How were Native Americans affected by the building of a large railway network in the USA?

Answer 1

The rapid expansion of railways after the US Civil War had a negative affect on many Native Americans. By the 1880's the United States contained almost one third of the world's railway mileage. The completion of the transcontinental railroad system in May of 1869 was viewed by many Americans as the "final solution" to the Native American Tribal threat to US citizen settlements in the West. Even before the final spike was made to the East to West railway project, Congress had passed applications for military use of the coast to coast railway to ensure that the "savages" would be denied the Buffalo ranges by military force.

The railways themselves were often built on what Native Americans considered to be their lands. The railway system brought new settlers from the Eastern States to all parts of the western areas of the continental USA more rapidly than the wagon train method. This large influx had conflicts with the Native Americans over territorial rights. The conflicts grew into violent ones and in some cases the result was a war against certain Native American tribes fought by Federal troops who were well armed and numerous.