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The railroads chapter5 section2 us history
How the transcontinental railroad was able to impact transportation services for various resources
The Importance of the Steam Engine
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America is known as a country of freedom; the freedom to choose between Italian or Mexican for dinner, the freedom to be a lawyer or a teacher, to choose to live in an apartment in New York or a cottage in Washington. Americans have the freedom to speak their minds and the freedom to listen to whomever they choose. Within these freedoms is the freedom to embark on a dream that seems impossible. Most would call the unknown crazy, Americans would call it revolutionary. While America was not the home of the first railway system, Americans used railroads to advance the country in a whole new way. Railroads have impacted how the country is run and continues to have a lasting effect today. No one person can be credited for the invention of the railroad; rather there are many individuals who contributed to the railways final design. To begin, as far back as the 16th century, Germans were using horse-drawn wagons, pulled along wooden rails. These systems were known as “wagonways” and are grandparents of modern railways. By 1776, wooden rails and wheels had been replaced by iron. Eventually, the wheels became flanged, allowing the wheels to better grip the rails. The major turning point of locomotives was the invention of the steam engine. The steam engine was invented by three different British inventors, over a period of a hundred years; to give only one man the credit would be a crime. The first man who had a hand in the steam engine was Thomas Savery. In 1698, Savery patented an “engine to raise water by fire”. The machine was used as a pump, which began by water being heated to vaporize it, causing it to fill a tank with steam, then the steam created a vacuum by isolating the tank from the steam source and condensing the steam.... ... middle of paper ... ...f “How can this be improved?” While American’s did not invent the first railroad, America certainly did put the railroad to good use. They improved it, and has had many wonderful accomplishments credited to them because of that determination to never stop trying. Railroads have impacted the America runs and its effects are still reverberating through the country today. Works Cited http://www.ushistory.org/us/25b.asp http://www.flowofhistory.com/units/eme/17/FC112 http://americanhistory.si.edu/onthemove/themes/story_47_1.html http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/rrhtml/rrintro.html http://www.gocurrency.com/articles/invention-rail-road.htm http://www.egr.msu.edu/~lira/supp/steam/ http://www.whoinventedit.net/who-invented-the-train.html http://mikes.railhistory.railfan.net/r013.html http://www.laughtergenealogy.com/bin/histprof/misc/railroads.html
There is one reason Chicago is as big as it is today and that is the fact that it is the largest rail city in the world. The railroad made Chicago what it is today, and although the canal was very important in the history of Chicago the railroads importance out weighs it by far. The canal was important because it was the vision of the first settlers of Chicago to have an all water trade route that would go through Chicago. What those first explorers saw was a way to make a canal so that they could transport goods from the St Lawrence River all the way to the Gulf of Mexico with less cost and with more efficiency. The canal was the reason Chicago was settled in the first place if not for it there might very well not be a city called Chicago. You could argue that the canal was the most important thing in Chicago's history but I think the railroads were much more important. The railroads enabled Chicago to become one of the biggest cities in the world by bringing in different business and all types of goods. Chicago is a very key location to have a railroad-shipping hub. This is because it is centrally located in the United States so goods can be shipped in almost any direction and received in a shorter amount of time. William Butler Ogden was the one who pushed for Chicago to adopt a large rail system and he should be known as the one who made this city boom. St. Louis or another centrally located city could have very well adopted the rail system and they would have reaped all the benefits.
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.
This time period also saw many new inventions that would change American society forever. Such things as the telephone, radio, and television are things that the average present day American could not imagine living without. But a hundred years ago people were amazed at such things. Railroads were now able to bring people all over the country while steam ships could bring you all around the world and airplanes could let you fly. The horseless carriage turned into the automobile.
During the 1800’s, America was going through a time of invention and discovery known as the Industrial Revolution. America was in its first century of being an independent nation and was beginning to make the transition from a “home producing” nation to a technological one. The biggest contribution to this major technological advancement was the establishment of the Transcontinental Railroad because it provided a faster way to transport goods, which ultimately boosted the economy and catapulted America to the Super Power it is today. Throughout the beginning of the 19th century, America was still being harassed by her former mother country, Britain.
Canals, steamboats, and railroads allowed for faster travel of exports and the creation of bigger cities. The invention of the Pony Express, specialized regions, and infrastructure permitted Americans to keep in touch over long distances and the creation of market towns, which inspired a deep, national connection from all corners of the country. The giant leap made by the Transportation Revolution changed America greatly in ways of their economy and
As the need of human transportation and various forms of cargo began to rise in the United States of America, a group of railroads with terminal connections along the way began to form across the land mass of this country, ending with the result of one of the most influential innovations in American history, allowing trade to flow easily from location to location, and a fast form of transportation, named the Transcontinental Railroad.
Because of the job opportunities in the West that were advertised throughout the World , many people who found themselves out of place after being freed, or having their livelihood freed, sought to take up shop and make their way to these new opportunities.
The decade of 1870-1880 consisted of many important issues in American history. Industrialization began to make to makes its way into the American colony. In 1870, the first transcontinental railroad trip in the United States took place. The transcontinental railroad brought America together. This made it easier for traveling and especially made it easier for the industries by being able to commute products back and forth. The transcontinental railroad was the best invention and had a great impact of life for the United States at this time. Another great event that happened for this country was the discovery of gold in 1874. The discovery of gold in the Dakota Territory brought thousands of gold diggers into the Black Hills reservation. Another very important invention that changed America was the telephone on March 10, 1876, by Alexander Graham Bell. This allowed Ameri...
The transcontinental railroad would eventually become a symbol of much-needed unity, repairing the sectionalism that had once divided the nation during the Civil War. The construction of the transcontinental railroad was also an extension of the transportation revolution. Once commodities such as gold were found in the western half of America, many individuals decided to move themselves and their families out west in search of opportunity. Not only did the railroad help to transport people, but it also it allowed for goods to be delivered from companies in the east. In the end, the American transcontinental railroad created a national market, enabling mass production, and stimulated industry, while greatly impacting American society through stimulated immigration and urbanization.
The railroad played a major role in forging the history of many countries including the United States of America. The railroad began to bring people to places that before then where only accessed by weeks of dangerous travel over harsh and deadly terrain. The industrial revolution had ushered in a completely new era. The new era was one of mass production, supply and demand, and new requirements of industry. The growth of industry had created new demands for transit, trade, and more robust supply lines. The railroad boom across the U.S. had spread and proceeded to grow the economy quickly therefore, many people began using the rail roads just as quickly. The rail market continued to grow and by the 1860’s all major cities within the United States were connected by rail.
In the 1800s many innovations took place in America; however it was advances in transportation that changed America the most. At the start of the 19th century, there were no railroads or canals, making travel very difficult and long. Trading was also tough because there was no easy route to get to popular trading ports. Starting in 1812, the country was in a very good place and was in the process of rapidly improving. During this time, the steam engine also made an appearance in America. It helped with the invention of the steamboat, as well as the invention of locomotives. Advances in transportation during the 1800s completely transformed commerce, economic structure, the population density and had many other positive effects on America.
The American Revolution marked the divorce of the British Empire and its one of the most valued colonies. Behind the independence that America had fought so hard for, there emerged a diverging society that was eager to embrace new doctrines. The ideals in the revolution that motivated the people to fight for freedom continued to influence American society well beyond the colonial period. For example, the ideas borrowed from John Locke about the natural rights of man was extended in an unsuccessful effort to include women and slaves. The creation of state governments and the search for a national government were the first steps that Americans took to experiment with their own system. Expansion, postwar depression as well as the new distribution of land were all evidence that pointed to the gradual maturing of the economic system. Although America was fast on its way to becoming a strong and powerful nation, the underlying issues brought about by the Revolution remained an important part in the social, political and economical developments that in some instances contradicted revolutionary principles in the period from 1775-1800.
Railroads made a huge contribution to the growth of the United States, they led to many advances throughout American History. There were numerous matters the railroads effected in American development and the framework of the country. The railroad had positive and negative effects on America as a whole through the growth of the industry, such as; encouraged western expansion, enhanced the economy, recognized railroad monopolies, assisted the Union in Civil War, helped keep the country together, and created a high expense cost for the nation.
Another way the railroad system changed America was the way people went about their daily life in general. Before arrival and departure times of trains, the concept of time wasn't as important. Afterwards, however, people became accustomed to picking things up, meeting people, or getting on trains at certain times. As distance became less important, time became more important. It is this concept of time that has carried over to the time we presently live in. We are oriented around times and dates, from airline departures and arrivals to work schedules to social events. We no longer view the world as a big place that takes a long time to get from one place to another, but what time we will be there. People today are able to take more trips for fun to see friends and relatives that live away more often because of the quick traveling options we now have. This was not possible in the past.
The steam engine was an innovative new way to produce power. In 1698 British inventor and engineer Thomas Savery obtained the first patent on the steam engine. In 1769 James Watt patented an improved version of the steam engine. In 1782 James Watt developed the double-acting steam engine. The double-acting steam engine doubled the steam engine’s output. The double-acting steam engine was quickly adopted by the people working on the first steamboat. The creation of the steam engine allowed the extraordinary idea of a steamboat to become rea...