To what extent do you agree that the car ‘changed the face of America’? (20 marks)

The invention and proliferation of the automobile definitely changed the face of America to a very large extent. This can be seen through the effects the car had on American culture, business, and the lifestyle of its people. Not only were the effects profound, but they were also very widespread, affecting the entirety of the USA, although to varying extents. On the whole, the car fostered an American way of life, and reflected American values of freedom, individuality, and prosperity - the impact of the car can not be underestimated.

Automobiles were relatively few in number in the first half of the 20th century, at around 4 million, but exponentially increased post-WW2, reaching around 121 million in 1980. The impact of the car was initially limited to the upper classes, allowing them to travel wider and faster, with that in itself being limited to upper-class locations and activities. However, as the century progressed the increased dispersion of the car, which reached the extent that one could hardly live without one, saw it change the lives of the working and middle classes too. The increased mobility offered to these groups helped to facilitate a major change in America in terms of suburb and road construction. By owning cars, people working in the inner city could live in the suburbs (which in turn fostered the development of an American suburb culture, and the success of businesses like the Levitt Company) - the significance of which can be seen through the fact that in 1975, around 70 million people lived in suburbs, compared to about 60 million in the cities. More cars and more suburbs meant more roads, and so highway constructed increased - the 1954 Highways Act provided for the construction of 41,000 miles alone, meaning that in 1917 there were 2,925,000 miles of roads, but in 1980 3,860,000, so geographically speaking, the car did indeed change the face of America.