Fighting for a premium position upon the 19th world stage, strengthening global competition necessitated the United States to engage in increasingly expansive trade policy’s and practices. Linking the Pacific and Atlantic coasts was seen as an essential element to the success of this plan, with railroads serving as the linkage’s cornerstone. However, the rail lines quickly became more than a means to traverse the vast expanses of the Midwest. Previously unexploited, the tall grass prairies of the American western front exuded an enormous sum of rich natural resources. Cheap nature, worthy of great exploitation. Access though, had long been problematic, limiting the tremendous potential for capital accumulation. Expansive 19th century railroad
To urban middle-class Americans of the late 19th century, nothing symbolized the progress of the American civilization quite as much as the railroad. Not only had the great surge in railroad construction after the Civil War helped to create a modern market economy, but the iron horse itself seemed to embody the energy, force, and technology of the new order. In fact, the fanning out of railroads from urban centers was an integral part of the modernizing process, tying the natural and human resources of rural areas to the industrializing core.
Farmers began to cultivate vast areas of needed crops such as wheat, cotton, and even corn. Document D shows a picture of The Wheat Harvest in 1880, with men on earlier tractors and over 20-30 horses pulling the tractor along the long and wide fields of wheat. As farmers started to accumilate their goods, they needed to be able to transfer the goods across states, maybe from Illinios to Kansas, or Cheyenne to Ohmaha. Some farmers chose to use cattle trails to transport their goods. Document B demonstrates a good mapping of the major railroads in 1870 and 1890. Although cattle trails weren't used in 1890, this document shows the existent of several cattle trails leading into Chyenne, San Antonio, Kansas City and other towns nearby the named ones in 1870. So, farmers began to transport their goods by railroads, which were publically used in Germany by 1550 and migrated to the United States with the help of Colonel John Stevens in 1826. In 1890, railroads expanded not only from California, Nebraska, Utah, Wyoming and Nevada, but up along to Washington, Montana, Michigan, down to New Mexico and Arizona as well. Eastern States such as New Jersey, Tennesse, Virginia and many others were filled with existing railroads prior to 1870, as Colonel John Stevens started out his railroad revolutionzing movement in New Jersey in 1815.
In Henry George’s article, What the Railroad Will Bring Us, it discusses the main social, political, and economic transformations that the trans-continental railroad would bring to the state of California. More importantly, he discusses not only the benefits, but also discusses the major drawbacks with the arrival of the railroad. Henry George stated the railroad would be the “greatest work of the age” (297). With a railroad stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific, multiple benefits would be brought to the state of California. First, the railroad will not only create a new means of transportation across the United States, it additionally would also become “one of the greatest material prosperity” of its time (298). This means more people, more houses,
Through the period of 1865-1900, America’s agriculture underwent a series of changes. Changes that were a product of the influential role that technology, government policy and economic conditions played. To extend on this idea, changes included the increase in exported goods, the availability of products as well as the improved traveling system of rail roads. In the primate stages of these developing changes, farmers were able to benefit from the product, yet as time passed by, dissatisfaction grew within them. They no longer benefited from the changes (economy went bad), and therefore they no longer supported railroads.
Taylor, George Rogers, and Irene D. Neu. The American Railroad Network, 1861-1890. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1956. Print.
711 million people a year sponsor the act of kidnapping, torture, and starvation around the world. If you’ve ever been to a zoo, aquarium or a Seaworld park, you’re one of those 711 million people. Lately, controversy has struck the world over the treatment of animals in those types of facilities. There are many good rehabilitation centers in zoos worldwide that help injured, endangered or ill animals, which is why a lot of people do support them. However, there is a darker side to these parks and facilities. These animals cruel pasts and hidden lives will never be heard unless we help. Help them escape their tortured lives, and see their families they were ripped from when they were only babies. Be the voice of the voiceless and shut down
WriteWork. "The 19th Century 'Railroad Boom.'" WriteWork . N.p., 1 May 2003. Web. 28 Feb. 2011.
During the 1800’s, America was going through a time of invention and discovery known as the Industrial Revolution. America was in its first century of being an independent nation and was beginning to make the transition from a “home producing” nation to a technological one. The biggest contribution to this major technological advancement was the establishment of the Transcontinental Railroad because it provided a faster way to transport goods, which ultimately boosted the economy and catapulted America to the Super Power it is today. Throughout the beginning of the 19th century, America was still being harassed by her former mother country, Britain.
The growth of the railroad was one of the most significant elements in American economic growth, yet it hurt small shippers and farmers in many ways. Extreme competition between rail companies necessitated some way to win business. To do this, railroads would offer rebates and drawbacks to larger shippers who used their rails. This practice hurt smaller shippers, including farmers, because often times railroad companies would charge more to ship products short distances than they would for long trips. This is known as the “long haul, short haul evil”.
Seavoy, Ronald E. "Railroads." An Economic History of the United States: From 1607 to the Present. New York: Routledge, 2006. 188-200. Print.
The author’s main theme of the chapter “Jackson’s Frontier—and Turner’s” seems to be theories on the creation and expansion of American development. The main person discussed in this chapter is Fredrick Jackson Turner, a historian from the University of Wisconsin. Turner presented a thesis titled “The Significance of the Frontier in American History” at the World’s Columbian Exposition and in the Johns Hopkins University seminar room in 1893. The central focus of his thesis was that “the existence of an area of free land, its continuous recession, and the advance of American settlement westward, explain American development” (130). This thesis sparked years of scholarship and historical debate after being examined under critical scrutiny. Before
The Transcontinental railroad could be defined as the most monumental change in America in the 19th century. The railroad played a significant role in westward expansion and on the growth and development of the American economy (Gillon p.653). However, the construction of the transcontinental railroad may not have occurred if not for the generous support of the federal government. The federal government provided land grants and financial subsidies to railroad companies to ensure the construction. The transcontinental railroad contributed to the formation of industry and the market economy in America and forever altered the American lifestyle.
I grew up living on the coast of the Pacific Ocean between San Francisco and Half Moon Bay. I was walking distance to Lindamar Beach and a Bart train ride to Union Square in San Francisco. Every weekend, my extended family and I would go to Chinatown. This was one of my favorite activities growing up. Running down the street, looking for Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory, then later getting a bunch of Fun Snaps, miniature novelty fireworks that make a loud noise when thrown on the pavement. A few years later, my family and I relocated to the East Bay, specifically Antioch. With my Grandma, Aunt, and cousins still close by, we would constantly plan family trips to explore. For example, my family would go hiking at Muir Beach or camping at Lake
One of my favorite A/B/O shifter writers has a new series out titled The Oceanport Omegas. Omega Elias Stevens and Alpha Matthew Lowell first met one another during the wrong time in both of their lives. Matthew was to shortly to enter into a family arranged marriage meant to further enrich is well off, high society family's status and Elias wanted to fulfill his dream of attending college to become a Veterinarian thanks to an educational scholarship that few Omegas ever have the opportunity to earn. Despite conflicting plans, Matt and Eli entered into a relationship with the understanding that it would have a specific end date. A pregnancy was not supposed to be part of that understanding. Eight years later Matthew returns to his hometown
One modernization in agriculture was the utilization of the railroads for distribution. Railroads provided farmers with the ability to ship their products vast distances. No longer were their markets limited to their local towns, but they could now reach a market on the opposite side of the country. Competition between railroad companies also contributed to lower fares, which helped the farmers cheaply move their wares to their chosen markets (Text Pgs. 524-525).