Railroad Revolution Research Paper

Governor Livingston High School

Railroad Revolution

Katie Zimmermann

Advanced Placement United States History

Mr. Bolger

7 September 2016 *add hook* From 1870 to 1900, America was in an era known as the Gilded Age. This era was just after the American Civil War when America was experiencing its Second Industrial Revolution. At this time, almost every aspect of American life was changing. Before the Civil War, even though there was industry in America, agriculture was the essential component of the economy. The factories that were built in the north during the war stayed opened. Starting with railroads, businesses began to grow. America's economy was dominated by a few extremely powerful men and most people worked for an employer by the

Beginning in 1862, the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific Railroad Companies began building the transcontinental railroad that would connect America from east to west. It was completed on May 10, 1869 ("Transcontinental Railroad"). Along with the transcontinental railroad, total railroad trackage increased from 52,000 miles in 1870 to 193,000 miles in 1900 (Brinkley 477). Western goods were now more accessible to the east coast and vice versa. This improvement in trade revolutionized America's economy. Since transporting goods across the country was easier and quicker, it caused markets to expand and distribution to become cheaper. Also, Americans "could reach the west coast in a matter of days instead of months at one-tenth the cost," thus allowing people to migrate into lands once considered unlivable. The Census of 1890 stated that the American frontier was gone. Land that was previously unsettled by Americans became flooded with them. During the Gilded Age, seven western states were annexed into America. The success of the transcontinental railroad, and railroads in general, encouraged the American belief that nothing is impossible if you have organization and determination ("Digital History"). This new, popular American idea became known as the "Self-Made Man," the belief that everyone had the chance to succeed and become rich in the new industrial economy

A few of the many noticeable changes during the Gilded Age were that markets expanded, distribution became easier, more people migrated west, people believed in the "Self-Made Man,"America became more industrial than agricultural, and big businesses dominated industry. The remarkable transformations seen in the photograph of a Burlington and Missouri Railroad station were all due to the increase in the number of railroads and the formation of corporations. Many of these changes are still present in modern-day America. Today, distribution is as easy as it has ever been and markets continue to expand. Internet sales allow consumers vast choices compared with the limited choices of the local stores of the past. America is colonized from east to west; people still believe that if you work hard you will succeed, and industry is the most dominate aspect of the economy. The industrial revolution of the late 19th century did not just revolutionize the economy and society of America, but transformed America into the country it is