Homework 1 Week Three: The Joyride

The article "The Joyride" discussed the automobiles history and rise to prominence in the U.S. It starts by discussing various competitors the car had along the way, and how the automobile led to their demise. General motors played a significant role in the shift from electric motors and trolley cars to internal combustion engines and buses. GM bought about 100 trolley companies, and with each, they they tore up the track and replaced it with buses. Private transportation, i.e. the car, has played a pivotal role in the formation of our country, our attitudes, and our culture. Switching from largely public transport to private transport was a change with more influence behind it than we could have imagined. Since our country's inception, independence has been of utmost importance. The automobile made possible an individual revolution in our country that has become a focal point of our culture. Cars granted most of country to just up and leave, whenever, going wherever. This kind of transportation is liberating, so it's understandable why it took off so quickly and is now so omnipresent.

The advent of the automoblie also had an unexpeted and harmul effect on U.S. farms. Rural farmers pre-Model T had little access to -at the time- modern american culture, books, education, and medical care. The model T, first introduced in 1908, quickly became loyal customers. Cars allowed them not only increased cultural access, but also the ability to do many tasks around the farm much more simply. But, given a taste of city life, many farm boys abandoned their rural lifestyle for something new in the city, causing a huge hit to rural farms, which accounted for about 1/3 of Americas population.

Post WWII, the energy produced by oil, and after a little while, fission, contributed greatly to the formation of society and the babyboomer generation. The abundance of cheap oil caused the U.S.'s economy to soar, creating a housing and production boom. These new suburban neighborhoods we shaped by the automobile. The houses are neatly arranged around a road running through the middle of the neighborhood. This created a new cultural phenomena, suburbia.

The article mentioned an interesting tycoon named Robert Moses. Have there been any laws since to prevent that situation from happening again?

The cars rise to fame represents a greedy and shameful history of a few individuals. How did corporations become organized to encourage greed and dishonesty?

Was there a rebirth of the electric car in during the Oil embargo in the 70's?