From Their Earliest Beginnings, Railroads Have Played An

From their earliest beginnings, railroads have played an extremely vital role in shaping America; its society, its culture, and its destiny. Taking inspiration from the first railroads of Britain, American businessmen soon channeled the vast majority of their wealth and efforts into promoting the development of railways in the United States. And with its truly immense territory, growing population, and trailblazing spirit, America soon embraced the idea of a railroad that would connect the Pacific to the Atlantic which would allow for a greater flow of goods from east to west, shorter travel times, and a goal towards its manifest destiny. After five years after Congress passed the Pacific Railroad bill which authorized the construction of†¦show more content†¦Whitney, a Chinese goods merchant who was obsessed with the transcontinental railroad thanked Congress for †eliminating infernal ocean commutes.† However, on May 15, after hundreds of thousand of dollars in patchwork, regular passenger service was opened for business. Travelers could make the trip between San Francisco and New York in a week. The coasts were connected; and the world as Americans knew it had grown gradually smaller. The transformation achieved in intercontinental trade was substantial. Within ten years of its completion, the railroad shipped $50 million worth of goods coast to coast every year. Just as it opened the markets of the west coast and Asia to the east, it brought products of eastern industry to the growing populace beyond the Mississippi. The railroad ensured a production boom, after the railroad was completed, peop le had better access to mineral resources and more pay ores like gold, silver, and platinum were discovered as a result. Mining towns sprang up in many areas, populating areas that have never been settled. This essentially made the transcontinental railroad, America s first technology corridor. As it encouraged the growth of American business, so too did it promote evolution of the nation s public discourse and intellectual life. Americans could travel across the length of the continent in a matter of days, and gaze uponShow MoreRelatedTaking A Stand Against Slavery1228 Words   |  5 PagesThe Underground Railroad had its earliest beginnings with runaway slaves fleeing from the the Southern United States into Canada. By confronting human bondage without direct demands or violence, The Underground Railroad played a definite role in the destruction of slavery. The Underground Railroad was a great way to escape the hardships of their living conditions. It gave them hope, inspiration, and strength. It was also a major impact on the CIvil War. The Underground Railroad consisted of a secretiveRead MoreEssay on Early Railroads: The First Big Business1341 Words   |  6 PagesEarly Railroads Railroads can be referred to as the first big business, and the first industry to develop management bureaucracy (Ogburn 39). Railroads were a vital part of early American history during the 1800s-1860. Railroads brought social, economic, and political change to the country (Stover 26). In the United States a turnpike era and then a canal era had immediately preceded the coming of the railroads, which proved to be fast, direct, and reliable in all weather. After 1830, the railroadsRead MoreEssay on underground railroad1680 Words   |  7 Pagesnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Introduction nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The Underground Railroad, the pathway to freedom which led a numerous amount of African Americans to escape beginning as early as the 1700‘s, it still remains a mystery to many as to exactly when it started and why. (Carrasco). The Underground Railroad is known by many as one of the earliest parts of the antislavery movement. Although the system was neither underground nor a railroad, it was a huge success that will never be forgotten. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;IRead MoreThe Game Go Is A Strategy Game1390 Words   |  6 PagesIt â€Å"combines beauty† with â€Å"intellectual† challenges, and â€Å"the patterns formed by the black and white stones are visually striking and can exercise an almost hypnotic attraction as† the game goes on (American Go Association). It is played with two people sitting across from each other with the game board in between them. The game board is usually a nine by nine, thirteen by thirteen, or nineteen by nineteen grid constructed of wood or bamboo. Beginners start out on the nine by nine board, and the whenRead MoreDid Jazz Start A New Orleans Or Chicago?1451 Words   |  6 Pages12th Street station from the Illinois Central Railroad with the slaves. Part of the mass movement of African Americans from South to North is what came to be called â€Å"The Great Migration† and musicians came north for the same others did the demand for factory jobs and decent m oney to support the craft. Chicago had major musical talent as well before Storyville closed and sheet music featuring the Pekin Theater dates from 1904. According to the Chicago defender, Erskine Tate played his violin in ChicagoRead MoreSlavery Cause for Civil War1483 Words   |  6 Pagesreasons. However, the key reasons that lead to the Civil War was slavery. Slavery is touted as the main cause of the conflict between the states in the northern part and those in the south. To date, slavery is still considered the worst human tragedy to have occurred in the United States. Abraham Lincoln himself pointed out that slavery was the root cause of the Civil War because of increase in tension within the country. The north and southern states had reached a critical point that could not lead toRead MoreEssay on Fighting for Equal Rights1724 Words   |  7 PagesJane Addams is most famous for her work in two major movements, the first of which is the Settlement House movement of the 18 00s. Settlement houses, which first originated in England. These facilities were created in response to problems arising from immigration, urbanization, and industrialization. In America, the settlement houses were typically available for medical assistance, housing, and education to immigrants in the areas surrounding them (Izzo, 2010). Later, with the help of advocatesRead MoreThe Great Gifts Of All Time By Thomas Alva Edison2021 Words   |  9 Pagesmeans was he the ideal student however; he had to be pulled from public school due to hyperactivity that was considered difficult behavior by his teachers. Through homeschooling from his mother, an accomplished school teacher, and self education, Edison was able to obtain a vast amount of knowledge which he began putting to use quickly. His career started at the age of twelve when he sold candy and newspaper along the Grand Trunk Railroad line. Little did anyone know, the events of this time of hisRead MoreThe Manipulation of the Public by a Small Group of Southern Fanatics as the Cause of the Civil War1632 Words   |  7 Pagescould be the strategy of the Southern extremist group, the ‘fire eaters’ they claimed that the Southern way of life was in danger of an abolitionist attack and was going to happen imminently. There were some very influential politicians from the South in this radical group, such as William Yancey and Louis Wigfall. Yancey sat in the US congress and over the years his belief in the absolute state rights grew. He resisted the 1850 Compromise and was one of the first to proposeRead MoreCivil Rights And Political Ideas1679 Words   |  7 PagesCharles was a great father to Jesse and formally adopted him and changed his name to Jackson. From then on out Charles acted as if Jesse was his son and treated him no less. Having growing up during the time of segregation Mr. Jackson was fully aware that he was thought to be different. He recalls the times where he and his mother had to ride on the back of the bus and his school lacked things he needed to have a useful education. But these minor setbacks didn’t stop or hold him back. Jackson grew up