Transcript Chapter 9.2

Railroads
Chapter 9.2
Monica Huddleston
Sierra Sharon
Emily Steadham
Emily Jones
Bailey Whatley
Linking The Nation
• After Civil War, railroad construction
linked different regions of the Nation
in a transportation network.
• Pacific Railway Act-(1862) signed by
President Lincoln, provided
construction of Transcontinental
Railroad by the Union and Central
Pacific Railroad Companies.
• A Golden Spike
• Under Grenville Dodge the Union began
pushing Westward from Omaha,
Nebraska, in 1865.
Railroads Spur Growth
• The Transcontinental Railroad spurred
American industrial growth.
• Central Pacific Railroad Company- had
four primary investors known as the
“Big Four”.
• Central Pacific Railroad hired about
10,000 workers from China, because of
a shortage of labor.
• A tremendous amount of money was
spent on steel, coal, timber, and other
things used on railroads.
• Seven Giant systems controlled most
railroad traffic as a result of Railroad
consolidation.
• Each community set its clocks by the
sun’s position before the 1880’s.
• American Railway Association divided
the country into time zones (regions
where the same time was kept)
• Over 120 milion acres of land was given to
railroad companies in the 1850’s and 60’s,
larger than New England, New York, and
Pennsylvania combined.
• Jay Gould- used information he received as a
railroad owner to manipulate stock prices to
his benefit.
• Credit mobilier- scandal where the Union
Pacific Railroad became almost bankrupt.
• Great Northern- became the most successful
transcontinental railroad. It operated
without subsidies or land grants.