The Transcontinental railroad could be defined as the most epic change in America in the 19th century. The railroad played a very important role in westward expansion and on the growth and development of the American economy, however, the railroad might not have been constructed if it weren’t for the generosity of the federal government. The federal government provided land grants and financial aids to railroad companies to guarantee the construction. The transcontinental railroad contributed to the construction of industry and the market economy in America and forever changed the American lifestyle. The Transcontinental Railroad didn’t only effect Americans, though. It had a huge impact on Native Americans, and Chinese Americans along with
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This great American accomplishment could not have been accomplished without the Chinese-Americans. The Central Pacific realized the enormous task ahead of them in the construction of the railroad. They had to cross the Sierra Mountains which was a huge and dangerous task. The only solution to the frightening task was a great deal of manpower, which quickly turned out to be in short supply; probably because of the danger and sacrifices that were going to be made. The Central Pacific turned to the Chinese-American community as a source of labor. However, their hard work and abilities quickly alleviated any fears that the railroad would not get completed. In fact, at the time of completion the vast majority of workers from the Central Pacific were Chinese. The Chinese worked under exhausting and treacherous conditions for less money than their white counterparts. In fact, while the white workers were given their monthly salary and food and shelter, the Chinese immigrants received only their salary and they had to provide their own food and tents. However, the Chinese dealt with this because it gave them a job which they desperately needed. The railroad workers blasted and scraped their way through the Sierra Mountains at great risk to their lives. They used dynamite and hand tools while hanging over the sides of cliffs and mountains. Unfortunately, the blasting was not the only harm …show more content…
One reason it took as long as it did for anyone to get around to building the transcontinental railroad was that, for the longest time, no one was sure how to pay for it. The railroad system as it was in 1859 had been built for about $1 billion already. Completing the national rail network would run up another $10 billion which was money no one had or willing to give up. Many Americans in the mid-nineteenth century seemed to believe that a transcontinental railroad was a necessity in order for the United States to prosper. They believed that a transcontinental railroad could bind the Union together, and perhaps it would, but somebody still had to pay for it. One of the most important debates in nineteenth-century politics centered on the issue of "internal improvements", in other words, the construction of the nation's infrastructure and who was going to pay for them. Ultimately, it became clear that no individual, no group of individuals, no corporation in the history of American business had the money or organization to take on a project the size of the Transcontinental Railroad. It became clear, then, that if America wanted the railroad built, the federal government would have to step in, one way or another. The government's land grants assured that with the railroads would come settlement. The process of westward migration had gotten a jumpstart with the discovery of California gold
This great American accomplishment could not have been accomplished without the Chinese-Americans. The Central Pacific realized the enormous task ahead of them in the construction of the railroad. They had to cross the Sierra Mountains which was a huge and dangerous task. The only solution to the frightening task was a great deal of manpower, which quickly turned out to be in short supply; probably because of the danger and sacrifices that were going to be made. The Central Pacific turned to the Chinese-American community as a source of labor. However, their hard work and abilities quickly alleviated any fears that the railroad would not get completed. In fact, at the time of completion the vast majority of workers from the Central Pacific were Chinese. The Chinese worked under exhausting and treacherous conditions for less money than their white counterparts. In fact, while the white workers were given their monthly salary and food and shelter, the Chinese immigrants received only their salary and they had to provide their own food and tents. However, the Chinese dealt with this because it gave them a job which they desperately needed. The railroad workers blasted and scraped their way through the Sierra Mountains at great risk to their lives. They used dynamite and hand tools while hanging over the sides of cliffs and mountains. Unfortunately, the blasting was not the only harm …show more content…
One reason it took as long as it did for anyone to get around to building the transcontinental railroad was that, for the longest time, no one was sure how to pay for it. The railroad system as it was in 1859 had been built for about $1 billion already. Completing the national rail network would run up another $10 billion which was money no one had or willing to give up. Many Americans in the mid-nineteenth century seemed to believe that a transcontinental railroad was a necessity in order for the United States to prosper. They believed that a transcontinental railroad could bind the Union together, and perhaps it would, but somebody still had to pay for it. One of the most important debates in nineteenth-century politics centered on the issue of "internal improvements", in other words, the construction of the nation's infrastructure and who was going to pay for them. Ultimately, it became clear that no individual, no group of individuals, no corporation in the history of American business had the money or organization to take on a project the size of the Transcontinental Railroad. It became clear, then, that if America wanted the railroad built, the federal government would have to step in, one way or another. The government's land grants assured that with the railroads would come settlement. The process of westward migration had gotten a jumpstart with the discovery of California gold