Why was transportation such a critical feature of the Industrial Revolution?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

ANSWER:
The steam engine is credited as being one of the most significant inventions of the Industrial Revolution, and one that differentiated it from earlier periods of technological progress. Through the use of steam engines, goods could be transported over waterways, not only in Europe (particularly Britain) but also in the United States. Canals linked cities and rural areas for manufacturing and trade purposes and facilitated access to the oceans, previously held only by coastal states. With the steam engine's use in railroads, towns and cities were linked with more rural areas for the transportation of goods and services, not only over larger distances but also with greater speed and efficiency. In the United States, the development of railroads facilitated expansion across the country through the Midwest and connected the East and West Coasts. The infrastructure of railroad tracks also contributed to the stringing of telegraph lines, facilitating long-distance communication.