Transcript Chapter 3 Lesson 2 Day 1

Time Zones
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Why didn’t time zones matter in colonial times?
Before the advent of train travel and the need for set scheduling, and
because the colonial population was situated along the eastern
coastline, there was never an overriding need for time zones.
Why did the ability of trains to travel hundreds of miles a day
make time zones important?
Over those hundreds of miles, each of the many different towns had its
own local time, based on the sun’s position in the sky at its longitude.
People needed to know when exactly to expect a train to arrive or
depart, but the time the train was using might not be the same as local
time. Variations in times in distant towns on the train line could cause
people to miss trains or have to wait a long time for a train to arrive.
Uncertainty about whether a stretch of track was open and free at a
given time could also result in head-on collisions. With time zones, the
time within a region was the same, so everyone knew what time it was
all along the railroad line.
Linking the Nation
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Pacific Railway Act The Pacific Railway Act, signed by President Lincoln in
1862, provided for the construction of a railroad from Omaha, Nebraska, to
Sacramento, California.
Union Pacific Engineer Grenville Dodge, a former Union general, led the Union
Pacific westward from Omaha across the Great Plains. The Union Pacific
employed about 10,000 workers, mainly Civil War veterans and Irish immigrants.
Central Pacific The Central Pacific Railroad began when engineer Theodore
Judah got financial backing from four Sacramento merchants. The Central
Pacific Railroad hired about 10,000 workers, mainly Chinese immigrants. Work
began in January 1863 in Sacramento. From there, workers laid rails eastward,
crossing or tunneling through the formidable Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Challenges Both railroads faced challenges. Union Pacific workers had to cross
scorching plains and stave off attacks by Native Americans. Central Pacific
workers had to blast tunnels through solid mountains. All of their supplies had to
be shipped from the East Coast by ocean.
Promontory Summit On May 10, 1869, workers and spectators gathered at
Promontory Summit, Utah. Dignitaries connected the Union Pacific and Central
Pacific railroads—and East with West—by pounding five gold and silver spikes
into the final rails.
Railroads
• What was the West probably like before the coming of the
railroad?
It was distant and disconnected from the United States proper,
and note that much of the West was still organized into
territories rather than states.
What effects on the development of the West would you
predict the transcontinental railroad to have?
The railroad would have led to a greater population and
economic growth in the areas it crossed.
Railroad
• Initially, Chinese railroad workers faced discrimination from their
employers. White workers were paid about $35 a month with
housing—in tents or cabins—provided, but Chinese workers
were paid about $27 a month and were not given food or
housing.
• The Chinese workers, however, became valuable because they
rarely fell victim to the health problems that afflicted white
workers, thanks to their superior personal hygiene habits and
better diet including fresh meat, vegetables, and boiled tea.
• Each 20-worker team of Chinese pooled their money to hire a
cook. As a result of their diligence, the pay of the Chinese
workers eventually rose to $1 a day.
Federal Land Grants
• Land Grants To encourage railroad construction
across the Great Plains, the federal government
granted land to many railroad companies. The
railroads sold the land to settlers, real estate
companies, and other businesses to raise money to
build the railroad.
• Crédit Mobilier Railroad growth also led to scandal.
In 1872 Union Pacific Railroad investors set up the
Crédit Mobilier construction company, which
submitted overpriced bills to the railroad. The railroad
paid itself and investors lined their pockets.
Railroad Discussion
How did the federal government encourage the growth of
railroads?
By giving land to railroad companies upon which to construct large
railroads
How did the federal government’s land policies change the United
States?
Offering land to rail companies encouraged construction of rail lines
between the East and West, which had the effect of “shrinking”
distances between regions of the country and helping unite it.
How might land grants have contributed to the Crédit Mobilier
scandal?
The money and land used to build the Union Pacific came partly from
the federal government. Some government officials decided to take
advantage of this to their own profit. By submitting inflated bills, the
company took money dishonestly.
Consolidation
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Public and Private Financing Railroad construction required large
amounts of capital that came in the form of government loans and
grants or from Wall Street investors. Banks and financial institutions
became railway backers, and their representatives influenced the
operations of the companies.
Big Business Because of their large geographical size, high volume of
employees, and great costs and profits, railroads became the nation’s
first big business. Railroads became the first industry subject to
significant economic government regulation; the first to recognize labor
unions on a broad scale; and the first to offer pensions, help for injured
workers, and unemployment insurance. By the early 1870s, the
Pennsylvania Railroad had become the nation’s largest company.
Limiting Competition Competition among railroads in major markets
was fierce. Some railroad entrepreneurs sought to improve their
company’s market share by buying up competing railroads. Pools of
associated railroads could then set rates and dominate the market.
Railroad Discussion
Why were large companies needed to build railroads?
The large amount of supplies and labor needed to construct
long-distance railroads meant that big companies were more
likely to be able to afford and manage such an enterprise.
Students will probably note that the great distances covered by
the railroad lines would have been difficult to coordinate among
a series of small companies.
How did railroads become the United States’s first big
business?
Railroads expanded greatly in terms of geography, labor, and
finances as lines expanded across the country. This expansion,
along with railroad consolidation, made railroad companies big,
powerful businesses.
Reflection
• What predictions can you make about the
social and economic effects of the railroad
of the United States of the late nineteenth
century?
The growth of railroads would have changed
how individuals traveled and brought the
nation closer together. They should also
predict that improved transportation and
large-scale railroads would contribute to
economic growth.