Before the railroads were constructed, most people traveled by horse, horse-drawn wagon, and boat, but some people didn’t have any horses so they couldn’t travel far from their homes. It was a hard time for everyone, and there were many dangers to face when traveling, they could be attacked, diseases, and rough weather. They sometimes also had a lack of water and food, which made them more vulnerable to attacks. People also didn't want to be attacked, so someone must stay awake the whole night. Also, it was a very slow and long journey. Their roads weren't like today. Instead, theirs were very bumpy with rock everywhere. No one wanted to clean the horses' dirt, that would mean going over the tracks all over again!
Many poor Americans gave up their homes to journey to the West to live a better life. That was because the Americans in the East becoming overcrowded and had too many people and too little land, they needed more space as the population grew. On the other hand, the West was full of resources such as rich soil, open land, gold, and silver. The western lands were unknown. Many settlers went far away to claim land for their own. New areas, like the Oregon Territory, offered rich land for those who would travel there. The California Gold Rush gave many people dreams of becoming rich. Many men went to the West for gold, leaving their families, home, and friends to join later. They would do anything to have a better life, some even died on the journey despite the danger that lurked around them.
People needed a faster and better way to travel to the West. So the first transcontinental railroad uniting the east and west was built, which started in 1863 and ended in 1869. Two companies were constructing the railroads: the Union Pacific started to build west from Omaha, NE. They employed more than 8,000 Irish, German, and Italian immigrants. The Central Pacific started building eastward from Sacramento, CA. They employed over 10,000 Chinese laborers. It was finished when the two tracks joined together in Promontory, Utah, they met each other and celebrated their progress. There were about 20,00 to 25,000 workers attending this great construction. Slaves were freed to build the railroads, and the immigrants especially Chinese laborers helped a lot to build the roads. The whole work cost $60 million which is equal to today's $1.2 billion.
The railroad united the USA and had an aggressive impact on the USA. First, it made traveling easier across the country, the journey, which took months, was now just days. They could stop worrying about the dangers to face when traveling, like being attacked, diseases, and rough weather and a lack of water and food, food, a few days won't need a lot of food. Second, it not only got people to travel faster but goods were also transported faster, which would give places that were starving back to health. It helped the farmers to sell their products to the east and west and develop the economy of the country. Last but not least, it connected the East and West, through a vast land back together once again by a train track. That made the nation feel more united or close again.
The construction of a transcontinental railroad was one of the United States' greatest achievements in American history. The construction of the railroad was built in six years. The railroad had profound effects on American life. The completion of the transcontinental railroad changed the nation The railroads saved and improved many lives, They solved the slow and dangerous problem of traveling. Western agricultural products, coal, and minerals could move freely to the East Coast. the transcontinental railroad united East and West and bound Americans together. They could also be safer on a train than a horse-drawn wagon. six years of hard work, help far and wide, all over the world, still helped people today.
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