Transportation in the 1920s Term Paper by Nicky

A look at how the growth of the automobile industry in the 1920s impacted American society.
# 150989 | 881 words | 4 sources | MLA | 2012 | US
Published on May 16, 2012 in History (U.S. 1900-1930)


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Description:

The paper discusses how the introduction of automobiles impacted rural education and public safety and provided people with a new freedom and mobility. The paper also addresses the negative impacts such as traffic congestion, air pollution and the growing number of auto accidents and deaths associated with them. The paper concludes that for the most part, the automobile had a very positive effect on society, and that relationship continues today.

From the Paper:

"The automobile was firmly established by the 1920s. More people could afford them due to mass production and competition between manufacturers, and that meant people had greater freedom and mobility. Previously, the only methods of transportation where horse and buggy or carriage, train, or public transportation like streetcars. However, by the 1920s, this was not the case. Editors at the Smithsonian Institution note, "By the time this photo was taken in the 1920s, automobiles had changed the city streetscape, and the carriage was becoming a rarity" ("America on the Move"). This gave people much more freedom in their schedules and in their recreation. They no longer had to rely on the schedules of public transportation; they could make their own schedules and travel independently. This was a major change in American society.
"The automobile also affected education, especially rural education. Before the automobile, most rural children attended small, local schools that were near their homes. When school buses became common, they could attend larger, better-equipped schools that were farther from their homes, so they received a better education. An author notes, "But with the school bus, rural communities could transport youngsters to a consolidated school and combine resources in order to better outfit it" (Sandler 34). That is just one of the more surprising ways the automobile began to shift American culture and society during the 1920s."

Sample of Sources Used:

  • Drowne, Kathleen Morgan and Huber, Patrick The 1920's. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2004.
  • Editors. "1920s Automobiles." 1920-30.com. 2009. 26 Oct. 2009.<http://www.1920-30.com/automobiles/>.
  • Editors. "America on the Move." Smithsonian Institution.edu. 2009. 26 Oct. 2009.<http://americanhistory.si.edu/onthemove/exhibition/exhibition_4_5.html>.
  • Sandler, Martin W. Driving around the USA: Automobiles in American Life. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.

Cite this Term Paper:

APA Format

Transportation in the 1920s (2012, May 16) Retrieved December 03, 2023, from https://www.academon.com/term-paper/transportation-in-the-1920s-150989/

MLA Format

"Transportation in the 1920s" 16 May 2012. Web. 03 December. 2023. <https://www.academon.com/term-paper/transportation-in-the-1920s-150989/>

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