What would the signers of the Declaration of Independence have thought of cars, trucks and SUVs?

Those who signed the Declaration of Independence July 4th, 1776, came from all 13 colonies. At the time, from the Northern tip of Maine to the Southern tip of Georgia, the colonies stretched nearly 1,200 miles. From the Northern tip of Maine to Philadelphia, the sight of the signing of the Declaration, was about 515 miles. From the Southern tip of Georgia to Philadelphia was about 670 miles.

Many of the Founders who signed the Declaration of Independence did not have to travel that far. For instance, someone coming from Boston only had to go about 250 miles (as the crow flies). Someone coming from Williamsburg, VA, had to travel about 180 miles. That doesn’t sound like much today but, in 1776, that represented a significant trip.

According to NationalEquine, riding horseback, you can expect to travel about 50 miles per day. Then, while you sleep, and recover, the horse is resting and renewing its energy levels. At 50 miles per day, it’s a 5-day trip to Philadelphia from Boston and 3-1/2 days from Williamsburg.

At an average of 50 mph, a trip from Boston to Philadelphia would take 5-hours instead of 5-days.

While we might point out that a horse doesn’t need gasoline for the trip, that horse did require water and grain to maintain its strength while you traveled.

No, horses didn’t need to worry about flat tires, overheating (in the sense that a car can overheat) but a horse could throw a horseshoe. A horse could be overworked and, therefore, overheated. A horse could break a leg stumbling if there is an unexpected pit in the road.

On the other hand, horses didn’t require the same sophistication in terms of roads. Other than offroad vehicles, cars, trucks and SUVs are designed to travel on concrete or asphalt roadways. We have built miles and miles of roads in America to facilitate vehicular travel. But, in 1776, the vast majority of the roads that did exist were dirt roads. In towns, you might find cobblestone streets but that was the closest you’d get to the hardened surfaces we drive on now.

If the Founders, or the citizens of the new nation, which officially earned its independence in 1783, had any inkling of advancements in modes of travel, they would have been amazed at the speed vehicles would travel and the distances people can cover in motorized vehicles. But there is probably something else that would have captured their fancy.

Colonial Americans would have been amazed by the amount of independence that cars, trucks and SUVs offered “We The People” as compared to the restraints of travel by foot or horse.

Horses required maintenance, and so do motorized vehicles, but the level of freedom a car, truck or SUV provides an individual is significant.

Happy Independence Day from all of us here at Performance Unlimited.

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