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How Did The Transcontinental Railroad Affect Westward Expansion

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The Transcontinental Railroad and Impact on Westward Expansion The Indian’s called it the “Iron Horse”, we called it a ‘Locomotive”. But, no matter what you call it, the Transcontinental Railroad was the key to Westward Expansion and the gateway to a new way of life. Many new jobs were created by the railroad and many different people upheld them. There were the Chinese, who used their knowledge with explosives to help build the actual railroad. Then, there were Americans traveling west, who took over the mining business. Even farmers were more successful now that they could transport goods more easily. Everybody joined together and all of them benefitted greatly. In 1862 the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad began and so did a new way of life. Perhaps the biggest impact was on Westward Expansion and how many new jobs came out of it, and how it changed America forever. The Transcontinental Railroad was built in two parts: the Union Pacific Railway and the Central Pacific Railway. The Union Pacific built west from Omaha, Nebraska while the Central Pacific built east from Sacramento, California. Both of the railways ended in Promontory, Utah where they joined together, completing the railroad with a golden spike. The railroad had 13,500 employees and …show more content…

Those who wanted to travel across the country no longer had a chance to do it without sitting in big plush chairs. A lot of people wanted adventure and they weren’t going to achieve that goal while riding a train. They didn’t think there was a sense of adventure in being tended to by expert servers and eating luxurious meals. These adventurers wanted to hike through dense mountains and fog and sleep in tents. These activities served as a friendly reminder of a time when the unpredictable nature of travel across the west made every journey an unforgettable experience. But now the railroads made long travels safe, predictable, and

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People always say that the best inventions ever are phones or computers, but there is one that people take for granted. This invention changed the way we look at shipping forever. The Transcontinental railroad changed the United States economically more than socially or politically because, it allowed western states export their goods easier, increased the amount of goods exported, and made it cheaper for states to export their products. The U.S was changed more economically, because it helped transport the western states goods to the east so it could be transported. Lovelock Nevada was a city that mined silver.

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It was even considered as one of the best means of transportation in the world because of its efficiency and low rates. As stated in the text, “The policy which has been pursued has given us the most efficient railway service and the lowest rates known in the world,” (Doc 7). The further advancement of the railroads brought it to a state where it could be compared with the rest of the world and still come out on top. This would only lead to newer and better technologies to be created and have transportation become even faster than it was during this

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The central route of the railroad began in Omaha, Nebraska, and ended up in Sacramento, California. By completing the railroad, more people were allowed to move and settle in other places, and it promoted the Western

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The Transcontinental Railroad: How it Made America into One Nation The transcontinental railroad changed the United States in the 1800’s in a way never seen before in America. Before the transcontinental railroad, the eastern states and the western states lacked a timely and reliable source of trade, travel, and communication. The nationwide railroad system connected the states in many new ways that helped shaped America into the nation it has now become. The transcontinental railroad improved transportation, commerce, expanded communication, and formed the United States into one nation.

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The Transcontinental Railroad transformed the United States socially by allowing people to travel across the country, bringing people together, and beginning discrimination against the Chinese. The first way that the Transcontinental Railroad transformed the United States is by allowing people to travel across the country. Many ads invited “tourists and pleasure seekers” to use the Transcontinental Railroad to see mountains, valley, lakes, and more attractions (Doc G). Before the Transcontinental Railroad, it was difficult and dangerous to travel away from home, but the railroads made it easy, safe, and convenient to explore the country.

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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.

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Not knowing anything about the history of railroads, can give one mixed feelings about diving into a reading like this. How is one going to feel, is one going to enjoy it, are some of the many questions that float around in the mind of the reader. The answers to these questions solely depend on the author and what they do to utilize their skills to try and convince or create feelings between the reading and reader. “Railroaded” by Richard White, was a book that was found to be very interesting and really opens eyes to see different views and perspectives on railroads. One can see the advancement of the nation, as only a positive in allowing us to move in a forward direction to better one’s life and future.

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The railroad completely changed the way trade worked. Before the railroad people had to deliver goods by wagon, and that would cause a lot of problems because of the rough terrain and long delivery times, but with the railroad it made things 100 times easier for the single conductor, and the buyers who would get their product much faster than before. Railroads not only helped the economy, but it helped people as well, unlike most things that happened in the U.S. economy, there was little to nothing negative about the creation of railroads which was ideal because it is still being used today. Preceding the railroads there were steamboats, the steamboats were a big hassle because of the dangers, such as indian attacks or boiler explosions, but the Framers were not going to back down until they found the perfect way of trade, hence the railroad. Another way America increased trade was when the cotton gin was created.

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The greatest technology advancement of my time is the Tesla. The Tesla helps save our Earth and our money by not spending so much on gas. We are no longer spending so much money on gas and now we can save our money for things we really need. How did the transcontinental railroad economically impact the United States? The railroad economically impacted the US by decreasing the cost for transporting goods, increasing exports and imports, and expanding the US.

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The building and growth of railroads from 1865 to 1900 played a very crucial role in American society which cannot be underemphasized. Railroads brought about many important happenings that that helped in the development of America and its people, its growth commenced the transportation of goods from one place to another thus it help people carry out business transaction in a quick and reliable way as opposed to what they were accustomed to before the railroads growth which was harder to move goods from one state to another and this caused many inconveniences that resulted to the wastage of time, capital and resources. Furthermore the growth of railroads brought about new dwelling places as people wanted to settle down in places that are connected to the railroads and that made it simpler for people to commute from place to place without wasting much time and this also brought about urbanization as people became many and this contributed to the growth of the economy and develop the country at large because people where now more than ever ready to engage in dealing with each other because

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First transcontinental railroad The construction of the first transcontinental railroad undoubtedly changed the Country. Construction of the project took place between 1863 and 1869. The Transcontinental Railroad, also known as the Pacific Railroad and the Overland Route, was opened on May 10, 1869. It had a huge impact on expanding the nation to the west, and made transporting goods, and people across the country much faster. This caused people to sell more things to a wider range of consumers.

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The construction of the Transcontinental Railroad began in 1863 with two companies: Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroads being tasked with building it from opposite

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The Transcontinental Railroad is an important part of American history. This paper will include the influences that caused the Transcontinental Railroad, the union pacific A Transcontinental Railroad had been talked about for decades. It would be a railroad that would connect the East and western part of the country. When Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States in 1860, talk of the railroad was set aside by the U.S. Congress due to talk of war.

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The Transcontinental Railroad The completion of the first Transcontinental Railroad was an important event in the United States history. There were many challenges in building it, but after it was finished, it connected the East Coast of the United States to the West Coast. The railroad took three whole years to build, with the help of two railroad companies and thousands of other hired workers.

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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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