What Was The Expansion Of The Westward Expansion

The Transcontinental Railroad was a huge part of the 1860's, it was like the Internet for them. It was a vital link for transportation and trading. People would be able to go to the east or west coast on the railroad, it was a lot faster then it used to be. Information was transferred along the transcontinental railroad as long with goods. Information would be able to reach the other side of the United States in about 5 days, weather permitting. People that lived in the other side of the United States, brought goods so many people were able to try many new

“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

American Experience: Transcontinental Railroad. The railroad was a very big accomplishment in America's history. Transcontinental Railroad showed more then anything America's persistence, intellectual advancement, and above all else, Courage. This accomplishment came with many hardships and many sacrifices as well as achievements. While this accomplishment shows the good traits of America like drive and courage, It also reveled the darker traits of America, like betrayal, inequality, and most of all, greed. This paper will go over, How the Transcontinental Railroad was set into motion, the construction of the railroad and how it was used.

The construction of the transcontinental was a public/private partnership. The completion of the transcontinental railroad created a national economy. By 1900, there was not an area in the US that was not connected in some form by rail. The railroads transported consumer goods, people, supplies, and raw materials easily. The railroad allowed goods to be sold throughout the whole country, which in turn bolstered the US

transcontinental line,it was built by the middle of 1863 and 1869, which was at partly intended to

Asa Whitney first proposed the idea of a federally funded railroad that connected the East and West coast in 1845, but the idea was denied due to the states wanting to support only their own state. The route of the transcontinental railroad came into fruition in 1861 when Theodore Judah enlisted the Central Pacific Railroad Company to invest in his plan to use the Donner Pass as the route for the railway. This allowed the Union Pacific Railroad company to build westward, and the Central Pacific Railroad Company to build eastward. The Union Pacific company faced the problem of Native American attacks on their workers because they felt threatened by the construction of the “iron horse” through their land. Despite these terrible working conditions, the railroad was completed in 1869.

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.

The Transcontinental railroad could be well-defined as one of the vast changes in America in the 18th century. The railroad has played significant roles in westward expansion and growth. From the West Coast to the East Coast no longer would people have travel in wagon's nor ships that would take months to reach the other side of the states. They could now travel faster, safer, and cheaper by train (Nelson). In addition, people, people’s belongings, like mail, supplies, and trade goods could now be shipped across the country in just a few days.

Transportation was one challenge the railroad fixed. People could now travel and discover the frontier faster. Trade was also increased once the tracks were finished. Many could now take their items to new areas to make trades. Another nuisance that the transcontinental railroad corrected was the communication gap. Settlers were often isolated, so when the railroad was completed other settlers would meet up to chat and help one another out. The last major impact the completion of the transcontinental railroad created was the opportunity for new jobs. Silver mining in Comstock Lode, Nevada and gold mining in the Black Hills created many jobs for settlers. Railroad companies may have helped the United States, but they would capitalize off of the government. These companies did so through the Pacific Railway Acts. The Pacific Railway Acts provided loans and land grants to railroad companies in order to help the companies raise money for the construction of new railroads. In return the government would get discounted rates to send troops and mail. By the end of these acts, “Congress and granted over 131 million acres of land to railroad companies.” (Holt McDougal, 590). The transcontinental railroad had improved many things, but that’s not all this railroad

Before the railroad was completed, traveling overland transcontinental was expensive and took months to travel. With making the railroads, the trip would cost a lot less and only take a couple of days to complete. The Western railroads that expanded from the West connected the continent when all of the investors thought it was a worthless sage brush that had insurmountable mountains and only a few scattered settlers. With the building of the transcontinental railroads, that took six years and almost entirely made by hand, it brought together California with the rest of the growing nation, was actually the largest single western expansion. With two very small ribbons of steel, the Central Pacific and Union Pacific western railroads brought

The decrease of travel time helps merchandise move from coast to coast with a rapid speed. If it wasn't for the railroad, the world would still be moving in slow motion, a speed people today would never be able to live

The transcontinental railroad system would come to be a huge network of railroads laid out across the North American continent, most famously known for connecting the eastern part of the U.S. railroads with the Pacific west coast area. The greater transcontinental railroad itself consists of several railroads projects, the first of which were the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroads, and later, the Northern Pacific, Santa Fe, Great Northern, Texas and Pacific, and Western Pacific projects would follow suite. All of were approved for construction shortly after the Civil War. Prior to the war there was some skepticism towards the railway system.

The Transcontinental railroad could be interpreted as the most memorable change in America in the 19th century. The railroad played an important role in the westward expansion and on the progression and development for the American economy. When America had acquired the West, the need for adequate transportation rose considerably. Suggestions dispersed about a railroad that would scope across the continent from East to West. Republican congresses ruled for the federal funding of railroad construction, however, all actions were on a standstill for a few years because of the Civil War. In the wake of the American Civil War of 1861-1865, the rush to put together the transcontinental railroad went underway in 1866. President Abraham Lincoln permitted the Pacific Railway Act of 1862, allowing two railroad companies the right to construct the first ever American transcontinental railroad. While there are several industries, which have left an indelible mark on California and may be more associated with California in the twentieth century, however no industry has had a greater impact on the American development of

The transcontinental railroad was a long railroad that stretched from one side of the country to the other. The whole debate and building process of the transcontinental railroad started in the early 1850s and ended in the late 1860s. The railroad started in Oregon and ended in California. This railroad connected the Eastern states to the rest of the country. This convenient, efficient transportation was very exciting for Americans because this was a big step in reuniting the country as a whole.

Comparatively, by 1869, the railroad industry reconstructed the transportation of goods and people conveniently and securely across the United States of America (Schultz, 2016). Additionally, railroads helped to shape the western economy not only through it's more dependable means of transportation of goods but also to the new developments of towns located near its stations (Schultz, 2016). Historically, the transcontinental railroad began by the signing of the Pacific Railroad Act on July 1, 1862, by