What were the positives of building the transcontinental railroad?

Just as it opened the markets of the west coast and Asia to the east, it brought products of eastern industry to the growing populace beyond the Mississippi. The railroad ensured a production boom, as industry mined the vast resources of the middle and western continent for use in production.

What were some positive effects of the railroad?

By 1900, much of the nation's railroad system was in place. The railroad opened the way for the settlement of the West, provided new economic opportunities, stimulated the development of town and communities, and generally tied the country together.

What were the positives for the increase in railroad construction?

Railroads became a major industry, stimulating other heavy industries such as iron and steel production. These advances in travel and transport helped drive settlement in the western regions of North America and were integral to the nation's industrialization.

What were the problems with building the transcontinental railroad?

Each company faced unprecedented construction problems—mountains, severe weather, and the hostility of Native Americans. On May 10, 1869, in a ceremony at Promontory, Utah, the last rails were laid and the last spike driven.

Was the Transcontinental Railroad helpful?

The railroad is credited, for instance, with helping to open the West to migration and with expanding the American economy. It is blamed for the near eradication of the Native Americans of the Great Plains, the decimation of the buffalo and the exploitation of Chinese railroad workers.

What were 2 benefits of the transcontinental railroad for the United States?

In addition to faster and easier business shipping, people could also travel faster and more cheaply than ever before. They could learn more about their nation, visit family that had moved away, and move to different parts of the country.

What were some positives and negatives of the transcontinental railroad being built?

Was the transcontinental railroad helpful?

The railroad is credited, for instance, with helping to open the West to migration and with expanding the American economy. It is blamed for the near eradication of the Native Americans of the Great Plains, the decimation of the buffalo and the exploitation of Chinese railroad workers.

What consequence did the transcontinental railroad have on the way we tell time?

On November 18, 1883, the railroads moved forward with the adoption of four U.S. time zones, an idea that had been proposed 11 years earlier by Charles Dowd, a Yale-educated school principal. The time zones, Eastern, Central, Mountain and Pacific, are still in place today.

What might have been the advantages and disadvantages of railroads for the people who lived along the routes or near the stations?

Advantages were fast travel from a destination to another, easy transport of goods and connection. The main disadvantage was that big corporations and farms also wanted to be near a train station, so they bought lands around it and sometimes even forced the people who did not want to sell to do it.

Why was the transcontinental railroad negative?

The railroad is credited, for instance, with helping to open the West to migration and with expanding the American economy. It is blamed for the near eradication of the Native Americans of the Great Plains, the decimation of the buffalo and the exploitation of Chinese railroad workers.

What benefits did the railroad give to the cattle drivers?

Cattle drives continued for about 20 years (through the late 1880s) until the railroads grew and ranchers had closer access to railheads. Rail transport not only changed the speed of delivery, but as tracks were laid and refrigerated rail cars were developed, trains could go to where the cattle were located.

How did the Transcontinental Railroad affect the cattle industry?

The development of the railroad made it profitable to raise cattle on the Great Plains. In 1860, some five-million longhorn cattle grazed in the Lone Star state. Cattle that could be bought for $3 to $5 a head in Texas could be sold for $30 to $50 at railroad shipping points in Abilene or Dodge City in Kansas.

Was the building of the transcontinental railroad a positive or a negative thing for the country?

The building of the transcontinental railroad opened up the American West to more rapid development. With the completion of the track, the travel time for making the 3,000-mile journey across the United States was cut from a matter of months to under a week.

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