Deck 9: Transportation and Market Growth

Question 1

The term "transportation revolution" implies

A)binding the East and West politically.
B)binding the East and West economically.
C)rapidly introduced technological innovations.
D)All of the above are implied.

Answer 1

All of the above are implied.

Question 2

Clipper ships

A)allowed for profitable shipping on both short and long journeys.
B)dominated Atlantic trade by 1850.
C)were among the first ships to have iron hulls.
D)earned huge profits transporting passengers and cargo during the gold rushes to California and Australia.
E) All of the above.

Answer 2

earned huge profits transporting passengers and cargo during the gold rushes to California and Australia.

Question 3

Despite dramatic increases in trackage during the antebellum period,the U.S.was slow to develop an integrated railroad system.This was primarily due to

A)the opposition of municipal governments to railroads.
B)the opposition of the federal government to railroads.
C)the failure to adopt a standard gauge for track.
D)heavy taxes on railroad companies.

Answer 3

the failure to adopt a standard gauge for track.

Question 4

DeWitt Clinton is most recognized for

A)inventing the wheat combine.
B)being one of the primary advocates of the abolition movement.
C)developing the technology to power railroad engines.
D)overseeing the building of the Erie Canal.

Question 5

Which of the following antebellum transportation innovations earned the greatest rate of return?

A)corporate-owned turnpikes
B)the National Road
C)the Erie Canal
D)the Mainline Canal

Question 6

Public versus private initiatives to expand canals and railroads

A)featured a large percentage of government investment.
B)featured a small percentage of government investment.
C)were dominated by private investment.
D)were exclusively private due to "strict constructionism."

Question 7

Inland passage times were reduced primarily through

A)increasing the speeds of the boats themselves.
B)shorter layover times.
C)the government activity to clear the rivers of natural obstructions.
D)learning to operate the boats at night.

Question 8

According to Walton and Rockoff,the primary reason for the demise of the canal system was

A)excessive reliance on individual entrepreneurs so that a system of canals was never created.
B)excessive government regulation that kept canal rates and profits too low.
C)environmental damage from deforestation that left canals flooded at some times and dry at others.
D)competition from the railroads.

Question 9

Until the 1840s,the leading transport route in the US (in terms of volume of freight from the West)was

A)the Northern Gateway.
B)the Northeastern Gateway.
C)the Southern Gateway.
D)the Erie Canal.

Question 10

Which did not cause significant navigation problems on inland waterways?

A)ice
B)variations in the heights of rivers
C)sand bars
D)sunken ships
E)inland piracy

Question 11

The sharp decline in domestic freight costs during the antebellum period was primarily due to the introduction of

A)railroads.
B)paved roads.
C)clipper ships.
D)canals and steamboats.

Question 12

Robert Fulton is most recognized for

A)inventing of the cotton gin.
B)building the first steamboat.
C)being one of the primary advocates of the abolition movement.
D)developing the technology to power railroad engines.

Question 13

Between 1830 and 1860,the number of miles of railroad in operation increased by

A)roughly 100 percent.
B)roughly 500 percent.
C)roughly 750 percent.
D)over 1000 percent.

Question 14

According to Walton and Rockoff,the primary reason the Federal government failed to build an adequate highway system before the Civil War was

A)the technology was not available.
B)the canal craze diverted attention.
C)rivalries among different sections of the country stalled legislation.
D)the teachings of Adam Smith were taken too literally.

Question 15

The Erie Canal,the most important canal (in terms of the number and dollar value of shipments),was in

A)Georgia.
B)New York.
C)Pennsylvania.
D)Maryland.

Question 16

Strict constructionism of the Constitution in the antebellum period

A)made federal funding of any project passing through several states illegal.
B)held the federal government to only a few transportation projects.
C)opened the door to federal domination of transportation projects.
D)caused earlier federal plans of transportation expansion to be completed by a mix of state,local and private enterprise.
E)Both b and d are correct.

Question 17

"Antebellum transportation improvements encouraged the South to specialize in cotton,while depending on the West for food and the Northeast for manufactured goods." This statement

A)describes Rostow's stages of growth model.
B)describes North's interregional growth hypothesis.
C)describes Thomas Jefferson's vision of the US economy.
D)is supported by most contemporary economic historians.

Question 18

Which statement best describes the relationship between steamboats,keelboats and flatboats on the Mississippi River in the antebellum period?

A)Steamboats were substitutes for both keelboats and flatboats.
B)Steamboats were complements for both keelboats and flatboats.
C)Steamboats were substitutes for keelboats and complements for flatboats.
D)Steamboats were substitutes for flatboats and complements for keelboats.

Question 19

Between 1820 and 1840 freight rates on western rivers declined drastically.The main reason for this drop in prices was _________.

A)the decline in the price level.
B)tolls and other barriers to trade decreased.
C)the decline in monopoly power.
D)the steamboat was used more frequently.

Question 20

Which of the following antebellum transportation innovations was financed primarily by government funds?

A)the Erie Canal
B)the New Orleans steamboat
C)the Lancaster Turnpike
D)the Ann McKim clipper ship

Question 21

What is the best inference about the impact of a decrease in transportation costs?

A)The demand and supply curves will shift out,which will increase quantities of goods.
B)The supply curve will shift out,which will lead to lower prices to consumers.
C)Farmers will earn a smaller share of the selling price of their crops.
D)The demand curve will shift out,which will lead to higher prices and quantities of goods.

Question 22

When considering the price lags of the West behind the East,by the eve of the Civil War the lag was

A)roughly one year.
B)six months.
C)three months.
D)virtually eliminated.

Question 23

One of the most important reasons for the economic growth of the U.S.in the antebellum period was market unification and falling costs of trade.Samuel F.B.Morse contributed significantly to these trends.Mores is most recognized for:

A)Inventing the telegraph.
B)Inventing the steam engine.
C)Developing the technology to power railroad engines.
D)Overseeing the building of the Erie Canal.

Question 24

What was not a benefit of the development of a national market?

A)Increased production by reducing tragedy of the commons problems.
B)Permitted greater division of labor.
C)Enabled people and organizations to engage more in their comparative advantages.
D)Led to lower costs because of increasing returns to scale could be taken advantage of in more industries.

Question 25

What is not a benefit from the lower costs of transportation that were achieved through advances in railroads,canals and steamboats?

A)Free rider problems were reduced.
B)Farmers gained larger shares of the selling price of their crops.
C)Consumers paid decreasing shares of the purchase price for transportation and
Marketing costs.
D)New unsettled areas were profitably cleared and added to the nation's
Economic activity.

Question 26

What most accurately describes the trend in inter-city prices between 1815-1860?

A)Prices of goods in different eastern cities diverged.
B)The prices of goods in the Midwest converged towards the prices of goods in the east.
C)Prices of goods in the Midwest decreased relative to the prices of goods in the east.