How Did The Railroad Contribute To The Westward Expansion

The Transcontinental railroad purpose of being built was to cause positive things to happen in the US and positive things did result from the railroad. For example, westward expansion increased because of the railroad. One reason why western expansion increased because of the railroad was that travelers finally found a use for the Great Plains like how they found “millions of acres of fertile soil, land for cattle, and a land of opportunity even larger than the Lone Star State”(Doc 1). Because people found these uses of The Great Plains, people started to move rapidly west to take ahold of these opportunities. This was a positive for the US because now more people are moving west increasing westward expansion, starting businesses, and are farming in the Great Plains which helped boost the US economy. Another reason why westward expansion increased because of the railroad is there was land in the west and after the railroad was built it was for sale for very cheap prices (Doc 5). This was a positive because with more land for cheap price people started moving west but it also is creating more space for people to live and during this time many immigrants from many countries are coming to the United States looking for opportunities and the more people that came to the United States the more space they needed because they needed somewhere to live. So now that they have more land more people are able to settle in the United States in the west for cheap low prices.

Similar to the light bulb’s legacy of ideas, the transcontinental railroad paved the way for new transportation. “The transcontinental railroad act is the first step in creating a continental common market.” This quote by, Charles R. Morris, defines the wide-spread uprising in the American Economy after establishing a railroad that would last a lifetime. The Transcontinental Railroad economically transformed America because of the trade and commerce it brought. Now capable of fast communication, we could quickly and cheaply of transport goods and ourselves. t’s wide impact developed a independent country were we could efficiently practice a free enterprise. Bringing in trade, shipping and new exports/imports, it elevated our economy to a higher level of technology.

(flattened) the land by as much as a hundred miles a stretch. Behind them came

Technology greatly transformed American agriculture from just plain farming to commercial farming. The mechanization of farming made farming easier and more profitable. As shown in Document D technology was helping farmers, making farming more easier and they were able to do many jobs quicker. But, Farmers couldn’t afford to send crops to other places At the beginning of the 1840s the railroad began to transform American agriculture, by the 1860’s all states east of the Mississippi had rail service. As shown in Document B there were multiple railroads all around the country. The farmers were ecstatic about this new technology because they could send their crops to other areas, when before they didn’t have the money to be able to do so. Other new technologies were arriving such as the mechanical reaper and the steel plow.

To start, I will explain the purpose of the Transcontinental railroad. In Source #1”Full Steam Ahead The Transcontinental Railroad”, it says “People had been asking for coast-to-coast rail travel for decades. Since the invention of the locomotive in 1825, companies had built many rail lines. These railroads connected eastern cities and seaports,splashing travel times and helping these areas grow. Crossing the country, however was much more difficult. People and trade goods traveled by horse, stagecoach, or wagon train. The trip took months. Not many made the journey.” So the government during the time thought that building a railroad, would help businesses “ sprout up like corn.” According to Source #1 it also says “ Two companies immediately got to work. Railroads already existed that stretched from the East of Omaha, Nebraska. Now, the Union Pacific Railroad began extending the tracks from Omaha out to the West. The Central Pacific Railroad began in Sacramento,California and laid tracks out East. Eventually, the two companies would meet in Promontory, Utah. So, basically the purpose of the railroad was to get people and goods from coast-to-coast.

The most important industry that arose from the construction of railroads was the steel industry. During the construction of railroads, a great deal of steel was needed; steel was used to build the railroad tracks and the railroad cars. However, steel was also used to build other items and proved to be useful. Railroads also created a natural monopoly. Railroads connected cities with each other and able to trade with each other. Through railroads, cities became ¡°interdependent¡± (Danzer, 254) and ¡°began to specialize in particular products¡± (Danzer, 254). For example, one state would specialize in one particular product while a second state would specialize in a second product. When these two states traded with each other, they would have what they needed. Through this ¡°specialization¡± of states, America began to develop as an industrialized nation.

The Transcontinental Railroad was one of the most ambitious engineering projects, economic stimulants, and efficient methods of transportation in the early United States. If completed, the United States would be truly be united from east to west. The purpose of this paper is to examine how the Transcontinental Railroad helped develop new opportunities for many aspects of American life.

Railroads can be referred to as the first big business, and the first industry to develop management bureaucracy (Ogburn 39). Railroads were a vital part of early American history during the 1800s-1860. Railroads brought social, economic, and political change to the country (Stover 26). In the United States a turnpike era and then a canal era had immediately preceded the coming of the railroads, which proved to be fast, direct, and reliable in all weather. After 1830, the railroads grew so quickly that within a decade their mileage surpassed that of the canals (Hollingsworth 28). The development of Railroads was one of the most important phenomena of the Industrial Revolution.

Railroads had the most impact on the nineteenth century. It was viewed to be one of the most important inventions. Railroads allowed for economic growth, and effectively added to the transportation network. They served as a link between far away cities allowing people to come together, purchase outside goods, have greater independence and promote economic specialization. Railroads would later have the ability to produce items in large

The decrease of travel time helps merchandise move from coast to coast with a rapid speed. If it wasn't for the railroad, the world would still be moving in slow motion, a speed people today would never be able to live

These railroad dramatically expanded traffic, These early railroads were not very safe or efficient. They were very dangerous, uncomfortable, their brakes were weak, and the engines started fires until coal engines

Trains had changed America a lot. It had turned transportation faster and easier. There not that famous as they used to be when it was first made but people still use them to go longer distance or to transport things. But they really changed it because if it wasn’t for trains buses probably wouldn’t have existed. But another reason is because there wasn’t any transportation back in the days except horses and trains had changed everything it was faster it went farther distances and it was easy to ride one to a far location. They had made transportation easier than it was already because trains would go farther than the transportation already was. The railroad also helped a lot they gave people more opportunities for better jobs sense more people

From their earliest beginnings, railroads have played an extremely vital role in shaping America; its society, its culture, and its destiny. Taking inspiration from the first railroads of Britain, American businessmen soon channeled the vast majority of their wealth and efforts into promoting the development of railways in the United States. And with its truly immense territory, growing population, and trailblazing spirit, America soon embraced the idea of a railroad that would connect the Pacific to the Atlantic which would allow for a greater flow of goods from east to west, shorter travel times, and a goal towards its manifest destiny.

The Transcontinental Railroad was a great engineering achievement that brought a more efficient means of transportation from the Eastern United States to the Western United States. There were many challenges for the development of a project that everyone agreed was necessary for the development of the country. These challenges included a nation that was divided by the Civil War, as well as how such a project could be financed and planned for. The completion of the Transcontinental Railroad rapidly increased America’s population in the West, and gave the Country the ability to protect itself on boast the East and West Coasts. The expansion in the West included taking over lands from the Native Americans who lived on the land. This was the downside associated with the Transcontinental Railroad. The completion of the railroad brought about a great appreciation for the contributions of the Chinese immigrants and allowed many to improve their lives. The completion of the Transcontinental Railroad was a great accomplishment that helped the United States develop as a nation.

The development of railroads was one of the most important phenomena of the Industrial Revolution. Along with the creation of the railroad there was profound social, economic and political change