the staggered transition from wood to oil usage
DESCRIPTION
The transition from wood to coal use in the United States starting in the early 19th century was a staggered and long process.TRANSCRIPT
Alberto De Leon De Leon 1 HIST 392022 October 13, 2014
The Staggered Adoption of Coal and Its Effects on Various American Regions
Starting with the establishment of European colonies in the Americas up through the beginnings
of the American Industrial Revolution, wood proved itself to be the most abundant and technologically
easytouse energy source to the domestic population. Arriving in a land where wood proved itself to
be plentiful and constant, colonists were quick to take advantage of a resource opportunity unforeseen
in their lifetimes. However, as wood supplies diminished year by year, a need arose to develop the
usage of a new energy source, particularly coal. As America found itself moving closer and closer to the
full adoption of coal as the leading energy source for the population, a majority of the country began
slowly transforming itself from an agrarian, individualistic society to an urbanized, interconnected and
profitdriven nation that established itself in stark contrast to any and all incapable of keeping up through
changes in technology and transportation.
While notions of product maximization and efficiency with better technology found their start in
America well before the full adoption of coal as an energy source, the transition to coal was just one that
took these notions and mentalities to an unprecedented level. “Early textile mills, powered by water and
equipped with machinery constructed of wood and leather belting were supplanted by factories
powered by steam, equipped with metal machinery, and located in major cities.” (Melosi, 26) As the
technology needed for the conversion of raw materials, specifically coal, into energy became more and
more complex to use, understand, operate and repair, the need for skilled labor increased as well. The
South, dominated by an agrarian economy built on a foundation of slave labor and muscle power, found
itself quickly outpaced by the rapid urbanization and industrialization in the North where “entrepreneurs
relied on free labor that was more skilled and better educated” (Nye, 58) in order to maximize on all
Alberto De Leon De Leon 2 HIST 392022 October 13, 2014
fronts. The skill and education necessary for the use of muscle power or wood power were minimal.
With wood for instance, “one had to merely cut it down, saw or split it into manageable sizes, and ship it
to market.” (Cronon, 109) The complexity required for the mining and conversion of coal was one that
required skill and learning, something that “the South did not expect from its slaves” (Nye, 57) either
from fear of a rebellion or lack of caring.
As the need for coal by consumers grew, the need for the transportation of it from source to
end use grew as well. If anything, the need for the transportation was one that predated the need that
consumers had yet to fully realize they had. Anthracite coal fields in Pennsylvania, the main source of
coal for the United States in the early transition period, encountered serious issues due to “the difficulty
of access” (Chandler, 151). If consumers were to use a product with regular use, the need for regularly
scheduled arrival was going to be a major factor. For this reason, men such as Josiah White and Erskine
Hazard, some of coal’s first prominent businessmen and promoters, “purchased coal lands and began
the construction of a canal to reach them.” (Chandler, 152) As businessmen worked to create a need
for their product, their investment in the transportation industry established a network of railroads and
canals tying sources of coal to their respective markets, usually major cities with factories. “The
concentration of people in Eastern cities made the transition to coal (for heat and light) profitable).”
(Melose, 65) And so long as there was a profit to be made, the need to develop a channel or system of
transportation to and from point A and point B would be present and filled by those that stood to profit.
However in South and West, “it was out of the question to ship anthracite...because wood and
bituminous coal were more plentiful.” (Melosi, 6364) By sheer nature of the anthracite coal fields being
located in Pennsylvania and the location of main, urban markets in Eastern cities, the South would be left
Alberto De Leon De Leon 3 HIST 392022 October 13, 2014
behind by the rapid expansion of railroads and canals that were needed to service the coal industry. The
arterial network of the North was one that in the end would easily surpass that of the South, whose lack
of market and raw material sources for energy consumption and use resulted in the eventual divergence
of an industrial North and rural South for the greater part of the 19th century.
While the eventual domination of coal as an energy source is one that would come to be used
throughout the country, the significantly staggered changes that occurred alongside its adoption is one
that would come to play a role in the character development of America’s various regions. As the
advantages of the urban, industrialization of the North become ever so evident in the face of the lacking
South, the adoption of coal and its accompanying technologies would change the face of the United
States as it entered through an era of energy transition.