Response Paper - Coursework Example

Response paper on railroad American economic growth Q View point The pervasive impact of the railroad on the economy of America that is seen in the fist place as an idea that drives the construction of the most enterprises, contributes to purveyor of cheap transportation.Q 2Evidence to support the viewpointRoad transport emerges as the most important innovation tool in the current century as it drives the American economic growth. It has been the prime force that contributes greatly to the growth of agriculture, emergence of many corporations and fast growth of postmodern industries in the manufacturing fields.

It also influences the regional location of many industries, the patterns that are taken by the urbanizations and even the structure of the interregional trade (Fogel 164). Up to date a lot of research still show that railroad transport still remains as an imperative of the growth of many economies for example the when you follow the economic history of the in transport, you find that railroads transport has a lot of influence on the American development since most of the industrial developments, agriculture and even the settlement of the West would have not been possible without it.

Q 3Most important problem with the viewpoint The problem with the viewpoint is that it gives imperative ideas that only demonstrate the associations that exists between the growth of the railroad network and the growth of the economy but fails to give an establishment of the causal relationship that exist between the railroad and the reorganization of the trade in various regions, the changes that are seen in the structure of the outputs or even other strategic changes that characterize the economy of America such as the rise in the per capita income.

It also fails to establish the prima face that justifies the railroad as necessary conditions for any form of developments. The building and construction of such big network of transportation require a large starting capital that may take the form of large volumes of goods such as finances, iron, lumber and even other transport equipment.Q 4Relevance of the quote from Morris Raphael to this articleThe particular relevance of the Morris Raphael was not only to the novelty of his viewpoint but on how he summarized the conclusion on for both who lived in the period of railroad revolution and those people who later analyzed it through the lens of past times.

Q 5It means that it is cheaper to use the railroad means to transport freights that to use the canals or water since railroad can carry five times more than what the canals can carry. Though they provide the same service but railroad provides it at a lower cost to the buyers.Q 6How Fogel justifies why drawing conclusions about a much longer time period. One cannot leap for example from the data that demonstrate the victory of the use of roads transport that began in many centuries over the use of water way in the competition for freight.

Q 7The decisive advantage of the railroad over canals and the use of rivers in the contest for the transportation of freight are beyond any dispute since the cost is relatively lower when you transport using the railroad than the water this is because railroad transport can carry five times of freights as the boats. That is the railroad provides the same services as the canal but at a lower cost to the buyers.Q 8Railroad transport has been the prime force that contributes greatly to the growth of agriculture, emergence of many corporations and fast growth of postmodern industries in the manufacturing fields.

It also influences the regional location of many industries, the patterns that are taken by the urbanizations and even the structure of the interregional tradeWork citedFogel, Robert W. "A quantitative approach to the study of railroad in American economic growth: a report of some preliminary findings." The Journal of Economic History 22 (1962): 163-197.