The early railroad was revolutionary to the transportation industry in America during the Industrial Revolution. It connected the country from the East to the West and changed the formation of the United States and other aspects of the country forever including its economy and population. It had a large impact on trade in the United States and boosted capital, especially in the West. With these railroads, people could travel much more quickly and more efficiently, as well as, transport goods and messages in a timely fashion to others miles away, when any other means would be unconventional or much slower, such as walking or by horseback. The railroad not only impacted the U.S. economy, but it also had a significant impact on social
It was May 10th, 1869. The presidents of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroad lines met at Promontory, Utah to declare the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. Spanning over 9,000 miles of track and built almost entirely by hand in just 6 years, the railroad was like nothing the nation had ever seen before. Not long after the railroad was completed, changes began rippling across the country. Economic, political, and social policies began to shift and transform.
It began the task of constructing a transcontinental railroad that would link the United States from the East Coast to the West Coast. "In the meantime, construction of several important railroads is being carried forward with energy. " People would not have to travel months in long wagon trains on a trip to the west. The transcontinental railroad was a significant development and it improved transportation, people could travel in a faster, safer, and cheaper way by train. Mail, supplies, trade goods, and other additional things could be shipped across the country and arrive in just a few days.
People used the railroad to get around and go from place to place and to travel. Companies used the railroad to get their products
The impact of railroads on Iowa and the United States was profound. They helped to spur economic growth in the state. Railroads made it easier and cheaper to transport goods across the country, which in turn made
The transcontinental railroad revolutionized the nation, it was the first railroad to stretch across the United States. It began in 1863 and kept changing transportation and many other areas of life in America long after. The railroad was sometimes called the technological equivalent of manifest destiny. Three of the largest areas that it affected were transportation, industry expansion, and the economy. Transportation was widely influenced by the railroad mainly because of the train’s efficiency.
Railroads created an inexpensive way to transport materials. 75,000 miles of track were laid in the 1880’s. The railroads with their steam engines quickly replaced animals and humans as a means of transportation because of their efficiency. Steam engines moved trains and connected small towns and sometimes isolated communities to larger cities connecting people with one another as well as goods. America was no longer alone, it was in a sense a new way of globalization.
It would be harder to get from place to place if there was never the Transcontinental Railroad, which surely would have influenced the ideas of other methods of transportation, like cars and planes. One of the most important points from Document F quotes: “Had it not been for these captains of industry, the free world might have lost the First World War and most certainly have lost the second.” They changed and protected the U.S. and the right of freedom with their work, and that’s
During this time period there were great technological advancements. One of these advancements was railroads. Railroads were a positive change because it helped transport people and goods across the country. Businesses depended greatly upon transportation in order to transport their goods. Despite the positives of railroads, there were negatives.
The United States saw an amazing amount of growth following the civil war. The railroads were absolutely vital to the growth and urbanization of the nation. The American population was growing at breakneck speed to an estimated 76,000,000 by 1900 and still growing. The industry also quadrupled in size, from having a mere 30,000 miles of track to more than 250,000 miles of track also by 1900. The railroad industry was the thread that knitted the country back together and carried people west to urbanize the heartland and the western frontier.
Trade with China became much easier; ships could travel straight to California and then the goods could be transported across the United States. Families that wanted to move west now had an easier, safer way of travel. Railroads carried people, therefore contributing to the development of the West. Railroads helped shape and grow cities and towns. The railroad grew in power and size, influencing local and state governments.
Throughout American History, revolutions in transportation have affected the American society politically, socially and economically. Soon after the war of 1812, American nationalism increased which leads to a greater emphasis on national issues, the increase in power and prevalence of the national government and a growing sense of the American Identity. Railways, canals, and Turnpikes began to increase making many people employed. The era of 1830-1860 represents a shift from agrarianism to industrialism. Overall, during the transportation revolution, construction of turnpikes, roads, canals, and railroads led to the market economy expansion, an increased population in America and alternations of the physical landscape of America.
With the advent of the railroad, many of these issues disappeared. Railroads had a major impact on advancing the American economy, transforming America into a modern society, and improving an antiquated transportation system. The building of railroads created rapid economic growth in America. Railroad companies employed more than one million workers to build and maintain railroads. At the same time, coal, timber, and steel industries employed thousands of workers to provide the supplies necessary to build railroads (Chapter 12 Industrialization).
According to Joseph Adamczyk, “That year the country was in the fourth year of a prolonged economic depression after the panic of 1873” (Adamczyk). The invention of the railroad changed everything. It was the beginning of a new era. The railroad was a new way to transport goods, materials, and people.
The first way that the economy was impacted was that with the ease and efficiency of the railroads, they created a large demand for goods and labor because they needed a lot of people to help build the railroads and also needed a large quantity of steel for the rails and wood for the railroad ties. Secondly the railroads created a huge national market because of the simplicity of delivering goods from place to place. The railroads helped the people in even the most rural place prosper with the cost efficient transportation of the trains. From 1830 to 1861, the United States laid aproximately 30,000 miles of railroad track, which led to an increase in demand for coal which was used to produce iron for the
The building of roads, canals and railroads played a large role in the United States during the 1800s. They served the purpose of connecting towns and settlements so that goods could be transported quickly and more efficiently. These goods could be transported fast, cheap and in safe way through the Erie Canal that was built to connect the Great Lakes to New York. Railroads were important during Civil War as well, because it helped in the transportation of goods, supplies and weapons when necessary. These new forms of transportation shaped the United States into the place that it is today.