Transcontinental Railroad Research Paper Outline

Transcontinental Railroad
Tera Richardson, 4336787
History 102 B008 Sum 17
Professor Traci Sumner
American Military University
July 22, 2017

Abstract
The transcontinental railroad was one of the biggest advocates for the industrial economy and westward expansion. The railroads could transfer goods and people across the country with ease, and quickly. While some bad came from this miraculous progression, such as the panic of 1873 and a yellow fever epidemic, the good outweighed the bad as it enabled the United States to fulfill its Manifest Destiny through westward expansion. While the railroad construction began long before the 1860’s, the major push for the transcontinental ability was completed in 1869, as the final

Central Pacific Railroad started from San Francisco, and used Chinese laborers for their work, pushing through the Sierra Nevada mountains. In 1867, to encourage quick progression, Congress deemed the land remaining between the two companies, which was the Utah plains, to be paid at mountain rate. This motivated the Union Pacific crew to lay 360 miles of track, and the Central Pacific crew to lay 425 miles of track within the year (Stockwell, 2011). Unfortunately, this hasty pace came at a cost. The two railways were not projected to meet at the planned location in Utah any longer. Congress acted and ordered the lines to meet at Promontory Point, near Ogden, Utah. The final railroad tie was made of laurel and was wrapped in silver. It was laid on May 1, 1869, completing the long track of railway connecting West to East (Stockwell, 2011). The transcontinental railroad was key to the industrial economy of the United States. The rail system allowed people and manufactured goods to be transported quickly and for long distances. This was significant for who had migrated due to the discovery of resources such as iron and gold (Railroads and Westward Expansion,

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Stockwell, M. (2011). Transcontinental railroad. In C. L. Clark (Ed.), The American Economy: A Historical Encyclopedia (2nd ed.). Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.apus.edu/login?url=http://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/abcamerecon/transcontinental_railroad/0?institutionId=8703
Railroads and Westward Expansion. (2011). In P. Neimark, & P. Rhoades Mott (Eds.), The Environmental Debate: A Documentary History (2nd ed.). Amenia, NY: Grey House Publishing. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.apus.edu/login?url=http://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/ghed/railroads_and_westward_expansion/0?institutionId=8703
Railroad History Time Line 1860. (n.d.). Retrieved July 22, 2017, from