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How Did Railroads Affect America After The Civil War

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How did railroads impact America after the Civil War? Throughout history, transportation has helped move people and materials around in civilizations. Transportation has enabled the growth of cities and has further increased the development of complex societies. A method of transportation widely used is the system of railroads; before cars and airplanes became popular, trains dominated passenger and freight services due to their simplicity and business versatility. Railroads became more widespread in the United States after economic damages caused by the Civil War. The Civil War was caused by the secession of the Southern States due to controversies over allowing slavery in the United States. The North did not want slavery while the South depended on inexpensive slave labor for its agrarian society. As a result of the Civil War, the South’s economy was crippled since it could no longer depend solely on cotton as a result of slavery being outlawed in the 13th Amendment. As a result of the crippled economy, the South needed to be “reconstructed” meaning that it had to diversify its economy beyond agriculture. A way that the United …show more content…

Railroads allow for the movement of goods and people conveniently and quickly with few delays as compared to other modes of transportation. Cars and planes did not exist in the late 19th century and trains were astronomically important for the success of cities in the United States. While other forms of transportation fill the void that existed in the past, the efficiency of those modes of transport will keep declining over time as more cars hit the road and planes take off. Trains can be indefinitely expanded since it does not have to share its space with other vehicles. Railroads have paved the way for industrial America and will continue to as long as people and goods need to be

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Even though the railroad existed before the great division between the north and the south and it mainly contributed in providing goods for both sides, the invention of the railroad greatly contributed to the civil war. The first railroad created in the US was in 1827 and their major role was to transport goods from the North to the South and back. As slaves became more abundant in the South and less present in the North a war began on the idea of slavery. The railroad caused this Civil War by bringing goods to only one side and keeping their advantage. It went from having different point of views to all out battles that started with starvation and isolation, but led to death and separation.

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169 Words | 1 Pages

railroads played a vital role in the American Civil War. They allowed the North and South to move men and equipment vast distances to further their own war aims. Because of their strategic value to both sides, they also became focal points of each side 's war efforts. In other words, the North and South both engaged in battles with the design to secure different railroad hubs. For example, Corinth, Mississippi was a key railroad hub which was taken first by the Union a few months after the Battle of Shiloh in May, 1862.

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661 Words | 3 Pages

The first main cause of the Civil War was economic differences between the Northern and Southern states. During the first few decades of the 19th century, the North had an industrial revolution that brought an economy that relied on laborers. While at the same time, the South continued to rely on slaves for their farming and the production of cotton. The Northerners did not need slaves for their economy, but the Southerners could not make any profit without cotton or slaves. In the 1860’s, the North had twice as many railroads as the South, and the South had a bigger cotton production because of their slave population (Document A).

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1017 Words | 5 Pages

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.

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478 Words | 2 Pages

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.

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891 Words | 4 Pages

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

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791 Words | 4 Pages

The War Between the States was one of America’s greatest wars—it was the fight for freedom, but it also impacted the economy. Because of this, America’s labor and transportation systems both took a significant turn during the Civil War, impacting America’s economy forever. In the end, the American Civil War greatly benefitted our transportation system, but devastated the South’s labor force. For a war to be fought strategically well, there first must be a form of simple, yet speedy, transportation. That is where the transcontinental railroad came in.

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(TH) With the formation of the railroads, construction and operation, brought a vast cultural, economic and political change to a country only 46 years old. (SSP1)Geo Right after the creation of the rail roads, people in the US started to realize how amazing this creation actually is and how it changed people’s lives economically. Peoples first thoughts on what to do with the rail roads was to transport goods. (R1)

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According to the article The Railway Journey, modern transportation “created a definite spatial distance between the places of production and the place of consumption did the goods become uprooted commodities” (40 Railroad Journey). Basically, this means that since the railroad allowed goods to be shipped to further distances at faster rates which resulted in mass productions and shipments of goods which resulted in a stable economy for the United

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987 Words | 4 Pages

After the Civil War ended in 1865 the country was a different place and many changes were still to come. One of the major changes would be in railroads. Many railroads would be built and they changed many parts of everyday life and travel. These changes would lead to a more connected and unified country. The development of railroads in the United States following the Civil War greatly changed the country into a more connected nation and increased westward expansion.

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The Civil War was the first war to use railroads and turn them into a weapon of war. During the Civil War railroads became the vital new technology for both the Union and Confederate forces. The great distances separating armies, the need for supplies, and quicker troop movements all increased the need for the railroad. Without this new weapon the Civil War may have lasted until the last man was literally left standing. The ability to implement and use the railroads in the Civil War would play a crucial role in the North’s victory and the South’s defeat.

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558 Words | 3 Pages

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.

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821 Words | 4 Pages

The Tremendous Impact of Railroads on America In the late 19th century, railroads propelled America into an era of unprecedented growth, prosperity, and convenient transportation. Prior to the building of the railroads, America lacked the proper and rapid transportation to make traveling across the country economical or practical. Lengthy travel was often cumbersome, costly, and dangerous.

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323 Words | 2 Pages

The building and development of the railroad in all parts of the country were one of the most remarkable developments of the Industrial Revolution. With its creation and active operation, they brought significant change to the economy, society and the political world. The first railroads were built in Great Britain. America got the idea to construct them at home when they visited England and saw the impressive drop of shipping costs when it was done by railroads instead of by carriage, nearly a 60%-70% decrease. The first railroads in America were extremely successful.

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574 Words | 3 Pages

The American Civil War was the war that ended slavery. The civil war was known as one of the bloodiest and deadliest conflicts the United States had ever seen. The loss of life was an estimated amount of 620,000 men. It lasted four years, from April 12, 1861, through May 9, 1865. However, while slavery was a major cause of the American Civil War, there were several other major factors.

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