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Transcontinental Railroad Essay Outline

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The Transcontinental Railroad It would connect the county. It would increase business. It would start the race of the century. It would cause the demise of natives and the rise of the settlers. It would represent power unity and America. The Transcontinental Railroad is an important part of American history. This paper will include the influences that caused the Transcontinental Railroad, the union pacific A Transcontinental Railroad had been talked about for decades. It would be a railroad that would connect the East and western part of the country. When Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States in 1860, talk of the railroad was set aside by the U.S. Congress due to talk of war. Lincoln, however, kept encouraging the railroad, …show more content…

The Gold Rush in California and the Silver Rush in Nevada had caused many Americans to travel west. Thousands of immigrants came from both the United States and other countries in search of great fortune. This caused the population to increase dramatically. At the time there were only two ways to get to the West. Either by covered wagon or by ship. The wagon trail took six months and was a journey over rugged terrain and hostile territory. The sea voyage would also take six months. Due to the extremely bad living conditions aboard the boats, many did not choose this route. With the growing populations, the government felt a powerful need to bridge the gap between the Eastern and the Western of the country. The completion of a Transcontinental Railroad would do this as well as make the trip easier and quicker. (Gold Rush 1) (West …show more content…

These grants caused more people to travel and buy land in the West. The journey for a family heading West was now safer and easier. Railroads encouraged travel directly. The Transcontinental Railroad cut a six month and 1,000 dollar trip down to 105 dollars in a week’s time. This allowed easy travel from coast to coast. Easy travel caused growth through expanding markets and cheap distribution. This also increased possibilities for partnerships and exchange of ideas. After ten years of being completed, the Transcontinental Railroad was already shipping fifty million dollars of goods every year. This also sped up the process of making goods because they could be transported quickly. (West 2)(Endsley

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