Transcontinental Railroad
This video clip gives a visual overview of the history of the TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD. As you watch the video try and answer the following research questions.
The Effects of the Transcontinental Railroad
Before the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad was completed in 1869, anyone who wanted to get from one end of the North American continent to the other had to go by stagecoach overland. The trip took five to six months, and was very dangerous; many who attempted the trip died from disease, starvation, or in conflicts with American Indian tribes. After the railroad was built, the same journey could be made in a matter of days from a comfortable train car.
Expansion
The building of the Transcontinental Railroad alongside the atom bomb and the moonwalk as "one of the United States' greatest technological achievements." This is because the building of the railroad linked the east and west coasts together, connecting the country in a way it had never been connected before. The railroad made it easy to ship produce, textiles, and other goods from one end of the country to the other. It also led to the settlement of the vast Western and Midwestern plains. Hundreds of frontier towns sprang up, anchored by train junctions and depots.
Native Americans
The coming of the railroad proved disastrous for American Indians, however. According to historians , the years following the railroad's completion saw wave after wave of white settlers pouring into the plains territories. The settlers seized as much land as they could grab, building towns and schools on what had once been open prairie. They also hunted buffalo for sport, destroying the American Indians' primary food source. Some settlers even shot buffalo from train windows as they passed by. By 1880 the buffalo were nearly extinct and the American Indians were relocated to reservations.
Chinese Immigrants
The construction of the railroad took six years and was done almost entirely by hand. It was hard, dangerous physical labor, and as a result it was hard to find people willing to do it. While some freed slaves and ex-soldiers found work on railroad crews, the vast majority of the work was done by Chinese immigrants. The railroad companies preferred to hire Chinese because they were hard workers and would work for a lower wage than white Americans. Hundreds of Chinese workers died due to explosions, cold weather, and avalanches. Many of the survivors stayed in the country after construction was completed, raising families and making new, better lives for themselves.
Wealth & Investment
With labor so cheap and plentiful, the men who invested in the railroad saw their personal fortunes increase. The greatest financial scandal of the 19th century was linked to the railroad. In the Credit Mobilier scandal, investors awarded construction contracts to themselves, enriching their own personal fortunes and nearly bankrupting the railroad. Also, many of the towns that sprang up along the railroad tracks were founded on land grants from the federal government. Rich men would buy up these grants and then resell the land to settlers, often making a tidy profit.
Expansion
The building of the Transcontinental Railroad alongside the atom bomb and the moonwalk as "one of the United States' greatest technological achievements." This is because the building of the railroad linked the east and west coasts together, connecting the country in a way it had never been connected before. The railroad made it easy to ship produce, textiles, and other goods from one end of the country to the other. It also led to the settlement of the vast Western and Midwestern plains. Hundreds of frontier towns sprang up, anchored by train junctions and depots.
Native Americans
The coming of the railroad proved disastrous for American Indians, however. According to historians , the years following the railroad's completion saw wave after wave of white settlers pouring into the plains territories. The settlers seized as much land as they could grab, building towns and schools on what had once been open prairie. They also hunted buffalo for sport, destroying the American Indians' primary food source. Some settlers even shot buffalo from train windows as they passed by. By 1880 the buffalo were nearly extinct and the American Indians were relocated to reservations.
Chinese Immigrants
The construction of the railroad took six years and was done almost entirely by hand. It was hard, dangerous physical labor, and as a result it was hard to find people willing to do it. While some freed slaves and ex-soldiers found work on railroad crews, the vast majority of the work was done by Chinese immigrants. The railroad companies preferred to hire Chinese because they were hard workers and would work for a lower wage than white Americans. Hundreds of Chinese workers died due to explosions, cold weather, and avalanches. Many of the survivors stayed in the country after construction was completed, raising families and making new, better lives for themselves.
Wealth & Investment
With labor so cheap and plentiful, the men who invested in the railroad saw their personal fortunes increase. The greatest financial scandal of the 19th century was linked to the railroad. In the Credit Mobilier scandal, investors awarded construction contracts to themselves, enriching their own personal fortunes and nearly bankrupting the railroad. Also, many of the towns that sprang up along the railroad tracks were founded on land grants from the federal government. Rich men would buy up these grants and then resell the land to settlers, often making a tidy profit.
