Author Traces Transformation of Early 19th Century America (1/3)

The book opens in 1815, and Howe says the United States was what we would call today a Third World country.

"That is most people lived on isolated farmsteads and their lives revolved around the weather and hours of daylight, and many people grew their own food, and many wives made the clothes for their own family."

And distances were great. The country was big in 1815 by European standards, and it would get even bigger. In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson negotiated the purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France, doubling the size of the United States.

In 1825, the Erie Canal opened, to serve as a crucial waterway through New York State. Howe says the canal cemented economic ties between the Midwest and Northeast, promoted the growth of New York City and helped integrate the region economically.

The period also saw a communications revolution. For the first time in history, news could travel faster than a galloping horse.

Howe says the telegraph, developed by Samuel Morse, promoted long-distance trade in commodities such as cotton, which was grown in the southern states and shipped to the north and Europe.

参考译文：

这本书开写于1815年，Howe在书中写道当时的美国就如我们现在所讲的第三世界国家。

"大多数人都住在各自的农舍里，他们的生活围绕着天气和白天（作息），很多人自己种粮食，许多人家里的衣服是主妇们自己做的" 。

地区间的距离也很远。国家的规模在1815年从欧洲标准来看已经比较大，之后可能变得更大。 1803年，托马斯杰弗逊总统与法国谈判从法国手中购买了路易斯安那，使美国国土面积增加一倍。

1825年，伊利运河启用后，成为通过纽约州的一个关键航道。豪说，运河连接了中西部地区和东北地区的经济纽带，促进了纽约市的发展，并帮助整合区域经济。

这个期间，还出现了通讯革命，（使得）历史上信息传播的速度第一次快于策马奔驰。

豪说，塞缪尔莫尔斯开发的电报电码，促进了一些商品如棉花的长途贸易，南方各州出产的棉花，可以运到北部和欧洲。