How Did Engineering Change The World

Railroads were a huge step in innovations for the United States. The transcontinental Railroad was

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

The time period largely known as the "Gilded Age" was centered around big business which caused sharp economic and social class divisions as well as political corruption that led Americans to progressive reform. From the ashes of the Civil War, a second industrial revolution was born which ushered in new innovations and technological advances that drastically changed American life. As a result, business became powerful and controlling on the economy, created difficult working conditions, and influenced politics through manipulation and corruption. Americans poured into the country at a outstanding rate during the "Gilded Age", creating a supply of workers for the various jobs opportunities all over the country. The railroad was one of the biggest innovations in the late 19th century.

Amid the 1800’s, America was experiencing a period of development known as the Industrial Revolution. America was in its first century of being an autonomous and creative nation. One of the greatest commitments to this huge innovative progression was the foundation of the Transcontinental Railroad. The westward expansion designed to be the key to a nation-building project and a change for the United States.[1] The Pacific Railroads cleared the path in which built the remaining railroad tracks connecting the West to the Midwest and East. The Union Pacific Company built from Omaha, Nebraska towards the west meeting up with the Central Pacific Company who started building from Sacramento, California.[2] This

From the late 1800’s to after World War I, the United States moved from the idea of isolationism to being actively involved with world affairs which include several countries. The United States was now following a policy called Imperialism. Imperialism was criticized by some but praised by many because of the many drawbacks but also of the many benefits. The benefits of American imperialism did outweigh the drawbacks. Imperialism was a benefit for America because it helped in the trading industry which was extremely important during this time period.

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.

The transcontinental railroad was the most influential innovation of the United States, that brought a revolution of how people traveled. One year after the Civil War ended the people of the United States were looking for a way to unite their country back together. This helped mold the United States as to what it has become today. It helped people cross the country and improved how goods were transported. The man that was forming the transcontinental railroad was a merchant named Asa Whitney. He had asked the government for funding to construct one of the greatest innovation of the United States. “Two railroads, the Central Pacific starting in San Francisco and a new railroad, the Union Pacific, starting in Omaha, Nebraska, would build the rail-line.” (ushistory.org). One fear of building the railroad was the danger of the “Great American Desert” because of the lack of resources. The Central Pacific was primarily made by Chinese immigrants. The Union Pacific was primarily made up of Irish immigrants. By spring of 1866 the Central Pacific had only build 68 miles of track from Sacramento, while the Union Pacific going west from Omaha built 200 miles of track in less than a year. Therefore the Union Pacific made millions more. The next three years the railroads would continue to try and make history.

During the early 1800’s America needed a type of transportation that was faster, cheaper, and more reliable. So when in 1811 the British made the first successful railroad it did not take long for Americans to start building the first common railroad the Baltimore and Ohio in 1828. After the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was built America felt railroad fever and hundreds of railroads were built. The Railroad changed the American economy and culture in just a few years.

Soon other lines followed throughout the country. Railroads affected almost every aspect of American life. The rapid spread of the railroads provided the basis for a tremendous westward movement of population. It also carried raw material to, and finish product from factories to consumers in a more efficient way (The USA online, n.d.). The railways became highly profitable business for their owners.

With the steam locomotives making society more urban and industrial, it opened the door for many factories, mills which created many job openings for the middle class. You could run a factory anywhere you chose to build. No longer having to work on farms from sunrise to sunset, people moved to the cities to work in these factories, working on an hourly wage on a set time. Compared to the farm, they worked less and enjoyed a better standard of living. With the improvements of the steam locomotives, the distribution of goods became more dependable and merchants were able to sell and order goods knowing that the product will arrive on time to the customers. The locomotives and steam engine fueled the development of more efficient manufacturing processes, which lowered the costs of goods, making them more affordable and available. The steam engine and locomotive technology changed American life by connecting people across the continent while providing faster means of trade and material transportation. All of this

With the completion of the Transcontinental railway in 1869, it connected the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railways in Promontory, Utah. This connection made travel from east to west much easier than the horse and stagecoach or covered wagon of days past. With the connection of rail, came luxury and convenience of travel, as well as the movement of goods out west. Steam engines were a major part of the Industrial Revolution, and steam locomotives made travel from place to place so incredibly easy compared to the traditional horse and buggy, but as with everything else, technology advanced and the steel skinned, steam breathing dinosaurs that carved the way for many across the country, has met the end of the line with the advent of the diesel engine and electric streetcars essecently being combined to make diesel-electric locomotives most famously made by General Motors’ Electro-Motive Division.

Did you know there are currently about 700 railroads in the US at this moment? So that’s about 150,000 miles worth of railroads. That’s a lot of space for the Steam Locomotive, watch that steam engine fly from point A to point B. Now let’s get in depth inside of this revolutionary invention that changed the way of commercial and public usage now.

Railroads were the linchpin in the new industrialized economy. The railroad industry enabled raw materials, finished products, food, and people to travel cross-country in a matter of days, as opposed to the months or years that it took just prior to the Civil War. By the end of the war, the United States boasted some 35,000 miles of track, mostly in the industrialized North. By the turn of the century, that number had jumped to almost 200,000 miles, linking the North, South, and West. With these railroads making travel easier, millions of rural Americans flocked to the cities, and by 1900, nearly 40 percent of the population lived in urban areas.

From their earliest beginnings, railroads have played an extremely vital role in shaping America; its society, its culture, and its destiny. Taking inspiration from the first railroads of Britain, American businessmen soon channeled the vast majority of their wealth and efforts into promoting the development of railways in the United States. And with its truly immense territory, growing population, and trailblazing spirit, America soon embraced the idea of a railroad that would connect the Pacific to the Atlantic which would allow for a greater flow of goods from east to west, shorter travel times, and a goal towards its manifest destiny.

Transportation was improved. New forms of transportation included steam power, improved roads, railroads, bridges, canals and ships. These new improved mean of transportation allowed people to travel cross country and to ship goods to new markets in a matter of days as opposed to months. The railroads eventually became the nation’s number one transportation system, and remained so until the construction of the interstate highway halfway during the Twentieth century. The late 19th century belonged to the railroads. They were of crucial importance in stimulating economic expansion (American History).