American History Unit 2: Lesson 1 - All Aboard For the West!

5) What two companies began building railroads that would join to complete a transcontinental route?

Central Pacific Railroad Union Pacific Railroad Land grants were granted, leased, and sold to the railroads by states for the purpose of connecting towns by rail. Congress approved a route between the eastern banks of the Missouri River and San Francisco. Additionally, two railroad companies were authorized to begin construction. The Central Pacific Railroad would begin in Sacramento, California, and build eastward. The Union Pacific Railroad would begin at Council Bluffs, Iowa, and build westward.

western section:

Chinese

eastern section:

Irish

3) Why were land grants important to the railroad industry?

Land grants allowed the railroad to pass through territory and to raise money through the sale of lands. Land grants were granted, leased, and sold to the railroads by states for the purpose of connecting towns by rail. Congress approved a route between the eastern banks of the Missouri River and San Francisco. Additionally, two railroad companies were authorized to begin construction.

2) Why were people interested in building a transcontinental railroad?

People wanted to connect the west coast, especially California, with the eastern states for faster travel and greater business profits. California was thousand of miles from the East and difficult to reach. Californians were interested in building a railroad that would connect them with the East. Eastern businessmen were just as interested because they knew it meant increased business and a new source of profits.

7) Where did the two railroads join?

Promontory Point, Utah The railroads faced many difficulties and obstacles. In spite of all of this, the railroads were completed at Promontory Point in northern Utah. By 1869, the railroads were ready to be joined. The nation celebrated the first transcontinental railroad.

8) What was "standard gauge"?

Standard gauge was the name for the 4 feet, 8½ inches between the inner sides of the rails, the track gauge used for the transcontinental and all major connecting railroads.

1) What is indicated by the expression "end of the frontier"?

The Great Plains filled rapidly so that there was soon no unexplored or unsettled territory. Within fifty years of the end of the Civil War, the country had filled in to the extent that newspaper editors spoke of the "end of the frontier." This was an exaggeration, but it is true that the habitable parts of the Great Plains had certainly seen the birth of many new towns and communities.

6) What two immigrant groups provided large numbers of laborers for the first transcontinental railroad?

The lines were laid mostly by hand labor, with the use of dynamite, picks, and shovels. The Union Pacific recruited many Irish immigrants to work on the railroad. These men had learned to lay track during the Civil War. The Central Pacific hired many Chinese workers, who were escaping from difficult conditions in China due to a revolution.

4) What was the reason for varying amounts of low interest loans for each mile of track?

The loan amounts varied based upon the difficulty of laying track through the terrain. The government subsidized the railroads by giving them low interest rates. The loans amounts varied, based upon the ruggedness of the terrain. For lands in the plains, the government was willing to loan the railroads $16,000 per mile of track. In the mountains, the loan rate was $48,000 per mile. In rugged areas between the mountains, the loan rate was $32,000 per mile.

9) What are the ways in which the land-grant programs benefited the nation at large? Select all that apply.

The railroads changed trade relations with Asia. The country was brought closer together by the railroads. The railroads added jobs and stimulated growth in other industries. The mind-set of settlers was changed by the railroads. They helped populate the West. Western states could seek statehood. Review Lesson 1 to see all of the ways the land grant programs benefited the nation.