If I were to be living in the 1820s in America my first concern besides the necessities would be the way in which the government had begun to conduct itself. While the expansion of our territory would not be the most horrible thing, especially the acquisition of Spanish Florida, it prevents us from taking a high road against less savory empires elsewhere. The Missouri Compromise basically re-validated the institution of slavery in the United States, by allowing a new slave state for every free one. The elections kept getting worse as the one in 1824 was a deadlock and the one in 1828 was full of obscene accusations. I would have my suspicions of the new president, Andrew Jackson, for although he was duly elected and is a decorated hero, I fear his policies for our native neighbors will not be very kind given his military career.

Not all would be doom and gloom however, as projects like the Erie Canal will allow far faster trade amongst our states. In addition, there are fascinating new inventions being produced by some of the brightest minds of the era, such as the steam locomotive on railroads and the steam ship. How these wondrous vehicles work is that you have a metal chamber filled mostly with water around a smaller waterproofed chamber within, albeit with an air supply so you can burn within it. By fueling a fire inside this smaller chamber with either wood or coal, you create steam within the larger tank and that pressure is transferred through pipes to pistons. These pistons then drive large mechanical arms which are then use to move the machines, whether the wheels on rails or paddle wheels on the ships. No longer are we so tied to nature’s whims, be that the exhaustion of horses or the winds of the sea.