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Social impact of Railroads
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Railroad transportation impact on society
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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.
Railroads are the reason why it only takes mere days or hours to get to another city, compared to the long, harsh
The Transcontinental Railroad greatly impacted America. It connected the East to the West and made the world seem much smaller. This success gave way for more railroads to be made, multiple withing the span of just years! The acts and treaties along the way helped improve the land as this move Westward was taking place. People were also gaining more abstract feelings of hope and optimism.
In this paper I will explain how the railroads changed American society, politics, and its economy during this era. Secondly, I’ll talk about the 1896 election and how that impacted America and changed American Politics and elections form that point on. Lastly, I will identify the 4 themes of the Gilded Age and explain the causes of these themes and the consequences it had on American politics, economy, and its society. When railroads were invented in America, and first started being used commercially and for businesses, it was a major technological leap. They created a huge demand for goods.
Transcontinential Railroad had a huge impact on the Native Ameriacans, Society and the Environment. Here is one example of how the Native Americans were impacted: Some of the hardships they faced were very little food, only ate once during their working hours. They worked long hours for very little money, and they had ages 10 and up working. Transcontinential Railroad helped the society grow with the transportation it provided. It replaced wagon trains of previous decades which became usless.
After its 1869 debut, the Central Pacific’s Altamont Pass route provided the shortest all-land connection from Sacramento to the Bay Area. It remained, nonetheless, a long detour compared with a direct-line route between the two points. From the start, the Central Pacific’s principals recognized its faults and sought alternatives. In the mid-1850s, two businessmen—DeWitt C. Haskins and Doctor D. W. C. Rice—proposed a railway from Marysville south to Knight’s Landing on the Sacramento River.
2017, www.aar.org/article/10-ways-freight-rail-provides-support-wartime/. Accessed 27 Jan. 2023. Pfeiffer, David A. "Working Magic with Cornstalks and Beanpoles. " National Archives, 15 Aug. 2016, www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2011/summer/usmrr.html. Accessed 27 Jan. 2023. Barriger, John W., and Robert S. Mcnamara.
The United States underwent significant industrial development in the mid-19th century, which fueled the growth of American industry and the expansion of the railroad system. With industrialization came the need for cheap labor to provide the manpower for the industrial expansion. Immigrants flowed into the country in record numbers in the early 20th century, with many living in overcrowded conditions, which resulted in young families falling apart. The New York Children's Aid Society (CAS) was established to care for the growing number of orphaned or abandoned children. Charles Loring Brace, the founder of the CAS, developed a system called "placing out," whereby children would be sent to families throughout the United States, Canada, and
Throughout history, people have been inventing things to make their lives easier. That drive has produced huge changes in the American life several times over. In the 1700’s, life in America was very difficult. Transportation infrastructure was lacking, which pushed the delivery of goods to be almost exclusively down rivers. Military technology was roughly unchanged since America began, leaving the country open to attack from other nations.
In 1694, Thomas Savery invented what would revolutionize the united states indefinitely, he called it the steam engine. This invention lead to the first steam engine locomotive which many would say was a beneficial turning point in the industrialization of america’s economy,allowing the steam engine to be used on the railways. Although the railroads did impact the United States and certain groups in positive ways,there were also negative effects that occurred. During this time period, there were many chinese immigrants that entered the United States who made up most of the workers that built the tracks.
The Canadian Pacific Railway was the final piece of the puzzle to finally bring Canada together as a country. The railway idea was introduced by Sir. John A. McDonald in 1871 to connect British Colombia to the eastern Canada. The completion of the railway saw Canada Unite into one country, rather than upper and lower Canada. Having a railway from eastern to western Canada was one of the largest and technologically impressive feats at the time (1885), and for many years after.
The appearance of the railroad in the early 19th century created a revolution in the transportation for the development of the economy and the society. This invention, eventually, also brought a lot of outcomes as well as disadvantages for the people living near the routes and the stations. First of all, the railroad system increased the carrying capacity and reduced the shipping cost. Not only people near the stations received this benefit but also the rural area where the railroad system reached. “Railroads provided a quick, scheduled, and year-round mode of transportation.
The Transcontinental Railroad was the first line across the continent. The railroad line stretched from Omaha, Nebraska, all the way to Sacramento, California. This railroad allowed the United States the opportunity to expand westward, as both people and resources would be able to be shipped much faster than before. In 1862 The Pacific Railway Act was passed, which allowed the Union Pacific Railroad and the Central Pacific Railroad to construct the lines for the transcontinental railroad. On May 10, 1869 the Transcontinental Railroad was established at Promontory, Utah.
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.
The Effects of the Transcontinental Railroad: Native Americans, Society, and Economy The Transcontinental Railroad had a drastic effects on many aspects of life during the 1860s, including society, the economy, and the Native Americans’ way of life. These are just a few of the ways the Transcontinental Railroad changed the world. Native Americans were forced to relocate, society had a new outlook on life, and the economy had been boosted almost incalculably.