Transportation has changed immensely since the days of John Smith, Nathaniel Bacon, and other early American settlers. Walking was a primary means of transport for the early citizens, as well as horse drawn carriages. By the 1800's, steamboats made an emergence, and canals became a popular means of transportation. In the 1840's, railroads could be used as a convenient method of transportation, but didn't become popular until the 1860's. In the 1880's, horse drawn street cars could be used to get around, and by 1900, the electric streetcar emerged as a convenient way to get from place to place. .
In the early years of the colonies, a horse and buggy were the method people used to get around. In the year 1811, the federal government began construction on the National Road. People could travel this road in their buggy's, and by the year 1838, the road spanned from Cumberland, Maryland to Vandalia, Illinois. Many states would build turnpikes for people to travel on. The gentlemen and ladies would pay a set sum of money, and the roads would end up paying for themselves. All these roads were used heavily, and they were the colonist's only way to get around. A new invention changed this. .
Robert Fulton designed a boat powered by the steam engine, and set sail in the year 1807. This brought about a rush of steamboats. Before, the Mississippi River was a one way river, because you could only float down it. But now they could sail both ways. 200 steamboats were built and running by the year 1830. But the Mississippi River didn't lead to enough of the places Americans wanted it to. For that reason, they made the Erie Canal. Construction on the canal began in 1817, and by the year 1845, more than 3,300 miles of canals were being used. By the 1860's, however, the boom of canals was nearly over. .
Railroads had been in use since the 1840's, but it was much more expensive to ship products on railroads than on steamboats, and steamboats were much more comfortable for passengers.