Before the railroad was constructed, traveling was much slower and less efficient. Most people traveled by foot, by boat, or by horse, so they can’t take very much luggage with them. In the USA’s situation, even if you travel day and night, it will take several months from East to West. If people want to carry goods, they use a horse and wagon to take goods from one place to another over land. But a horse can only pull 350 pounds on the road. This way is not good for America's economy. These traveling and transportation were not convenient and wasted time.
In the 19th,there are three reasons that Americans want to expand to the West. Firstly, the United States is having rapid population growth, the cities are becoming crowded and the resources are not enough for all the people, for example, the farmers want more cheap land. Second, there is gold found in the West. Someone found gold in California, this makes a lot of people want to find gold and become rich. Third, more and more European immigrants are pouring into the United States, they want to get new opportunities and explore the USA. So, Americans are moving to expand westward and desire to get more development opportunities.
The first railroad in the USA started being built in the early 1800s. The very first train track was built in 1826, with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) being the first major line, opening in 1830.The major railroad building was mostly done by the end of the 1800s.Thousands of workers came to California to help build the tracks going east from Sacramento. Many others started building west from Nebraska. In 1869, the tracks met in Promontory, Utah. The east and west coasts are connected from here on.
Railroads make it easier for people who want to move to new areas, especially in the West. Railroads changed the style of transportation. Railroads make trips more comfortable and more faster for people who want to travel the country and they can take a lot of stuff. Railroads bring new opportunities not only for people but also for industries, railroads make the distance less, railroads connect communities and railroads foster trade and commerce.
In conclusion, railroads not only played a important role in the America Civil War but also played a large role in the geographic, economic, society and political development of the United States. From the horse-drawn, steam engine, to high speed train, the progress of technology always affects the development of human society.
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