The United States is celebrating 250 years of independence tomorrow, July 4th, 2026. In those 250 years since the Declaration of Independence was signed, the modern world has changed dramatically. Shipping and logistics are no exception, with the act of shipping evolving from something that was much more challenging to a process that is simpler, much faster, more reliable, and safer. In this article, we outline some big differences in shipping between 250 years ago and today.
Much better today than in the late 18th century
Although the shipping and logistics world is experiencing many disruptions this decade due to the Covid pandemic, geopolitical concerns, war, climate change, and other volatility, the industry is light years better off than it was 250 years ago.
What we experience today as uncertainty in many ways pails in comparison to the issues faced by shippers in the late 18th century.
Much longer and more dangerous voyages
In 1776, trips were longer, more dangerous, and much more prone to disruption or catastrophe on the ocean. The average voyage crossing the Atlantic Ocean from Europe to the thirteen colonies that later became the U.S. took between six and ten weeks depending on the weather. If the weather was volatile, the journey could take as long as twelve weeks.
Without the ships of the modern era, which are built for extreme maritime and weather conditions, the ships of 1776 were prone to easy damage, sinking, rapid spread of disease (and many deaths in some cases), and other hazards.
There were no safety measures in place, so accidents onboard shipping vessels was very common. Additionally, piracy was a huge issue, and pirates frequently disrupted shipping voyages all across the world’s different oceans and bodies of water.
Vastly different ships in 1776 than the modern era
When we think of shipping today, we think of massive container ships moving through the seas with up to 24,000 containers in the case of ultra-large ships. They are powered by diesel or other fuels. Now, as America turns 250 years old, some ships don’t even just oil/gas, but rather electricity or solar energy. 250 years ago, ships were only powered by the wind. They were made of wood. They were not very tolerable of extreme conditions. Capacity was much lower.
After cargo left ships, the land-based shipping process was slow
Today, in the modern world, once goods are taken off of ships after arriving at U.S. ports, they may arrive at one’s home or business within 24 hours. Air transportation exists, and America’s interstate highway system helps move goods quickly across the country.
250 years ago, if the goods survived the perilous voyage across the world’s oceans, once they were removed from ships, they took many weeks to months to get to their destinations. There were no automobiles or trucks. Rather, horses transported wagons with goods in most cases. Sometimes, goods were moved regionally by water via rivers. Daily, these voyages only made it a few miles at most, per day.
The big picture
No more how chaotic today’s modern shipping world looks to observers, it’s a vast improvement over the landscape even 100 years ago, but especially 250 years ago. It’s safe to say that 50 years from now, when the U.S. celebrates its 300th birthday, shipping and logistics will look vastly different again from today’s world.
