Impact : Then
What Happened to the Railroads in America?
- played major role in civil war
- technology advance
Back to the moral of my project. What did happen to the railroads of America? The railroads brought many jobs to America during the 1800 and 1900s. Rail transportation in the United States today consists primarily of freight shipments. Railroads today are used for transportation by train and to transport freight shipments.
Impact : Now
- Freight railroads mean more jobs and a stronger economy
- Major way of transportation (trains) in cities
What Happened to the Railroads in America?
Pacific Railroad Act
Transportation Act
The Beginning
2nd Picture
The Southern Railway's "Tennessean" passenger train Harrisonburg, Va., 1947
- Terminated federal control of railroads
- Granted authority to the ICC to do many things - set minimum shipping rates - oversee railroads' financial operations - regulate acquisitions and mergers
- Railroads were developed in the 1800s.
- The first railroad was built in England.
- The first engines used in the United States were purchased from the STEPHENSON WORKS in England.
- The first railroad chartered in America was the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. (1827)
- In 1862, Congress passed the Pacific Railway Act, which authorized the construction of a transcontinental railroad.
- The first transcontinental railroad was completed May 10, 1869
- In the early 1870s railroad construction increased drastically.
- Before 1871 about 45,000 miles of track had been laid.
Importants of Railroads
- transported goods
- transportation
- business
Robber Barons
Cornelius Vanderbilt
First Railroad
- The government helped finance railroads by providing land grants.
- Bribery occurred often, partly because government funded the railroads.
- Robber Barons are people who loot an industry and give nothing back
- The Credit Mobiler scandal created the term " robber barons"
An 1870 cartoon shows Cornelius Vanderbilt straddling two railroads he consolidated and racing Jim Fisk of the Erie Railroad.
This is a photo of the first chartered railroad in America,
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.
- One of the most successful railroad consolidators
- Merged three short railroads and formed the New York Central
- That runs from New York City to Buffalo
- In 1871 Vanderbilt started building New York's Grand Central Terminal.
Analyze the Political Cartoon.
Citation
www.history.com
The American Vision Textbook
amhistory.si.edu
Modern Day RailRoads in the West