How did Railway Unite USA?

By the 1700s, there were 13 British colonies in the eastern of America formed by most of the settlements. Before the railroad was constructed, settlers traveled from the eastern to the western by foot, horses, or boats. If people want to take goods from one place to another, they need to make use of wagons or horses. It is not convenient because not only it takes a lot of time but also it is slow. Plus, the travelers would be tired. Therefore, people think they need a better way to travel so a new transportation system, a few tracks of railroad, is needed.

When more and more settlers came from England, the east became more crowded to live in. The eastern lands were not enough for the settlers. On the other hand, there were many unclaimed lands in the western. Many settlers came to the west to claim the land for their own. For example, Oregon Territory offered rich land for people who traveled there from the east. Also, the California Gold Rush in 1849 attracted settlers. They hoped to find gold and become rich. Once they earn a lot of money, their family will join them from the east.

Theodore Judah saw that people had a hard time going to the west. So it was his dream to build the first transcontinental railroad, a train system that would connect from one side of the continent to the other. The construction of the railroad started in 1863, in the middle of the Civil War. Two companies, the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific, constructed the railroad together. The Central Pacific built east from Sacramento, California, while the Union Pacific built west from Omaha, Nebraska. In 1869, the tracks met in Promontory, Utah. The railroad cost around $60 million dollars back then. Thousands of people came to build the railroad, including the Irish, German, and other people, especially many Chinese people who came to help build it.

There are many benefits after the construction of the transcontinental railroad was finished. First, the transcontinental railroad united America by connecting the continents from east to west. Also, all the products in the west, such as coals, minerals and fruits, could be transported from the west to the east coast without human carrying. Moreover, it only takes some days instead of months to travel or send the packages from the west to the east coast. Many settlers in the east could take the train to the west for the California Gold rush to claim their land, which developed the west.

The completion of the transcontinental railroad has a great impact not only on the development of America but also on people. For all the cities that the transcontinental railroad goes through, the transcontinental railroad brings a lot of job opportunities. This increases the business of different kinds of companies in America. In addition to uniting the west and the east, the transcontinental railroad also united people from all different parts of America. People can take the train to visit their family or friends who live very far away. People can also get to know new people on the train and become friends.