First Transcontinental Railroad

Goods produced in one region could be sent to another and sold. (ApEX)

Completed with a Golden Spike ceremony at Promontory Summit, Utah on May 10th, 1869, the First Transcontinental Railroad linked California with the existing rail network of the eastern United States.

The Credit Mobilier scandal which occurred in 1872 involved arguments with Union Pacific resulting from the building of the western part of the Transcontinental Railroad. The problems originated in 1864 during the presidency of Abraham Lincoln.

The completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869 had a major impact on the United States. It was the first large-scale railroad to span the entire continent and connected the country in a whole new way. This new form of transportation had a number of benefits and lasting effects on the nation.

• The most immediate effect of the railroad was to significantly reduce the travel time between East and West. What had previously taken weeks or months to do by wagon or steamship could now be done in days making it much easier for people to move between the coasts.
• The railroad also allowed for the rapid expansion of the country and of commerce. Freight could now be transported much more easily and quickly leading to a boom in business and new opportunities for economic growth.
• The railroad also helped to foster a more unified national identity. It was a symbol of progress and an example of what the country could achieve when it worked together.
• The railroad also had a major impact on the Native American population who were forcibly removed from their land to make way for the new railroads.

The transcontinental railroad was a major step forward for the United States and its impact is still felt today. It helped to unify the country expand its economy and revolutionize the way people traveled and traded goods.

Carey people and goods across the country

To gain land for a Southern transcontinental railroad

Promontory, Utah

Two main results: reduced travel between eastern and western US from six weeks to three days; opened up the Great Plains for development/expulsion of the American Indians.

yes

Chinese Immigrants played a major role in building the first transcontinental railroad.

either most of the day most days , or all day most days

The golden spike was used to mark the completion of the transcontinental railroad in the celebration at Promontory, Utah

blowing up parts of the rocky mountains to make tunnles.

This refers to the 10th of May in 1869 when, at Promontory Summit, Utah, the last spike for the "completion" of the transcontinental railroad was driven. The track was in fact not complete due to the fact that cargo and passengers had to be ferried across the Missouri river between Council Bluffs, Iowa and Omaha, Nebraska. (The two burgs.) A train from Ogden, Utah brought the band from Fort Douglas that played for the celebration at Promontory Summit.

The Transcontinental railroad was needed because the mining industry created a need for faster transportation-- stage coach lines and wagons were not moving fast enough.

Caucasian and oriental were the two main ethnic groups. The labor force was made up Chinese and Irish immigrants, as well as veterans of the American Civil War. The veterans would have included African Americans and Hispanics. Source: Wikipedia, First Transcontinental Railroad.

The construction of the first transcontinental railroad significantly contributed to the divisions between the North and South by facilitating the movement of goods and people, thus enhancing the economic dominance of the North. It enabled the rapid expansion of Northern industries and agricultural markets while sidelining Southern interests, which were heavily reliant on slave labor and agriculture. Additionally, the railroad's routes often favored the North, exacerbating sectional tensions and contributing to the economic and political rift that ultimately led to the Civil War. This infrastructure shift further solidified the North's position as the industrial powerhouse, deepening the cultural and economic divides between the two regions.

The railroads increased immigration by those of European descent. This put additional pressure on Native Americans as it increased incursions onto their land and competition for the natural resources on which they relied.