Opponents to the trolley objected to the environmental consequences of the new streetcars, especially the aesthetics of overhead wires. This opposition encompassed diverse social groups of the urban community—bringing together civic reformers, small shop-keepers and residents of the affected streets. Opposition to the overhead trolley wires shows that the American public did not always quietly submit to the onslaught of technological progress.

The author points out that all history of technology is written from the victor’s point of view. The widespread opposition to overhead wires was quickly forgotten and has received little attention from historians. The opposition failed to halt the adoption of overhead trolley wires expect in Manhattan and in central Washington D.C.

The trolley controversy illustrates something about American urban history. It shows that many of the pivotal events of American history have technological issues at their core especially in the early twentieth century when Americans experienced the rise of corporate capitalism resulting in bitter labour struggles and urban reform movements.