Essay On The Impact Of Railroads In America

The Transcontinental Railroad had a drastic effects on many aspects of life during the 1860s, including society, the economy, and the Native Americans’ way of life. These are just a few of the ways the Transcontinental Railroad changed the world. Native Americans were forced to relocate, society had a new outlook on life, and the economy had been boosted almost incalculably.

Throughout American History, revolutions in transportation have affected the American society politically, socially and economically. Soon after the war of 1812, American nationalism increased which leads to a greater emphasis on national issues, the increase in power and prevalence of the national government and a growing sense of the American Identity. Railways, canals, and Turnpikes began to increase making many people employed. The era of 1830-1860 represents a shift from agrarianism to industrialism. Overall, during the transportation revolution, construction of turnpikes, roads, canals, and railroads led to the market economy expansion, an increased population in America and alternations of the physical landscape of America.

The period after the civil war saw the United States of America economy transform to become a national economy and an industrial giant. The already existing industries quickly expanded and new ones emerged including steel manufacturing, electrical power, and petroleum refining. This period saw the rapid expansion of the railroad network which would subsequently connect even the remote parts of the country into the national economic grid essentially transforming the regional markets into a national economy. Following the economic expansion, the American society was greatly transformed creating a new crop of wealthy individuals and a dynamic middle class. Additionally, there was a vast expansion of blue collar job opportunities which quickly

Alexander Hamilton’s innovative vision has remained relevant throughout the development of the United States’ financial system. The First Bank of the United States, championed by Hamilton, serves as the first model for the American financial system and banking structure. Remnants of Hamilton’s framework endure to this day. After nearly eight decades without a central bank, Congress revived Hamilton’s “notion of a centralized, quasi-governmental bank” in 1914, when the Federal Reserve System was created (Davies). Even so, Hamilton’s vision never fully disappeared. In the nineteenth century, bank lending “spurred business growth, planting the seeds for the nation’s flowering into an economic power after the Civil War” (Davies). Hamilton’s vision

The Transcontinental Railroad played a significant role in the settlement of the American West. As of May 10th, 1869, this railroad became the area’s newest and fastest mode of transportation. Its first obligation was to bring settlers in at very low

The people of Washington were able to receive large prosperity after the development of the transcontinental line. The economy grew and people were able to ship goods, cities emerged, and investments were made to the West, which used to be thought as isolated and undeveloped. “The railroad allowed farmers, rancher, and miners sell their goods beyond the borders of the territory. Goods produced on farms could be easily shipped to coveted eastern markets.” (Artifact J) This allowed for growth and income for the state, which is one way the railways boosted the economy. Farming and agriculture was one way the economy grew and flourished, because it provided people with jobs. Businesses also were able to form from the new invention of refrigerated boxcars. The newly found knowledge of pasteurization permitted beer to flow west, which motivated the Northwest to produce more hops, which provided extra jobs. (Artifact P) This added flow of jobs, occurring after in the coming of the railroad in 1886, added to the already boosting economy. Likewise, many cities also benefited from their relation to the rail lines. “Civic leaders in Tacoma and rival Seattle had long dreamed of forging direct rail connections to the outside world. They needed to create links between the farm and ranch land of eastern Washington and to the ocean shipping

To say the time period following the Civil War in the United States involved a lot of change would be a understatement. Between the years 1870 and 1900 the people of the United States lived through a period of great change. Not only did they witness technological advances that would change their daily lives, they also saw new laws and organizations formed. All of this was done in hopes of improving the country. Many of these changes came about because of the type of businesses that were formed. In the post-Civil War United States corporations grew significantly in number, size and influence. Big business had a major impact on the economy and politics in America resulting in changes for many American citizens.

When railroads were invented in America, and first started being used commercially and for businesses, it was a major technological leap. They created a huge demand for goods. They also needed a lot of steel to make the rails and trains, which benefited Carnegie a lot. Prior to the building of railroads in the USA, starting in the 1830’a with the Baltimore and Ohio Railway, things like clothes, food, letters, livestock could take months, and in some cases, even a year to get form the East coast to the West coast or vice versa. However, after people

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.

Before the Gilded Age, transportation of any sort was slow, unreliable, and unavailable. However, with the invention of the assembly line and some invention, mass produced automobiles, subterranean trains, elevated trains and basic airplanes were spread out. Therefore, during the late 19th century, transportation was allowing for extreme expanse of trade and economic capability.

There were many groups living in the United States between 1860 and 1900 and most of the groups we can categorize people into had very different viewpoints. The main groups that most can be categorized into are the wealthy, the common people, the Indians and the Chinese. Starting with the wealthy they looked at the west as a big fat paycheck, the wealth folks went out west and bought up lots of land and production and monopolized, while the common people competed with these big companies for free and cheap land because they were the poor back east and came out west with hopes of finding gold while mining or getting rich off abundant crop land or maybe it was some common women who came out west because they were allowed to purchase land out west. The Indians were native to the west and after immigration started some of the bigger tribes fought back but most tribes were too small and were forced by the American

During this time period, rapid expansion westward, centered around railroads (the total length of which doubled between 1865 and 1873) helped to expand markets and transport materials. Furthermore, there was no shortage of materials to transport and process. For example, the United States was producing four times as much crude iron as Britain by the year 1900. Due to this

In 1694, Thomas Savery invented what would revolutionize the united states indefinitely, he called it the steam engine. This invention lead to the first steam engine locomotive which many would say was a beneficial turning point in the industrialization of america’s economy,allowing the steam engine to be used on the railways. Although the railroads did impact the United States and certain groups in positive ways,there were also negative effects that occurred.

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.

Imagine a world where the fastest means of transportation is riding horseback. Without the steam locomotive, that's how life would be. The steam locomotive is a steam train that revolutionized transportation on railways. Despite originating in Britain, railways made a lasting impact in America. The steam locomotive was a major part in the American industrial revolution making transportation easier, cheaper, and faster.