Since this blog will focus on American culture past and present, I decided to begin with a little piece of history. I also started with this photo because I happen to have a thing for trolleys. Railways are of course central to the development of American industrialization in the 19th century (more on this later). However, trolleys or streetcars were the primary mode of transportation for many Americans in both big cities and small towns at the beginning of the Twentieth Century. By the 1940s and '50s, automobiles had taken the place of trolleys as Americans' primary method of travel. Therefore, during this period many of the trolley systems were removed from towns and cities because the streets became overcrowded with cars and buses. This particular photo was taken in Memphis, TN, which still retains its trolley system.
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