Sydnie Holder 3.9.16
Mr. Modica Early American History
Impacts of the Transcontinental Railroad
Since the dawn of time man has strived to be on the move, exploring the unknown and seeking news ways of getting from one point to another. The innovation of transportation gave people the gift of exploration and traveling to places they have never been able to go before. During the early 1800s the main modes of travel were wagons, horses or on-foot, causing travel to be difficult and sluggish. This drove people to discover a more efficient way of travel, which resulted in the creation of trains. Due to this invention people were able to travel farther and at faster paces. The efficiency of trains made travel by rail highly popular …show more content…
Hartwell Carver’s mind until Asa Whitney and Theodore Judah continuously worked towards creating the Railroad. As a result of Congress giving grants to railway companies, Carver, Whitney, and Judah were able to make plans for the Transcontinental Railroad. There were hundreds of train tracks connecting and intersecting the Northern and Southern United States, however there was no easy way to travel to the newly opened Western lands, thus the need for the creation of the Transcontinental Railroad. The Transcontinental Railroad was composed of two railways; Central Pacific and Union Pacific, and its route was about two-thousand miles long starting from Nebraska, ending in California. A humongous portion of the workers were immigrants from China. Around fifteen thousand Chinese immigrants, came to America to work on the Railroad. Without the help of the Chinese workers, the Transcontinental Railroad would have been completed at a much slower …show more content…
While under construction, the Railroad was planned to pass through multiple types of surfaces, particularly mountains, deserts, and fields. In order to complete the Transcontinental Railroad, the workers were put to work in dangerous areas, especially the Chinese. (Wolmar, The Great Railroad Revolution). As their work on the Railroad continued, the Chinese workers were put in unsafe conditions, using dynamite to create tunnels causing accidental explosions, resulting in death. The Chinese were forced to work in deserts for a long amount time and later work in difficult mountains. These workers also labored through unpredictable weather and harsh winters, further complicating their jobs. They were also forced, with the help of other workers, to place ten miles of tracks in one day, while usually it takes almost less than a week. During their time working on the Transcontinental Railroad, the Chinese immigrants were required to work in unstable conditions, putting their lives at
Mr. Modica Early American History
Impacts of the Transcontinental Railroad
Since the dawn of time man has strived to be on the move, exploring the unknown and seeking news ways of getting from one point to another. The innovation of transportation gave people the gift of exploration and traveling to places they have never been able to go before. During the early 1800s the main modes of travel were wagons, horses or on-foot, causing travel to be difficult and sluggish. This drove people to discover a more efficient way of travel, which resulted in the creation of trains. Due to this invention people were able to travel farther and at faster paces. The efficiency of trains made travel by rail highly popular …show more content…
Hartwell Carver’s mind until Asa Whitney and Theodore Judah continuously worked towards creating the Railroad. As a result of Congress giving grants to railway companies, Carver, Whitney, and Judah were able to make plans for the Transcontinental Railroad. There were hundreds of train tracks connecting and intersecting the Northern and Southern United States, however there was no easy way to travel to the newly opened Western lands, thus the need for the creation of the Transcontinental Railroad. The Transcontinental Railroad was composed of two railways; Central Pacific and Union Pacific, and its route was about two-thousand miles long starting from Nebraska, ending in California. A humongous portion of the workers were immigrants from China. Around fifteen thousand Chinese immigrants, came to America to work on the Railroad. Without the help of the Chinese workers, the Transcontinental Railroad would have been completed at a much slower …show more content…
While under construction, the Railroad was planned to pass through multiple types of surfaces, particularly mountains, deserts, and fields. In order to complete the Transcontinental Railroad, the workers were put to work in dangerous areas, especially the Chinese. (Wolmar, The Great Railroad Revolution). As their work on the Railroad continued, the Chinese workers were put in unsafe conditions, using dynamite to create tunnels causing accidental explosions, resulting in death. The Chinese were forced to work in deserts for a long amount time and later work in difficult mountains. These workers also labored through unpredictable weather and harsh winters, further complicating their jobs. They were also forced, with the help of other workers, to place ten miles of tracks in one day, while usually it takes almost less than a week. During their time working on the Transcontinental Railroad, the Chinese immigrants were required to work in unstable conditions, putting their lives at