Brooklyn Bridge Case Study

Thousands of people drive and walk on the bridge over the bay in San Francisco every day. On May 27th 1937 the bridge opened for pedestrian traffic and the next day opened for vehicular traffic. Many people helped with the creating of the bridge and not all of them were engineers. Ben Loeterman is an award winning film maker, director and producer. “Former farmers, clerks, and taxicab drivers became high steel men” (Loeterman).

The 1800’s were a time of widespread growth due to the Industrial Revolution which introduced new manufacturing processes and tools, greatly increasing productivity. As the 19th century came to an end, the Industrial Revolution enforced government intervention into the market place righting wrongs that had come to fruition. Among these interventions were the Sherman Act of 1890, the Greenbacks over the Gold Standard, 1862 and the Interstate Commerce Act, 1887. Even though the United States practiced in a free market, these government interventions moved to reinstate economic opportunities and to correct inequalities in the American economic markets. At first with the widespread Industrial Revolution, everyone encouraged the growth of

After the Civil War, the United States had two distinct economies, which is quite significant. The Southern economy was completely damaged by the results of the Civil War. Southerners were forced to readjust their entire economy, because slaves needed to be liberated, leaving slave-owners with no workforce. Meanwhile, in the North, the need to supply Union armies with particularly daily supplies marked the start of an era of industrial development. Which giant corporations essentially emerged known as Big Business.

The financial crisis triggered a depression that lasted from 1873 to 1879 and lead to over 15,000 businesses failing in a just two years. In January 1877, congress set up a special commission of

Some places had only one-story buildings, others were bigger. In the late nineteenth century, however, there were a lot of buildings, railroads and a better infrastructure overall. Comparing these facts, we can state that the Bronx underwent a huge development of infrastructure. This is due to the process of Urbanization and Industrialization, The city of New York surely became bigger in the Urbanization time.

In the years after the Civil War, the American steel industry grew with astonishing speed as the nation's economy expanded to become the largest in the world. Between 1880 and the turn of the century, steel production increased from 1.25 million tons to more than 10 million tons. By 1910 America was producing more than 24 million tons, by far the greatest of any country.” because of the steel production it gave many people jobs which gave them homes. Although the jobs were not always safe and were very long people still were able to make a living and care for their

In the first half of the nineteenth century, economic differences increased. When the cotton gin was invented, it had caused the south to have a totally different economic path than the north. (246). Eventually, the

In the post-Civil War United States corporations grew significantly in number, size and influence. Big business had a major impact on the economy and politics in America resulting in changes for many American citizens. As been noted, one way in

Since transportation was easier and faster, people could live in the suburbs on the edge of towns. For example, queens outside New York doubled in size in the 1920s. By the end of the 1920s, more than 26 million cars were sold, and lots of new towns were created. Another advancement that is important is the development of trucks. In the beginning, trucks were old fashioned and had lots of flaws.

The economy was consistent in the United States during the 1870’s but as the years went on large businesses were able to lower the cost of food prices, fuel and lighting

Once the war had ended the United States saw a growth in wages, consumer spending, housing, the production of cars and public work projects. “The Interstate Highway System was the biggest of these.” (Background Document) The highways connect people all along the main interstate and it helped to expand the population. “Between 1950 and 2020, the population of the entire United States approximately doubled.” (Document D) One main highway, the I-35 corridor, towns along the route grew astronomically in size.

Throughout this weeks reading on Chapter 4, we focus in on the Progressive Era and the establishment of urban America. The industrial revolution was at its peak and the United States was developing rapidly. Immigration, manufacturing output, and urban development grew faster than any other time in the nation’s history. Not only that, but scientific developments changed lives and revolutionary theories challenged traditional beliefs. As Rury suggests, “ . . .

The building of roads, canals and railroads played a large role in the United States during the 1800s. They served the purpose of connecting towns and settlements so that goods could be transported quickly and more efficiently. These goods could be transported fast, cheap and in safe way through the Erie Canal that was built to connect the Great Lakes to New York. Railroads were important during Civil War as well, because it helped in the transportation of goods, supplies and weapons when necessary. These new forms of transportation shaped the United States into the place that it is today.

Transportation to one place would be easier due to the fact that there are now many ways to get to one specific location. Aside from the positive effects of Moses’s work, there are also a vast amount of negative effects. One negative effect is, many people were evicted from their homes due to his construction. “His Cross Bronx Expressway all but destroyed the life of the borough. It is estimated that during his career Moses caused a quarter of a million people to be evicted from their homes to make way for his highways” (Kunstler, 100).

Despite its name, the East river is actually an estuary which is prone to tidal conditions and turbulence. The East River served as a transport route, therefore, making it one of the busiest canals in the world. The only solution at that time was to construct a suspension bridge high enough so that ships would be allowed to pass beneath it (K. Burns, 2002). Construction of the Brooklyn Bridge The Brooklyn Bridge was the most significant project of its time.