Transcontinental Railroad Research Paper

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In the history of the United States of America how many industries can say they have been around as long as the railroads? How many industries can say they connected a nation from one coast to the other? How many single industries have made as much money as the railroads? Would it not be considered a great accomplishment to be able to lay claim to just one of these, but the railroad industry can lay claim to all three. During the American Industrial Revolution, the railroad expansion became the linkage of the nation and the driving force for expansion, new resources, financial gain, and timing of daily life.
The transcontinental railroad was born after the Civil War, and has been said to have been created because the people of the nation …show more content…
The railroads required this precision which Volti depicts on page 205 with his illustration of a train engineer and conductor setting their watches to matching times (205). Volti quotes Henry David Thoreau as he spoke about the railroads:
They come and go with regularity and precision, and their whistles can be heard so far, that farmers set their clocks by them, and thus one well-regulated institution regulates a whole country. Have not men improved somewhat in punctuality since the railroad was invented? (Volti 206)
The precise timing of the railroads was to ensure a schedule just as workers were being asked to work a regular schedule.
The railroad expansion to the west aided the American Industrial Revolution by giving the country a need for technological advancements, finding of resources, making businesses millions, and created the need for precise timing. ‘The economic benefits of the railroad (and the telegraph, with the line being built right alongside the tracks) to the business traveler were obvious (Ambrose 250).” The Industrial Revolution lead to many ideas and technologies that are still used

Transcontinental Railroad Research Paper

job, pounding in spikes from sun-up to sunset. His father had decided to help build the Transcontinental Railroad and he had gotten pulled along. The day the two had arrived at the worksite Will had been assigned the job of pounding in the railroad ties because he was the “youngest, and spryest”. He shot a glare over at his father and in return he got a sympathetic smile. This was hard work, building a railroad. The sun was in full force and it was beating down mercilessly. The sun rays stung his…

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Transcontinental Railroad Research Paper

the construction of the transcontinental railroad, the contracts for construction were awarded to two main companies, the Central Pacific Railroad and the Union Pacific Railroad. The Central Pacific, led by a group of investors including Leland Stanford, Collis Huntington, and Charles Crocker, was responsible for building the railroad from Sacramento, California to the east. The Union Pacific, led by Thomas Durant and Grenville Dodge, was tasked with constructing the railroad from Omaha, Nebraska to…

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Transcontinental Railroad Research Paper

to buyers in every part of the US. The Transcontinental Railroad was built for this purpose. The Transcontinental Railroad made modern America possible through the actions of its inventors, workers, and system. Asa Whitney introduced the idea of the Transcontinental Railroad. He was a merchant who traded American-made goods with China for tea and spices. Whitney wanted a quicker, more efficient way to travel to and from China (National…

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Transcontinental Railroad Research Paper

America during the 19th century was the construction of the transcontinental railroad. After the southern states left the Union, on July 1, 1862 President Abraham Lincoln signed the Pacific Railroad Act. This allowed railroad companies such as the Union Pacific and Central Pacific to build railways connecting the east to the west part of the United States. Foreign immigrants in searching for a better life made the construction of the railroad possible. Thousands of Chinese immigrants came to America…

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Transcontinental Railroad Research Paper

The transcontinental railroad was a very influential and important invention for the United States. It made our country more connected, and made people and ideas move much faster. Compared to the time it took to travel across country with boat or wagon; you could say the railroad gave us essentially Instant travel from coast to coast. The Idea of the transcontinental railroad was brought about by Ted Judah and Grenville Dodge. They were building from two sides of the country and decided to connect…

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Transcontinental Railroad Research Paper

The Transcontinental Railroad, acclaimed for its impact on American society, was the keystone in economic prosperity in the United States of America. Allowing for faster transportation of materials, goods, and humans, the railroad created an industrial surge in American industries shaping the international economic powerhouse that we are today. With something this big and important, recognition and credit should be given to those who made it happen. However, unlike Canada, the United States has failed…

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Transcontinental Railroad Research Paper

How big of an impact do you think the transcontinental railroad had on the United States? It had a massive impact because the railroad itself took roughly six years to complete which is a very long time, It combined the East and West, and it is decided to be the greatest accomplishment of the United States of America. What changes did the Transcontinental Railroad bring to the United States? In what way was this event a game changer? Did it change the US? The purpose of this essay is to reveal the…

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First Transcontinental Railroad Research Paper

The First Transcontinental Railroad Americans today dream of flying cars and weekend trips to Mars. However in the 1800s they dreamed of being able to ride a train from coast to coast. This dream started with a proposal by Asa Whitney to Congress in 1845 asking for federal funding. Unfortunately, this revolutionary idea was not approved. Sixteen years later Theodore Judah gathered a group of investors and established the Central Pacific Railroad Company With the backing of the investors, Judah…

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Territory to the west coast. Westward expansion to the Pacific Coast wouldn’t have been as efficient, or perhaps not possible, without several key factors. This research paper will discuss such factors. The major influences of a continuous westward expansion of America include the nationally accepted idea of Manifest Destiny, the invention of the railroad and telegraph, and the expansionist policies of the United States government, especially of President James K. Polk. Manifest…

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