First Transcontinental Railroad Research Paper

The building of the Canadian Pacific Railway was a very significant event in the development of Canada. It was important for the development of the West, which there was no easy way to get to. It benefitted the Canadian economy, allowing it to flourish and grow into what it has become today. Lastly, it allowed for unification of Canada as one whole country.

The "Four Associates" were the most beneficiated after the built of the railroad in California. In the 1840's, Asa Whitney, China merchant, was the first person considering that a transcontinental railroad in the United States could provide to the nation an expansion of its commerce with far western countries like China, India, and all Asia; however, it was just a dream of Whitney. In 1854, Theodore Judah, constructor engineer and surveyor, traveled from the Atlantic to California with the purpose to convert that dream into reality; during his first six years in California, Judah discovered the route for the railroad.

There have been steam engine trains trailing the United States in the early 1800’s. Many of the early ones ran only a few dozen miles. When the railways ran longer distances, the cost to build and later ride them were be extremely high. However, long distances were what Minnesota needed to keep up with the competitive and growing nation around it. “Construction began on the first track in 1861 in St. Paul and was completed in 1862.”

Even though the railroad existed before the great division between the north and the south and it mainly contributed in providing goods for both sides, the invention of the railroad greatly contributed to the civil war. The first railroad created in the US was in 1827 and their major role was to transport goods from the North to the South and back. As slaves became more abundant in the South and less present in the North a war began on the idea of slavery. The railroad caused this Civil War by bringing goods to only one side and keeping their advantage. It went from having different point of views to all out battles that started with starvation and isolation, but led to death and separation.

The Underground Railroad Have you ever wondered what kinds of codes were used in the Underground Railroad? Or the way experiences affected the slaves? Or what Harriet Tubman did? Well in this paper each of these questions will be answered.

The Transcontinental Railroad The completion of the first Transcontinental Railroad was an important event in the United States history. There were many challenges in building it, but after it was finished, it connected the East Coast of the United States to the West Coast. The railroad took three whole years to build, with the help of two railroad companies and thousands of other hired workers.

Thousands of people came to California in look for gold and Braman had thousands of tools to sell. In the beginning of the California gold rush in 1848, thousands and thousands of people came from all over the world. It was described as migration towards California. Mar-shall was the man to make the discovery of gold in January. The news of gold brought people like prospectors, immigrants and new technology that would become known as the Golden State and fostered an entrepreneurial vibe that still exists today.

The differences in these tracks made the it very complicated for the trains to get from one place to another. Often a train would have to be unloaded only to be loaded right back into a different train on a different gauge of rail. About half of all the railroads were using the gauge of 4ft 8 ½ inches following the Civil War and the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad the usage of the gauge of 4foot 8 ½ inches as the standard gauge would become common in almost the entire country. This standard gauge allowed for trains to have an easier time going from place to place. This railway network lowered the cost of shipping long distances along with increasing the speed of

The Underground Railroad of the United States of America was a complex system of knowledge and experience that made it possible for slaves to escape the harsh realities of laboring for the opportunistic region of the North. With this in mind, all fugitives faced tremendous odds, displaying unimaginable amounts of courage in order to bypass themselves from the conditions they lived under in the South. Similarly, there were many directly opposing ideas making their way through the minds of those in the legislature, in essence creating a social divide that would arguably continue until the end of the civil rights movement. Although today it is known as a singular concept, the Underground Railroad was composed of several independent organizations that in turn collectively had goals of abolishing slavery.

While the railroad construction began long before the 1860’s, the major push for the transcontinental ability was completed in 1869, as the final

Steel, Steam, and the Death of a People In October of 1893 the Central Pacific Railroad Company drove the first spike into what would soon become the most important railroad in the world and one which would change U.S. history forever. In the west the route began in San Francisco. Across the great plains the eastern route began in Omaha, Nebraska. They met at Promontory, Utah on May 10, 1869.

The Washington state railroads had a monumental impact on the development of Washington. The first Transcontinental Railroad, the Northern Pacific, was built, uniting the western half of America, including Washington State, with the eastern half. Radical thinkers such as Governor Stevens proposed a direct connection from the East to the untouched resources of the West. The United Sates government supported the railway lines by providing state grants. They gave the railroad millions of acres of land in the undeveloped West.

The Tremendous Impact of Railroads on America In the late 19th century, railroads propelled America into an era of unprecedented growth, prosperity, and convenient transportation. Prior to the building of the railroads, America lacked the proper and rapid transportation to make traveling across the country economical or practical. Lengthy travel was often cumbersome, costly, and dangerous.

It was discovered on January 24th 1848 by James Marshall in California. A quarter million people migrated to California for the chance to get rich and other personal reasons. Foreigners from all around the world came to America to either search for gold or the new opportunities open. As time progressed corporations were formed that could buy new technology and workers to search for gold and several boom towns had formed in California. As more and more people moved west the United States faced another issue.

The building of roads, canals and railroads played a large role in the United States during the 1800s. They served the purpose of connecting towns and settlements so that goods could be transported quickly and more efficiently. These goods could be transported fast, cheap and in safe way through the Erie Canal that was built to connect the Great Lakes to New York. Railroads were important during Civil War as well, because it helped in the transportation of goods, supplies and weapons when necessary. These new forms of transportation shaped the United States into the place that it is today.