Transcontinental Railroad

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The Transcontinental Railroad began being built in 1869. It was created to connect the East to the West.  The Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroads came together at Promontory Summit, Utah. The United State’s government expected the railroad to be built by private enterprises. They supported the funding through loans. The building of the railroad was affected by weather and climate. Blizzards, droughts and windstorms delayed building and made conditions for the workers a lot more dangerous and difficult. Location of the railroad had to be planned out to avoid mountains and hills (areas that were unable to successfully have a railroad running through.)

As a result of the Railroad, many new towns were developing which allowed for people to move West. Often cities were built near or next to easily accessible mining ores. This created more job opportunities and made more and more people move West. Cattle farming also fueled another Western Boom. It drove more farmers West to be able to trade, produce and farm more cattle. As a result of all of the new job opportunities created because of the Transcontinental Railroad, the United State’s economy was stable. Although the railroad provided a lot of positives for the United States, it also created a lot of problems for the Native Americans who lived on this land. They were forced off of their land and would then become farmers. They were assimilated into Western culture. This frustrated ,ost Indians and the Sioux retaliated by attacking settlements in Eastern Minnesota. The Sioux killed so many white settlers that the US government declared a full scale war. While the Transcontinental Railroad connected East United States to West allowing for economic and scientific expansion, it did infringe upon the Native American people’s rights to do so.

Comments

  1. ChristopherFebruary 21, 2018 at 5:46 PM

    The point, "It also created a lot of problems for the Native Americans who lived on this land" is very true. However, I do think the sacrifices they made were a big step in creating the America that we live in today. Do you think the positives outweigh the negatives?

    ReplyDelete

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