Essay On Transcontinental Railroad

The railways became an important system that guided settlement and delivered economic opportunity for much of the United States. Railroads allowed access to places that people had no means of getting to and provided an opportunity to develop cities and towns

First, the building of railroads out west played a huge part in the successful expansion of our country and the fulfillment of American dreams. Priot to the development of a more efficient railroad system, the movement of people and freight were

The next way the transcontinental railroads would change America is economically. These railroads would not only be a faster way to travel but you would also know the exact price to get from one place to another. Even though the price of a ticket wasn’t super cheap by any means, it would be all you have to pay. They would also change America economically because the shipping market rates were decreased because there was more transportation with the

The Transcontinental Railroad is a marvel of engineering and perseverance. A transcontinental railroad is railroad that crosses through a continent. It was built between 1862 and 1869 across the United States. The initial project was proposed in 1845, but it took more time to start the dangerous construction. It had multiples consequences for the United States, not all positive. But the Transcontinental Railroad did affect the westward expansion.

For many American settlers, the Great Plains area didn’t spark much interest. But many were beginning to change their minds in the years leading up to the Civil War. As the Continental railroad was beginning to move westward, many were beginning to realize how wrong they were. “Settlers in Kansas found no desert, but millions of acres of fertile soil.”(DOC 1) Many settlers raced to the west to try to snag a plot of land in the west to hopefully start a new chapter in their lives. The transcontinental railroad also helped businesses boom by transporting goods much faster by the railroad. Also, the transcontinental railroad didn’t only transport goods to businesses, it also transported settlers from coast to coast. “After the transcontinental railroad was completed, it cost $150 and took one week. For the first time, U.S. Americans could freely travel from coast to coast. This radically changed both business and pleasure travel.”(How the Transcontinental Railroad Changed America) For many settlers, the transcontinental railroad was revolutionizing transportation. From delivering goods, to transporting people across the coast. We can all agree the transcontinental railroad

Similar to the light bulb’s legacy of ideas, the transcontinental railroad paved the way for new transportation. “The transcontinental railroad act is the first step in creating a continental common market.” This quote by, Charles R. Morris, defines the wide-spread uprising in the American Economy after establishing a railroad that would last a lifetime. The Transcontinental Railroad economically transformed America because of the trade and commerce it brought. Now capable of fast communication, we could quickly and cheaply of transport goods and ourselves. t’s wide impact developed a independent country were we could efficiently practice a free enterprise. Bringing in trade, shipping and new exports/imports, it elevated our economy to a higher level of technology.

One important event during this time would be the development of the railroad. Railroads were very important to the increase in trade throughout the United States. By the start of the Civil War ,the railroads began to link the most important Mid West cities with the Atlantic coast. Railroads further opened the west and connected raw materials to factories and markets. A transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869 at Promontory, Utah (Kelly, n.d).

To start, I will explain the purpose of the Transcontinental railroad. In Source #1”Full Steam Ahead The Transcontinental Railroad”, it says “People had been asking for coast-to-coast rail travel for decades. Since the invention of the locomotive in 1825, companies had built many rail lines. These railroads connected eastern cities and seaports,splashing travel times and helping these areas grow. Crossing the country, however was much more difficult. People and trade goods traveled by horse, stagecoach, or wagon train. The trip took months. Not many made the journey.” So the government during the time thought that building a railroad, would help businesses “ sprout up like corn.” According to Source #1 it also says “ Two companies immediately got to work. Railroads already existed that stretched from the East of Omaha, Nebraska. Now, the Union Pacific Railroad began extending the tracks from Omaha out to the West. The Central Pacific Railroad began in Sacramento,California and laid tracks out East. Eventually, the two companies would meet in Promontory, Utah. So, basically the purpose of the railroad was to get people and goods from coast-to-coast.

“If any act symbolized the taming of the Northwest frontier, it was the driving of the final spike to complete the nation’s first transcontinental railroad.”1 The first railroad west of the Mississippi River was opened on December 23, 1852. Five miles long, the track ran from St. Louis to Cheltanham, Missouri. Twenty-five years prior, there were no railroads in the United States; twenty-five years later, railroads joined the east and west coasts from New York to San Francisco.2

The Transcontinental Railroad revolutionized the United States of America. Built from 1863 to 1869, the almost 2,000-mile long track joined together from Sacramento and Omaha on May, 10 in Promontory Point, Utah. The Transcontinental Railroad had many effects on America, but was the impact most prominent socially, politically, or economically? The completion of the Transcontinental Railroad reshaped economy. The Railroad created a much more efficient method of transport, grew towns into cities, and still carries millions of tons of goods to this day.

In 1860s a great iron band was built between Omaha and San Francisco. That iron band was the Transcontinental Railroad. An engineering feat many thought was impossible. Surprisingly, during the carnage of the Civil War it served as a leap of faith for America that the country will survive. It was fraught with challenges from the start ranging from political to financial. Yet it 's completion started a new pivotal era for America. The Transcontinental Railroad connected the citizens of America, linking the East and West Coast in ways not seen at that time.

The Transcontinental Railroad was one of the most ambitious engineering projects, economic stimulants, and efficient methods of transportation in the early United States. If completed, the United States would be truly be united from east to west. The purpose of this paper is to examine how the Transcontinental Railroad helped develop new opportunities for many aspects of American life.

Ready and apt to learn all the different kinds of work required in railroad building, they soon became as efficient as the white laborers.” (A History of the Chinese in America, 44) Over the six-year course of building the transcontinental railroad, the Central Pacific Railroad Company hired just about 15,000 Chinese workers to build the railroad.

Extensive railroad construction during 19th century influenced many faces of American society. The building of the railroads brought many American communities together and forged an economic and social alliance between the North and West parts of the country. Although railroads improved the lifestyles of many Americans, it also had damaging effects on seller's, farmers, and Native Americans. Historians argue that while railroads may have increased the industrialization rate in this country, it also led to differences that separated the country and left their marks throughout and after the civil war.

The Transcontinental Railroad network connected the East and the West coasts; it was completed on May 10, 1869. It increased America’s imports and exports, as well as generated a national interest in tourism; however, the construction of such project encountered a series of issues. These ranged from corruption, the reluctant choice to hire Chinese workers and environmental obstacles. Thanks to the vision of some individuals and the authorization of President Abraham Lincoln, the Transcontinental Railroad became a reality; once the project was completed it connected the entire country and increased production for both the Pacific and the Atlantic.