Joyride

This article was about how the advancement of automobiles and Americas dependency on automobiles. It quickly took the place of horses, bikes, and walking. It has changed our society forever. The first car that was made was from the model T Henry Ford created. He made cars cheaply and available to the working class. Cars opened up the possibilities of being able to travel around the country and move from place to place. As travel became more common there were gas stations opened, mechanics, highways being built, etc. As cars became more popular and widely used people realized they did not have to live in the cities. They could move to the suburbs and drive to work in the cities. This created a huge housing boom. Everyone could afford to buy a house in a neighborhood in the suburbs and live a more luxurious lifestyle. Without cars people could of never have moved to the suburbs. Cars have shaped what our society is now. It is also a major contributor to America’s oil dependency. Cars and houses use so much oil and we are so dependent on it now that it will be a shock to the nation when it runs out.

Questions
1) The car shaped Americans way of life because if allowed them to live with mobility. They could live in the suburbs and still work in the city. They could take trips and even move to a different place for jobs. This also caused the house market to be booming and the construction of highways and gas stations. The tractor allowed farmers to plow more land and grow more crops. No longer did they have to do everything manually or with horses. Cars and tractors were able to run because there was cheap oil and gas.
2) Energy contributed to the post WWII housing boom and suburban development because everything ran on energy. Houses needed electricity to heat the house and run the appliances which all used energy. Also, the construction companies needed energy to build more houses for all the WWII families and soldiers.

1) What would farming be like today if the tractor weren’t invented? Would faming have died out by now?
2) Why did public transportation never become as popular as cars?
3) If the automobiles never took off like it did what would our society be like today?