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What Is The Impact Of Railroads In American Society

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American infrastructure is a grand subject that deserves to be acknowledged, especially when regarding railroads. America’s locomotive history is vibrant with events, people, and structures that created a vital foundation for developing trade and transportation within America into what it is today. The impact that railroads have had on American society is vast, and much of this impact is in granting America the ability to transport goods far and wide.

America’s locomotive history begins in the year 1827. This is when the first railroad was constructed in the United States of America. This was the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and it was a critical means of transportation for Baltimore merchants. From the very beginning, American railroads …show more content…

After a decade, there are 30,000 miles of operational railroad. In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed into law the Pacific Railroad Act, leading to the construction of the intercontinental railroad and a means of transport between the west and the east. During the Civil War, railroads were a crucial tool that both sides of the conflict used to move troops and transport materials. The railroad's “golden age” starts in 1865, and from this point until 1916, the railroad network is unmatched and is scaled up by an incredible degree. The railroad network consists of 254,000 miles of operational railroads by 1916. Railroad dependency decreases with the development of cars and other technologies. During the Great Depression, large chunks of the rail industry fall into bankruptcy, further reducing railroad dependency. After World War II, interest in railroads is rekindled and the rail industry is invested in. This period after WW II also includes the adoption of diesel trains over steam trains. In 1955, “Intermodel freight” is put into place, transporting train cargo on an individual container basis through the railroad network. …show more content…

He was an American business magnate and philanthropist. He was an extremely rich man who profited from the railroad industry. He was born in 1794, and as a youth, went out to work in New York Harbor. He had talent in managing business, so when the railroad industry began to grow noticeably, he sprung into acting and invested heavily in the developing railroad industry. His business skills classified him as a powerful monopolist, which meant that was unmatched in the rail industry. Later on, he died in 1877, leaving behind millions of dollars in

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