How did the Railroad change America? Railroads created a more interconnected society. Counties were able help each other faster due to the decreased travel time. With the use of the steam engine, people were able to travel longer distances much faster and easier than if they were using only horse to pull wagons. The Railroads also created jobs across the United States that aided in the building of cities and towns across the country. With the invention of the steam engine those living in large cities across the country were able to obtain goods faster than they had been able with only horse powered means. Whatever good the railroads did for the country it also was rough on those who built it. Laying tracks in extreme weather conditions with …show more content…
From 1871 to 1900, about another 170,000 miles of railroad tracks were added. Congress approved the Pacific Railway Act in 1862. That authorized construction of a railroad from coast to coast. Counties were able to work together easier due to the less travel time; which created an interconnected society. The use of steam engines made it possible so people could travel further distances much easier than if they were using only horse drawn wagons. The Railroads also created jobs across the United States that aided in the building of cities and towns across the country. With the invention of the steam engine those living in large cities across the country were able to obtain goods faster than they had been able with only horse powered means. Whatever good the railroads did for the country it also was rough on those who built it. Living in railroad construction camps and Laying track was an extremely hard way to live and earn a living. Railroad construction crews had to lay tracks across and through mountain, across lakes and rivers. They also were subjected to extreme weather conditions. The railroad camps draw all types of rough and tough characters, almost all of whom were looking for ways to make easy money, illegally or legally. Living conditions in the camps were often very rough and crude. The federal government aided in the building of transcontinental railroads by land grants. Railroad companies
In Henry George’s article, What the Railroad Will Bring Us, it discusses the main social, political, and economic transformations that the trans-continental railroad would bring to the state of California. More importantly, he discusses not only the benefits, but also discusses the major drawbacks with the arrival of the railroad. Henry George stated the railroad would be the “greatest work of the age” (297). With a railroad stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific, multiple benefits would be brought to the state of California. First, the railroad will not only create a new means of transportation across the United States, it additionally would also become “one of the greatest material prosperity” of its time (298). This means more people, more houses,
This had farmers in distress, for they were losing more money than they were making. Farmers’ incomes were low, and in order to make a profit on what they produced, they began to expand the regions in which they sold their products. This was facilitated through the railroads, by which through a series of grants from the government as contracted in the Pacific Railroad Act of 1862, were made possible; which latter lead to the boom of rail roads in 1868-1873.... ... middle of paper ...
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.
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.
With new railroads jobs are offered, businesses flourish with the need for more steel, and coal. New towns pop up along the railroads and bring new settlers. Even a new time zone is created to help with the train schedule.
The most important thing that came from the creation of railroads was that it made the United States seem significantly smaller. Traveling across states no longer was a journey that would take several days, all it took was a short train ride. The railroad industry itself became a force to be reckoned with, “creating the modern practice of political “lobbying’” (T&S 580). Railroad companies used this practice to essentially buy out congressmen in order to build support for favorable laws.
Railroads were America’s first big business and contributed a great deal towards advancing industrialization. Beginning in the early 1870's, railroad construction in the United States expanded substantially. Before the year 1871, approximately fourty-five thousand miles of track had been laid. Up until the 1900's another one-hundred and seventy thousand miles were added to the nation's growing railroad system. This growth came about due to the erection of transcontinental railroads. Railroads supplied cities and towns with food, fuel, materials, and access to markets. The railroad system made way for an economic prosperity. The railroad system helped to build the physical growth of cities and towns. It even became another means of communication. Most importantly, it helped to produce a second
The railroads that were built in the 19th century played a vital role in the development of the United States after the Civil War. A ginormous 192,556 miles of railroad track was laid down across the nation from coast to coast. It helped the economy blossom and allowed many people to easily transport themselves and products vast distances. There was also minor political and economical setbacks because of the railroad’s construction. The building of the railroad played a central role in America’s development through its transportation, economical and minor corruption it brought forth.
The first railroads were made in the 1550s, they first started off with wooden tracks with carts on them with a horse or horses pulling (About, inventors). They had the tracks because it was easier to move on the rails instead of the dirt roads. The railroads were called wagonways back in the 1550s (About, inventors). In 1776 the wooden rails were replaced by iron rails and the wooden wheels were replaced with iron wheels to make the railroad more smooth(About, inventors). In 1789 the iron wheels were replaced with flanged wheels, The flanged wheels were iron wheels that grip the track better (About.com,inventors). In 1800s the steam engine was invented for the railroad
During the industrial revolution, the construction of railroads were very significant. When the very first railroad was built, it was carried for goods and foods for only short distances. Many inventors wanted to improve the railroads because then with it, the passengers can go travel to longer distances and also bring many different foods and goods all around the places. In 1826 the first American railroad It named Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) and was launched by a group of businessman. This railroad was a big success so many other companies started to build their own railroads. But they created new problems such as accidents occurring due to the railroad not made identically. But on the other hand, advances in improving the railroads helped increase
During the 1800s to early 1900s, an era of industrialization spread throughout the United States. The Industrial Revolution was a historic period that changed how people worked and lived, transportation was one of the main advances of the Industrial age. These new methods of transportation improved the lives of many, without the transportation revolution the U.S likely would have remained a rural nation and not connected by the ever easier transportation of people and goods.
Railroads could offer to go to more remote areas like in the country, where other means of transportation couldn’t go, like canals. These means of transportation caused much
...iling industry and the expansion of the west. The railroads helped these industries expand their territories which not only brought wealth to the large companies but, it also helped create jobs for many people. The railroad industry became an important gateway for immigrants because it introduced them to different opportunities of work and living. The railroad industry also helped to pour money into America’s economy. The railroad industry helped raise economic standards and change the way from an economy based on agriculture to an agriculture base on machinery. The railroads united America as a whole. It was the driving force of the industrial revolution that brought America together as a unity. The industrial revolution wouldn’t be the same if it wasn’t for the railroad industry that changed not only the people but, the country as a whole for the next fifty years.
The need for paved roads led to a whole new industry that employed thousands of men. The automobile brought economic success to America. Without the automobile these roads and quick ways of transport would not be around. Transportation was made easier and faster, no more buses or travel by train. Americans now had the freedom to travel and explore their country. The automobile was able to cut travel time in half. Life no longer revolved around the busy city. Americans made the move to the suburbs and were able to commute to the city to shop and work. Life for people in the rural areas changed as well, they were able to head into the city faster in an automobile instead o...
The Steam Locomotive was one of the most significant inventions that helped evolve the Industrial Revolution. This invention also advanced the trading system in the early stages of the United States .The Locomotive brought “philosophical economic, social and political changes the invention of the locomotive would bring.”(Perfecting the Steam Locomotive) Steam Locomotive also gave the ability to move societies and merchandise to any region of the country resulted in the growth of country settlements. If it wasn’t for the invention of railroads the geography and infrastructure would not be the same as modern day.