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