Transcontinental Railroad American History vocabulary n Manifest Destiny

Transcontinental Railroad American History

vocabulary n Manifest Destiny

The Civil War accelerated the pace of industrialization in the United States through the late 19 th century and early 20 th century. Nowhere was this more evident than in the construction of the transcontinental railroad

Railroads were instruments of tremendous technological, industrial, economic, social, and ecological change

n n It would be naïve to focus on the benefits of the railroads while ignoring their costs. Or vice versa

The Dream n Union Pacific n Start in Omaha, Nebraska (actually Council Bluffs) and head west n Central Pacific n Start in Sacramento, California and head east

Motivating Factors n n n Manifest Destiny Gold Rush Need for communication and protection of California

The Leader n Grenville Dodge n Chief engineer and genius of the U. P.

The Builders n Immigrants n n U. P. - Former Union and Confederate soldiers (Irish) C. P. - Chinese

Problems / Solutions n C. P. – Problem - heavy snow n n solution – snow sheds ($2 million) U. P. – Problem – lack of strong wood n Solution – use cotton wood and replace later

The End n n n Promontory Point, Utah May 10, 1869 Golden spike driven

Results Huge consumption of lumber n Abuse of immigrants (especially Chinese) n Forest fires began with sparks from locomotives n Impact on wildlife (buffalo) n

n n “But a choice made is made, it cannot be changed. Things happened as they happened. It is possible to imagine all kinds of different routes across the continent, or a better way for the government to help private industry, or maybe have the government build it and own it. But those things didn’t happen, and what did take place is grand. So we admire those who did it – even if they were far from perfect – for what they were and what they accomplished and how much each of us owes them. ” Stephen Ambrose,

U. S. Railroads Overhead transparency maps

Financing Govt. Grants (large areas of land set aside for R. R. use) 131 million acres worth about $123 million n Govt. Loans ($65 million) n In return the RR carried govt. troops, military freight and U. S. mail at a discounted rate n

Problems Lines paralleled each other n Speculators sold R. R. like toys / greedy (Jay Gould) n Competition severe/ managers fought for traffic (became ruthless) n Failure to cooperate led to “gobbling up” of competitors n

Railroad Effects n Dramatically affected economic and social life in America n n n n n Direct routes Speed (50 miles a day by stage, 50 mph RR) Safety Comfort Dependable Year round service Big business (mass production_ Time-zones Larger volume of traffic