James Truslow Adams writes that ‘America has always been a
land of dreams, the "land of promise."’. This is reflected in the
expansion of infrastructure within the us during the 19th century.
In the above image this is shown through a map of ‘Railroads, Telegraph Lines
and Principal Stage Routes’. This expansion through America shows that the
people were driven by the ‘American Dream’ to better themselves. Adams writes
about the rapid population expansion in Michigan which he says ‘had a
population of 31,000 in 1830, held 212,000 ten years later.’. The number of
transport links and telegraph lines shows the evolution of the American society
and the new links between the different parts of the country, and the progression
of the country.
This map also outlines the changing nature of the American
Dream which was written about by Cullen in his book. It shows that the
Americans not only dreamed of new prosperity but also progress on a wider scale
through transportation and technological advances. The American Dream today is
different from the early dream but it still remains subjective.
Sources:
Cullen, J., The American Dream: A Short History of an Idea
That Shaped a Nation, (Oxford, University Press, 2003), 3-10.
Adams, J.T, The Epic of America, (Routledge, 1931) Ch.8
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