Transcontential RailroadPaige Bradley
Transportation Before the Railroad
Wagon Trails Ships
Early Talk of It
Pacific Railroad proposed to grant lands, subsidies, and even as
much as 90 million dollars towards the construction of this railroad had been periodically introduced in Congress since the early 1840's
Gold Rush of 1849Discovery of gold in California led to a large
amount of people to move to the West By 1850, only 57% of the population livened east
of the Alleghenies and on he Atlantic SeaboardDue to this there was a need for Congress to
start construction
Different Routes
Northern Route Trade to the
manufacturing North
Did not want slavery to become an active practice in the New West
Southern Route
Trade from the agricultural South
Jefferson Davis A southern route would
be cost-effective, but had vested Southern interests
After the Southern Congressmen left Congress, because of the southern states seceding 1861, the Congressmen left voted for a Northern Route.
Companies
Union Pafcific
December 2nd, 1863
Omaha, Nebraska
Ex-soldiers, Mormons, and Irish immigrants
Central Pacific January 8th, 1863
Sacramento, California
Chinese immigrants
Pacific Railroad Acts
Each railroad company, after completion of an initial 40 mi of track, was to be granted 6,400 acres of public lands and a loan of from $16,000 to $48,000 for each mile of track laid.
In 1864, Congress doubled the land grant, considerably eased the terms of government loans, and allowed the two railroad companies to borrow private capital
The workers were mainly made up of Irish and Chinese Immigrants
Union Pacific Workers
Irish ImmigrantsPotato Famine of 1845 brought immigrants over
Railroad offered several jobs to unskilled immigrants
The railroad workers, labored under extremely dangerous conditions, and for as little as a dollar per day. Hundreds died on the job from avalanches, heat, accidents, and Native American attacks.
They were not glorified for all of their scarifies that they made to make this dream a reality
In this time frame, the Irish were seen as a step above African Americas and a step below other white citizens and immigrants.
Central PacificWorkers
Chinese Immigrants Overpopulation and proverty in China led to an influx of
Chinese immigants to the West Coast
People in charge of the constuction of the railroad, had adverstising sent over to China to draw immigrants to America to work on the railroad
Thousands of men signed prepaid labor contracts that included free transoceanic passage to the West Coast of the United States
When the foreman was forced to hire some Chinese workers he was very surpirsed to see that they had an amazing work effort
Animosity towards the Chinese culminated in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, although they were one of the main factors the Transconitental Railroad was completed
Effects on Native Americans
Migration to the west, the Native American way of live was already compromised. Their culture became more decimated with the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad
The workers had to kill off whole herds of buffalo to guarantee the route that was decided on Buffalo hunters worked for railroad companies,
changing the lives and cultures of Native Americans forever.
Native Americans started to attack the workers because they were fed up with the mistreatment of their people
Race to Promontory Point, Utah
RewardThe railroads
would get loans and the land for all the track they built
Central Pacific690 track-mile
from Sacramento
Union Pacific1,086 from Omaha
April 30Central Pacific
Reaches Promontory Point
May 10Drove last spike into
railroad, finally joining the East and West
Travel Time Reduced6 Months to 6 Days
Driving of the Last Golden Spike
Impact on the World Now people could travel from one side of the country in
about a weeks time
Thee culture and way of life for the Native Americans also changed “It was an irrevocable marker of encroaching white society, that
unstoppable force which would force Indians onto reservations within decades.”
The amount and rate of trade skyrocketed after the completion of the railroad The ability to ship across country made it easier for people all
over the country to experience the same thing as their counterparts in other parts in the country
The amount and rate of trade skyrocketed after the completetion of the railroad.
Significance Today
In 1971, Congress created Amtrak, a federally subsidized corporation to take over most long-distance passenger rail.
Showed the world the importance of quick trade and the importance of innovated ways to ship goods
Transcontiental Railroad
The Good Quick travel
Importance of new ways to trade
Connected the country
The World grew smaller
Other countries had to compete with America, because of trade
The Bad
Mistreatment of Immigrants
Discrimination of Immigrants
Destruction of the Native American way of life