American West
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Transcript American West
The American West –
1800’s
The Railroad
RR – Expanding into the
West
In years after the Civil War, RRs were the largest single
business in the nation!
both state & fed. govts. offered incentives to RR
companies
RRs encouraged settlement by making it easier &
cheaper to move west
RR provided a faster & cheaper way to ship goods
Railway construction increased jobs for immigrants
Transcontinental RR
Goal: connect the East
to the West
Would improve
communication & allow
travel across the country
Central Pacific + Union
Pacific =
Transcontinental RR
Pacific Railway Acts
The federal govt. passed these so RR companies
could afford labor & resources; using loans & land
grants
In exchange, the RR companies would carry U.S.
mail & troops (soldiers) at reduced rates.
Labor = Immigrants
Chinese immigrants made up most of the labor for
Central Pacific (entered through Angel Island)
the other = Irish immigrants for Union Pacific
Why hire them over white Americans?
Because companies could pay them less
Why did immigrants take the job?
Because it still paid more than what they could get in their
home country
Problems with the
transcontinental RR
Mountains – Sierra Nevada in CA; rocky mtns.
Explosives – dynamite (used to break apart the mountain’s
rocks); dangerous to workers (snow drifts & falling rocks)
Weather – Great Plains; ex. Tornadoes
Food – because workers were in remote areas, providing food
& supplies became a problem
Buffalo Bill – killed 1000’s of buffalo to feed workers
RR Impact in the West
Population Boom – get more people there
faster & safer
Economic growth – get supplies there faster
Communication – telegraph lines
SUMMARY
QUIZ TIME
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3OM_Un
nCNM
1. What was built to connect the east to the
west?
2. Which group of immigrants was used by the
Central Pacific Railroad Company?
3. Which group of immigrants was used by the
Union Pacific Railroad Company?
4. What law created a competition between two
companies to build one big railroad out west?
5. Name one problem with building the
Transcontinental Railroad.