Manifest Destiny brought an age of expansion and exploration upon the United States throughout the 1800s. The vast Great Plains were unexplored, and held lots of promise and opportunity for new communities and businesses. With the establishment of the railroad system, transportation became much more reliable and efficient, sending a wave of settlers to the West. Railroad companies also posted many advertisements that encouraged settlers to buy plots of land for reasonable prices. The railroad during this time played a key role in Western Expansion by giving people access to fertile and open land, uniting communities together, and lowering transportation costs, but inflicted cruel treatment on those who worked on the railroads. Prior to westward …show more content…
During the 1870s the Monterey and Santa Cruz counties were united by the railroads built by chinese workers. As stated in the text, “Railroads constructed during the 1870s tied together the isolated communities along the north coast of Monterey Bay and launched an era of unparalleled development,” (Doc 4). The formation of the railroad was able to connect these two isolated communities together which lead to their further economic development. Now, people were able to travel places that were unreachable before and communicate or conduct business with these areas. With the further development of the railroad, it had become cheaper and faster than it was when it was first established. 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