Chapter 9Industrialization
Section 2The Railroads
Linking the Nation
1865-35,000 miles of track (east of Miss. River)
1900-200,000 miles of track◦Pacific Railway Act
Construction of a transcontinental RR Union Pacific RR
◦Grenville Dodge◦From Omaha, Nebraska (blizzards, heat, Native Americans◦ Irish immigrants, veterans, ex-miners/farmers/convicts
Central Pacific RR◦Theodore Judah◦“Big Four”- (Stanford, Crocker, Hopkins, Huntington)◦Chinese immigrants
Railroads Spur Growth
Need to consolidate (link) railroads◦Seven giant systems took over hundreds of
smaller railroads◦Cornelius Vanderbilt
Successful railroad consolidator First direct rail service between NYC & Chicago 1871-NY’s Grand Central terminal
Time Zones created (1880s)
Land Grant System & Robber Barons
Federal government-land grants◦Encourage RR construction◦RR would sell land to raise $ for building RR
Robber Barons◦Accusations against RR entrepreneurs
Cheating investors/contracts/debts, bribing officials Ex: Jay Gould –”insider trading”
◦Credit Mobilier Scandal Union Pacific
The GREAT Northern◦James Hill-NOT a robber baron
Top Related