How The First Transcontinental Railroad Revolutionized The American Economy

The First Transcontinental Railroad was built crossing the western side of America and finished around 1869. The idea of creating the line was present in the States long before the construction was approved. This was the era of the Civil War and the southerners who were opposed to the idea before were now gone from congress, so that meant the republicans could use that opportunity to vote for the construction of the transcontinental railroad. They chose two companies, the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroad and they supported the project through bonds. The land where the railroad was supposed to go through was mostly barren desert. The people who they had working on them were mainly immigrants from Ireland and China. The engineers andsupervisors were mostly made up of army veterans. The transcontinental railroad was finished on May 10, 1869 in Utah at Promontory Point. The transcontinental railroad revolutionized the American economy because of how fast and cheap it made to transport goods across the country. It also meant that America was moving to the front of the …show more content…
Such as the 13th,14th and 15th and how they got work and land. Blacks enjoyed a brief period when they were allowed to vote, actively participate in the political process, acquire the land, seek their own employment, and use public accommodations. Opponents of this progress soon rallied against the former slaves' freedom and began to find means for eroding the gains for which many had shed their blood. One of these means was the vagrancy laws, they were a set of laws that made it so anyone could be arrested for doing nothing. Under these laws police arrested people, mostly freed blacks ranging from men and women to young kids, and punished them with a fine or several months in jail and from there they were sent to county labor or hired out to an