The Transcontinental Railroad APUSH SPICONARDI Growth of the

Growth of the Railroads • Railroads were American’s first big business • First investment

Growth of the Railroads • While the government did not directly build the railroads,

The Labor Central Pacific • Chinese workers Union Pacific • Former union soldiers, Irish

Effects of the Transcontinental Railroad • Standardized Time • Trains had to run on

Effects of the Transcontinental Railroad • Stimulated Immigration • Need labor and buyers for

Effects of the Transcontinental Railroad • Destruction of the environment • White pine forests

Slides: 12

Download presentation

The Transcontinental Railroad APUSH - SPICONARDI

Growth of the Railroads • Railroads were American’s first big business • First investment magnet for Wall Street • First industry to develop a largescale management bureaucracy • Railroads required more capital and complex management • Amount of capital needed to build a transcontinental railroad was a risk the federal government wasn’t will to take • Private companies took the lead in building the railroads

Growth of the Railroads • While the government did not directly build the railroads, it provided: • Loans • Public land grants • 10 square miles of land for every mile of track (later doubled to 20 sq. miles) • Bonds (local and state governments) • This aid allowed railroads to grow exponentially

The Labor Central Pacific • Chinese workers Union Pacific • Former union soldiers, Irish immigrants, former slaves

Effects of the Transcontinental Railroad • Standardized Time • Trains had to run on time to keep schedule and avoid train wrecks • Do you know how time was kept prior to standard time? • Noon in Chicago • 11: 50 AM in St. Louis • 12: 18 PM in Detroit

Effects of the Transcontinental Railroad • Stimulated Immigration • Need labor and buyers for the land • Growth of Cities • Los Angeles, Denver, Omaha, and Kansas City become regional centers • Transport of Cattle and Food • Food could be carried to large concentrations of people to ensure their livelihood • Allowed farmers to reach more consumers

Effects of the Transcontinental Railroad • Destruction of the environment • White pine forests in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin disappeared • Lumber used for homes, fences & railroads • Economic Growth • Manufactures could ship their products to a larger number of consumers • Maker of millionaires (Vanderbilt and Gould)