Joyride: Energy Culture, streetcars cars and suburbs.

Summary: The reading for this week was about how we as Americans take our fossil fuels and other natural resources for granted because we have become so accustomed to luxury items such as automobiles, trolleys and train cars. So accustomed in fact, that they have become apart of our culture and often vital components of daily life. The passage starts off with an example of the American dream and how we view modern machines as items that give us a ticket to freedom from our everyday lives. It then goes on to discuss how machines used in transportation have evolved throughout history(from the early 1900's til today) and how this impacted our culture, economy and standard of living. During wartime, automobiles and other modes of transportation were very important. Even the materials they were made out of were just as important in a time where the economy was suffering.

Terms:
Electric streetcar- an early form of modern transportation, also known as a cable car, developed in the late 19th century in San Fransisco, California as efficient public transportation.
Technocentric Economy - our society's dependence and reliance on technology.
Federal Housing Administration (FHA)- the largest insurer of mortgages in America developed in the 1930's.

Discussion:
How did the car/tractor shape American culture and American's lifestyle?
The automobile changed American culture by starting off as a private luxury and transforming into a public necessity. It has become permanently meshed into our culture; through train cars transporting our food and other goods from place to place, to machines and cars harvesting food and making sure people get to where they need to go.
How did energy contribute to the post-WWII housing boom and suburban development?
Energy has contributed to the industrialization of the United States by producing its own energy and materials such as petroleum and other metals on American soil, allowing us as a nation to accumulate a vast income and jump-start our economy to make room for other luxuries such as suburban development.
Questions:
Who invented the electric streetcar?
Frank Julian Sprague; a former follower of Thomas Edison.
How did automobiles and other machines like it affect agriculture?
It allowed farmers to harvest crops more efficiently and at a faster rate, but machines were costly to maintain and often caused farmers to be trapped in debt.

What era did suburban expansion really take off in the United States?
The 1950's and 1960's.