railroads on the frontier- The transcontinental railroad
Summary
The transcontinental railroad, along with the development pf hr atomic bomb and the landing of the first men on the moon, is arguably one of the greatest technological accomplishments of American society. Before the construction of the transcontinental railroad, long-distance transportation and travel across the country was expensive and cumbersome: to travel overland costed a family $1,000 and lasted around a half a year. The transcontinental railroad drastically reduced the costs and the length of such a trip: the trip only took five days for $150. The railroad began as two fragments- on the west, the Central Pacific built it's segment east from Sacramento, California, and the Union Pacific was to build west from Omaha, Nebraska. This task was subsidized by the government. The Central Pacific Railroad attracted Chinese workers, whereas Irish and German immigrants worked on the Union Pacific Railroad. The two segments were connected on May 10, 1869 at Promontory Summit, Utah. Working on the railroad, however, was cumbersome and dangerous, and many workers insisted on higher pay and staged various strikes when their wishes weren't fulfilled. However, such strikes were unsuccessful, and the workers had to return to work without their demanded concessions. The construction of the transcontinental railroad also saw the displacement and removal of numerous indigenous tribes. General William Tecumseh Sherman wrote: "The more we can kill this year, the less will have to be killed the next year, for the more I see of these Indians the more convinced I am that they all have to be killed or be maintained as a species of paupers." The construction of this railroad also resulted in numerous scandals, the most notorious of which being Credit Moblier during the Grant presidency. One of the revolutionary effects that the transcontinental railroad (and the proliferation of railroads in general) was the establishment of standardized time and schedule (four standard time zones). New terms entered American vocabulary, such as "time's up" and "time's a wasting." The transcontinental railroad also instilled the belief in Americans that with money, determination, and organization, anything can be accomplished.
Connection to the Thesis
This artifact supports the thesis statement because it portrays the expansion and improvement of American technology and intellect, and the advancement of the organization of society as a whole. Railroads were a relatively new concept during the early 1800s, an idea that rapidly evolved and improved throughout the century. Railroads began as minor segments (with no standard gauge) in only major areas. The 19th century saw the proliferation of railroads and the improvement of train engines and carts. Slowly, smaller tracks were consolidated into larger ones, and railroad owners quickly became aware of the fact that they needed a standardized system to maintain such a franchise. They established a standard gauge for all railroad tracks and and a system of standardized times and time zones in order to maintain order. The construction of the first transcontinental railroad also saw the beginnings of an assembly-line process (a new method that rapidly increased productivity while simultaneously reducing cost), a process that continues to be employed by factories today. This was a major advancement in society, as it opened the door for various new technologies. One could argue that the construction of the transcontinental railroad and it's concept of the assembly-line catalyzed American technology, as without this concept, technology, and therefore all fields relying on technology (education, science, literature, mathematics-- the list is infinite) would essentially be no where. In a sense, the ideas introduced by the construction of the transcontinental railroad partially resulted in the rapid expansion of the frontier of science, technology, education, and knowledge.
The transcontinental railroad, along with the development pf hr atomic bomb and the landing of the first men on the moon, is arguably one of the greatest technological accomplishments of American society. Before the construction of the transcontinental railroad, long-distance transportation and travel across the country was expensive and cumbersome: to travel overland costed a family $1,000 and lasted around a half a year. The transcontinental railroad drastically reduced the costs and the length of such a trip: the trip only took five days for $150. The railroad began as two fragments- on the west, the Central Pacific built it's segment east from Sacramento, California, and the Union Pacific was to build west from Omaha, Nebraska. This task was subsidized by the government. The Central Pacific Railroad attracted Chinese workers, whereas Irish and German immigrants worked on the Union Pacific Railroad. The two segments were connected on May 10, 1869 at Promontory Summit, Utah. Working on the railroad, however, was cumbersome and dangerous, and many workers insisted on higher pay and staged various strikes when their wishes weren't fulfilled. However, such strikes were unsuccessful, and the workers had to return to work without their demanded concessions. The construction of the transcontinental railroad also saw the displacement and removal of numerous indigenous tribes. General William Tecumseh Sherman wrote: "The more we can kill this year, the less will have to be killed the next year, for the more I see of these Indians the more convinced I am that they all have to be killed or be maintained as a species of paupers." The construction of this railroad also resulted in numerous scandals, the most notorious of which being Credit Moblier during the Grant presidency. One of the revolutionary effects that the transcontinental railroad (and the proliferation of railroads in general) was the establishment of standardized time and schedule (four standard time zones). New terms entered American vocabulary, such as "time's up" and "time's a wasting." The transcontinental railroad also instilled the belief in Americans that with money, determination, and organization, anything can be accomplished.
Connection to the Thesis
This artifact supports the thesis statement because it portrays the expansion and improvement of American technology and intellect, and the advancement of the organization of society as a whole. Railroads were a relatively new concept during the early 1800s, an idea that rapidly evolved and improved throughout the century. Railroads began as minor segments (with no standard gauge) in only major areas. The 19th century saw the proliferation of railroads and the improvement of train engines and carts. Slowly, smaller tracks were consolidated into larger ones, and railroad owners quickly became aware of the fact that they needed a standardized system to maintain such a franchise. They established a standard gauge for all railroad tracks and and a system of standardized times and time zones in order to maintain order. The construction of the first transcontinental railroad also saw the beginnings of an assembly-line process (a new method that rapidly increased productivity while simultaneously reducing cost), a process that continues to be employed by factories today. This was a major advancement in society, as it opened the door for various new technologies. One could argue that the construction of the transcontinental railroad and it's concept of the assembly-line catalyzed American technology, as without this concept, technology, and therefore all fields relying on technology (education, science, literature, mathematics-- the list is infinite) would essentially be no where. In a sense, the ideas introduced by the construction of the transcontinental railroad partially resulted in the rapid expansion of the frontier of science, technology, education, and knowledge.