultural imapct on America. It began to reshape cities and the American landscape. It also egan to signiicantly shape daily lives. Before the automobile, American was connected by the railroads. Roads were mostly unimprpved tracks, espcially west of the Mississippi. There were paved roads in the cities, but the pavement did not even raech into the suburbs, let alone connecing cities. The advent of the automobile brought with it public demand for improved streets and roads. City planning began to take place when the automobile in mind. Sometimes more attention was given go the automobile than people. The automobile made possible the move to the suburbs, especially after World War II. There were many other cultural impacts of the automobile. Few events were more important for an America boy than obtaining that all important driving license. That seems to be changing, but was very imprtant during the 20th The changing landscape and mobility led to huge changes in the American lifestyle. This included imcludded commerce, courting, jobs, school, recreation, shopping, socializing, vacation, work, and much more. Other countries were similarly affected, but not to the same extent as the United States. Europeann roads were also very limited. The German Autobahn was a rare exception, but if you look at pre-War photographs you will see almost no cars. Unlike Americans few Germans owned cars. After World War II, the changes that remade America began to transform Eurpoe--at least Western Europe. The cost of petrol, however, meant that that automobile ownership was never as widespread as in America.

Created: 6:50 PM 11/18/2019
Last updated: 6:50 PM 11/18/2019