POST C IVIL WAR ERA

The Transcontinental Railroad

WORDS TO COPY ARE IN RED

The Building of the Transcontinental Railroad

Why did America Need to Transcontinental RR?

�Communication from East to West was not very good

�Travelling time from East to West took 6months +

� It would help fulfil ‘Manifest Destiny’

�The U.S. needed to keep up with other countries

�Trade links with China and Japan

�Help to bring law and order to the West

Visual Portrayal of

Manifest Destiny

Transcontinental RR

� Lincoln & Republicans promised Transcontinental RR in 1860

� 1862 – Congress passed Pacific RR Act (provided 2 companies to build a transcontinental line)

� Central Pacific built East from California

� Union Pacific built West from Nebraska

Central Pacific

Union Pacific

� Many workers were required to build the RR, including African Americans, Native Americans, but primarily relied on immigrants

� Central Pacific = Chinese immigrants

� Union Pacific = Irish immigrants

Neither group received much credit

for their work.

Labor Employed

Central Pacific Union Pacific

- Chinese immigrants - Irish immigrants

Who worked on the Railroad?

� Biggest Challenge – crossing the SierraNevada mountains

� Engineers (growing field) figured out how to make tunnels work.

Challenges

Central Pacific meets Union Pacific

Two ends connected at Promontory, Utah

May 10, 1869 – Transcontinental Railroad connected by a

golden spike

Growth of Railroads

� Railroads became more efficient after the Civil War

� Began to make the rails the same size & network = connect railroad lines to another

� Began to consolidate = combining smaller companies with larger ones

Examples: Ford bought Hummer

US Airways / America West

Time Warner bought AOL

� Huge railway companies were built

� Important RR businessmen:

Cornelius Vanderbilt (New York & Harlem Railroad)

J.P. Morgan (consolidated RRs)

James J. Hill (Great Northern Railway)

Edward Harriman (Illinois Central &

Union Pacific RRs)

Growth of Railroads (contd.)

The Effects of the Transcontinental RR

� Destroyed the Native Americans’ way of life

� Tied together the economies of the West & East

� Caused the U.S. to grow into an industrial giant (examples: lumber, steel, coal, aluminum industries)

� Helped people settle and farm the plains & valleys of the West.

� Helped develop the cattle industry

Effect of the Railroads: Effect of the Railroads: Effect of the Railroads: Effect of the Railroads: Destruction Destruction Destruction Destruction of the Indiansof the Indiansof the Indiansof the Indians

� Hunters used the Railroad to go west to hunt the buffalo

� Hunters were only interested in buffalo skin

� 1875 southern buffalo herds wiped out

� 1885 northern buffalo herds wiped out

� Indians depended on the buffalo, but now they were gone! �

Buffalo Slaughter

Effect Effect Effect Effect of the Railroadsof the Railroadsof the Railroadsof the Railroads::::Helps develop the Cattle IndustryHelps develop the Cattle IndustryHelps develop the Cattle IndustryHelps develop the Cattle Industry

� Cattle were transported by the railroads making it easier to move them from Texas to the East

� Cow Towns grew up around these railroad stops

� Changed the way people thought about the country & environment

� Pre-railroads = travel was hazardous, weather was difficult, needed water transport

� With railroads = in cold & heat the trains kept moving, railroads made straight paths to cities without water transport (ex. Denver, Cheyenne)

� Railroad agreed to a system of standard

time – creating 4 U.S. time zones

� 1884 – worldwide time zones created

The Effects of the Transcontinental RR(Continued)

Time Zones

Credits

• http://www.dianadiehlpresents.com/2011/10/the-story-of-sharp-

eyes/

• http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/iron/teachers.html

• http://users.humboldt.edu/ogayle/hist383/CentralPacific.html

• http://www.history.com/topics/transcontinental-

railroad/videos#transcontinental-railroad