Student Research Guide WQ25/ Impact of Automobiles on U.S. Economy and Culture

Automobile Impact on U.S. Economy and Culture Throughout the Years

 This is a student created research guide for English 102 & Library 201 Learning community

The purpose of this guide is to inform the viewers about the history and the overall role that automobiles played in the U.S. society.

Thesis: The use and production of the automobile has greatly impacted the U.S. due to its constant involvement in America's workforce and benefiting the economy, as well as shaping the culture of the American people to what it is today.

Research Questions:

1. What are the economic advantages and benefits that automobiles provide in the U.S.?
2. What are some of the cultural changes that came with the gain in popularity of the automobile in U.S. history?
3. How have current-day automobiles changed and become more practical compared to how they were in the past?
4. What are some issues that automobiles caused in the U.S. economy and culture?

In modern-day society, the people in the U.S. are extremely reliant on automobiles in their daily lives. Many different goods and services wouldn’t be available in certain areas if it weren’t for the production and development of automobiles like cars and trucks. The automobile also provided many cultural changes in the U.S. over the last century that have benefitted the people. This research paper was written to provide information about the economic and cultural impacts of the automobile on the U.S. since the late 1800s. The methodology used to gather the needed evidence was the SVC database, Google Scholar, and even a simple Google search to find some smaller articles and videos. There was a total of 20 sources gathered, but only the top 10 were provided and annotated in the research guide. The results of this search showed that the automobile has continued to provide benefits to the U.S. economy by providing jobs to U.S. citizens, helping the oil industry, and even allowing for small businesses to bring their goods and services to new areas. In all of the research, there was a lot of history to learn about through the development of the automobile in the U.S. and its economic benefits over the years. There were also some negatives found during the research process about the emissions that automobiles put off and the environmental impact that producing them can cause. Implications of this topic could be more extensive research into the emissions that automobiles produce or the issues in the manufacturing and production of automobiles.

Background Information:

The first successful design of a gasoline powered automobile was developed in Springfield, Massachusetts by J. Frank and Charles Duryea in 1893. This was just the start of what was yet to come, in 1899, thirty manufacturers built 2,500 automobiles and in the following decade around 485 companies joined the industry. In the 1920's, Ford, General motors, and Chrysler became known as the "Big Three" automakers in the U.S. and continued they're dominance throughout almost all of the 20th century. During World War II most of these companies diverted they're focus towards helping with the war which resulted in a decrease in automobile production. After the war Europe and Japan started to increase production of automobiles in order to make up for the time lost during the war. Then, by 1980, Japan was the worlds leading auto producer. Currently, the auto industry in the U.S. is a large part of our economy and supports millions of jjobs to the working Americans.

This video provides information on the history of automobile production in America as well as how the development of roadways changed the culture.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL_lStk8q9c

History, Reading Through. “History Brief: The Rise of the Automobile.” YouTube, YouTube, www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL_lStk8q9c. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.