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The age of the railroads

The age of the railroads. By Adam and Mikayla. A National Network. In 1856 railroads extended to the Mississippi river, and just 3 years later they crosses the Missouri River. On May 10, 1869 a golden spike marked the spanning of the nation by the first transcontinental railroad .

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The age of the railroads

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  1. The age of the railroads By Adam and Mikayla

  2. A National Network • In 1856 railroads extended to the Mississippi river, and just 3 years later they crosses the Missouri River. • OnMay 10, 1869 agolden spike marked the spanning of the nation by the first transcontinental railroad. • By the time of the Civil War, the United States had over 30,000 miles of track and was 6 times greater by 1890.

  3. Romance and Reality • The Railroads brought dreams of land, adventure, and a fresh start that many Americans wanted. • The Central Pacific Railroad employed thousands of Chinese immigrantsalong with desperate Americans. • Their work was very hard and dangerous • In 1888, the first railroad statistics were published and the casualties totaled more than 2,000 employees dead and 20,000 injured

  4. Railroad Time • The railroads made our country United. • Each community operated on its own time. • Noon to each community was when the sun was overhead, but noon in Boston was different than New York, and New York different from the rest of the country. • From California to Maine one might reset their watch 20 different times.

  5. Railroad Time • Professor C. F. Dowd proposed that the earth’s surface be divided into 24 time zones, one for each hour of the day. • The United States would contain 4 time zones -Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific • The railroad companies used third method and so did many towns. • On November 18, 1833 towns and railroads across the country synchronized their clocks and watches. - This method wasn’t officially standard for our country till 1918

  6. New Towns and Markets • The Railroads promoted trade and interdependence. • Towns started specializing in certain things such as Chicago and how it became known for its stockyards and Minneapolis for its grain industries. • New towns grew up along the railroad lines.

  7. Pullman • The railroad helped cities grow and branch out. • In 1880, George M. Pullman built a factory for manufacturing sleepers and other railroad cars on the Illinois prairie. • Pullman built a nearby town for his employees but had given them strict rules to abide to. • These rules, the expensive rent, and the cutting of his employees pay led to a violent strike in 1894.

  8. Sources • http://api.ning.com/files/6QexpAi2cm*EINprrQKDrAe7QEYcldhUaWvJa4cu*w-inmCa9I9UEkbqK1QlPjxhWkxJM1I*G8DxL3owy8P9bRCbeE9cL-VO/6.2.pdf • http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/tcrr/ • https://www.google.com/imghp?hl=en&tab=ii

  9. Credit Mobilier • Was a scandal in 1867, made by the stock holders of the Union Pacific Railroad • The stock holders gave the company a contract to build the 667 more miles left but the stock holders doubled or tripled their money and raised the cost from $7 million to $23 million

  10. Railroad Abuses • The Grangers (members of The Grange, a farmers organization founded in 1867) • They were upset with the government and misuse of land grants as the railroads sold to the businesses instead of selling it to the farmers • Also the government gave customers different rates on hauls

  11. Granger Laws • The grangers went into political action as they sponsered and voted for their own political candidates to protect their way of life from the railroads • The railroads tried to fight back, in 1877 the supreme court went with the granger laws by voting 7 to 2 giving farmers and consumers benefits from the railroad

  12. Interstate Commerce Act • 1887 congress passed the I.C.A. which was the first true federal regulatory agency • It was designed to address issues of federal abuse Ex: Shipping rates had to be reasonable Rates had to be published • Not until 1906 , When Teddy Roosevelt was president, did it become to its full effect

  13. Panic and Consolidation • The panic in 1893 was the worst depression up to that point of time • By the end of 1893, 600 banks and 15,000 businesses had failed, and by 1895 4 million Americans were out of a job • In mid 1894, a quarter of the railroads were owned by financial companies

  14. Sources • http://api.ning.com/files/6QexpAi2cm*EINprrQKDrAe7QEYcldhUaWvJa4cu*w-inmCa9I9UEkbqK1QlPjxhWkxJM1I*G8DxL3owy8P9bRCbeE9cL-VO/6.2.pdf • http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h743.html

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