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Essay / Comparing life in the 19th century and the modern world
Survival has been a concern since the beginning of humanity. Maintaining a desirable lifestyle requires more than just having a place to sleep. Even though life in the 1800s was significantly different than today, the basic principles of existence still apply today, but diverge in the details regarding transportation, money and self- even. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get an original essay When it comes to transportation, living in the wild in the 19th century was terribly arduous, but surviving in this status quo roughly splits the same. features. The 19th century marks the time when humanity began to rely on railway systems. Thanks to monopolies controlling the economy, railroads spread throughout the states, especially on the Eastern Seaboard. Despite the development of new modes of transportation, actual public use was low due to soaring prices and unavailability in the west. As such, the few trails and roads were heavily used, but even then, "small paths could not accommodate the heavy traffic" of Western migrants, "nor did existing modes of transportation facilitate quick and easy access." easy within the country” (Connor Prairie). Although the 19th century marked the revitalization of the transportation industry, new modes were still poorly developed and therefore primitive methods remained predominant. In contrast, the 21st century offers more cost-effective forms of transportation, but the same expensive features of public transportation are also found today. Due to the excessive availability of various types of transportation – buses, trains, planes – the simple act of moving from one place to another has become unnecessarily complex. Particularly in big cities like New York and Los Angeles, there are a myriad of railways and routes that people can take and because of this, it's quite easy to get lost, not to mention everything that can go wrong along the way. Like public transport, the transport of motor vehicles and motorcycles is particularly unfavorable, especially in the event of an accident. In fact, there were 32,719 deaths in highway-related incidents in 2015 alone, as well as 706 deaths on railroads and 266 on mass transit (U.S. Department of Transportation). Although availability may no longer be an issue today, transportation still poses significant problems in the 19th and 21st centuries. Money has always been an essential aspect of supporting oneself. In the 19th century, people used coins and barter as a source of currency. 193 years later, humanity now uses a rectangular piece of plastic as currency. Money is not a physical commodity but is frequently used to pay for expenses. These expenses can range from food, clothing, housing and transportation. In 2013, on average, an American spent $9,004 on transportation, $6,602 on food, $1,604 on clothing, and $17,148 on housing (average American consumer). This represents $34,358 spent in one year. The whole world relies heavily on money to satisfy its basic needs. Although the 21st century is advanced, society still uses money to trade, just like in the 19th century. For example, to purchase a steak, the consumer exchanges fiat currency in exchange for the steak. In 1823, fur companies traded guns, blankets, and knives in exchange for a commodity. When Glass received a blanket, a..