The Bicycles Changed America Essay -- Exploratory Essays Research Pape

The Bicycles Changed America The great changes in American society that came with the introduction bicycle in the late 19th century are often overshadowed by the influence of the automobile in the following decades. Today, bicycles are often seen as an alternative mode of transportation - a cleaner and more environmentally conscious form of travel. Because of this, it may be difficult to realize the incredible modernizing effects that bicycles had on American society when they were first introduced. Manufacturing and marketing techniques introduced by the bicycle industry were massive steps towards modern industrial practices. In addition, by making individual travel available to many people for the first time, bicycles changed the speed at which life flowed in much of America. Bicycles granted a degree of personal freedom of mobility to many for the first time, and their effect on the women's rights movement of the time was notable. Bicycles were used in war, by police, and by the postal service, among others. In countless walks of life, the availability of personal travel offered by bicycles had an incredible impact on American society. According to Robert Smith, the history of the bicycle goes like this: in the late 18th century and early 19th century, a two-wheeled vehicle with a wooden frame and a saddle, known as the celeripede ("fast feet") was developed in France. The celeripede had a fixed cross-bar and no pedals, meaning that it could not be steered very well and it was moved by running along the ground while straddling the saddle. Needless to say, it never became popular. Around the same time in Germany, Baron Karl von Drais de Savebrun developed a similar machine, with the difference that his had handle-bars... ...cle caused a massive change in both manufacturing and marketing in America. Bicycles represented a great increase in the speed of life and in the travel options of individuals. Perhaps it is because of their current position in our society as an alternative mode of travel that it is often difficult to imagine what a difference they made on modern life. Sources Cited: Botkin, Nancy. "Women on Wheels: Riding the Freedom Machine." 2003. http://www.sfbike.org/OLD_site/www/news/html/2000/march/01march2000.html Maree, D.R. "Bicycles in the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902." 2003. http://www.rapidttp.com/milhist/vol041dm.html Sherr, Lynn. "Failure is Impossible: Susan B. Anthony in Her Own Words." New York: Random House Inc. 1995 pp 277 Smith, Robert A. "A Social History of the Bicycle: Its Early Life and Times in America." New York: American Heritage Press. 1972