Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
! ! ! ! The Transcontinental Railroad ! The Transcontinental Railroad was a railroad line built in the United States between 1863 and 1869 by the Central Pacific Railroad of California and the Union Pacific Railroad. The railroad connected the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the United States. ! The construction and operation of the line was authorized by the Pacific Railroad Acts of 1862 and 1864 during the Civil War. Congress supported it with government bonds, or better known as subsidies*. The United States government also provided grants of government-owned land to help the construction of the railroad. The completion of the railroad was an engineering feat. The railroad was completed at Promontory Summit, Utah. ! The railroads led to the decline of traffic on the Oregon and California Trail which had populated most of the west. The railroad provided much faster, safer and cheaper transport east and west for people and goods. ! The labor that had worked for the Union Pacific mostly consisted of Irish immigrants. The Central Pacific workforce consisted of Chinese immigrants. The work was hard, and pay was low. The Chinese endured long hours, usually 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Winters in the mountains were horrible with snowdrifts, avalanches and cold weather. Working in the deserts became horrible as well with hot weather and no shade. White men who worked on the railroad were paid $35.00 a month plus room and board and the Chinese were paid $25.00 a month, but paid for their own supplies. ! Over 1,000 miles of track had been laid in the construction of the railroad. After its completion, news spread quick throughout the country. Due to this new railroad, trade boomed. Transportation of goods, materials, and resources across the country was now quicker and cheaper. Also people who wanted to settle out west didnʼt need to travel by wagon like those who had taken the Oregon Trail did in the mid-19th century. *Subsidies - A sum of money granted by the government or a public body to assist an industry or business.