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The Age of the Railroads

By: Jordan Voge. The Age of the Railroads. A National Network. 1856 - U.S. had railroads from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River, 3 years later, there were tracks all the way to the Missouri River.

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The Age of the Railroads

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  1. By: Jordan Voge The Age of the Railroads

  2. A National Network • 1856 - U.S. had railroads from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River, 3 years later, there were tracks all the way to the Missouri River. • Start of Civil War = 30,000 miles of tracks. 1890 - railroad tracks had reached 180,000 miles. • Transcontinental Railroad

  3. Pros and Cons • Brought new opportunities such as land, adventure, and a fresh start. • Building of the railroads provided a lot of jobs for Chinese and Irish immigrants as well as Civil War Veterans. • Very dangerous - Native Americans. • Accidents and disease killed and injured many • 1888 - 2,000 men killed 20,000 men injured.

  4. Railroad Time • United the nation. • Professor C.F. Dowd suggested time zone for each section of Earth. • United States time zones - Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific. • November 18, 1883 - towns across the country synchronized their watches. • 1884 - an international conference established the worldwide time zones based on railroad time. • The U.S. Congress accepted the time zones in 1918.

  5. New Towns and Markets • Many of today's large cities were formed because of the railroads. • Denver, Colorado; Flagstaff, Arizona; and Seattle, Washington • George M. Pullman – built a town for his employees. • Provided almost all the needs for employees.

  6. Credit Mobilier of America • Formed by George Francis Train and Thomas C. Durant. • Sold shares of stock to congressman at a much lower price than they were worth. • Made anywhere from 7 million to 23 million dollars. • Scandal discovered because New York Sun wanted to alter an election.

  7. Credit Mobilier Cont. • Printed letters claiming that Credit Mobilier of America charged the federal government by almost 20 million extra dollars. • Union Pacific stock crashed. • Known as worst scandal in United States history because it involved many political officers.

  8. Railroad Abuses • Angry farmers - land grants to businesses instead of settlers. • Railroads fixed prices to keep farmers in debt. • Made short trips cost more because there wasn't another carrier to use.

  9. Granger Laws • Obtained political representation and pushed for laws to protect the farmers. • Granger Laws - established maximum freight and passenger rates and prohibited discrimination. • Munn vs. Illinois - Supreme Court ruled in favor of the granger laws by a vote of 7 to 2. • States gained the right to control the railroads so they benefited the farmers and consumers.

  10. Interstate Commerce Act • 1886 - Supreme Court ruled that states couldn't regulate railroad costs. • Interstate Commerce Act - allowed the federal government to supervise railroad activities and formed an interstate commerce commission. • Didn't gain enough power to be effective until 1906 when Theodore Roosevelt was President.

  11. Panic and Consolidation • Some of the railroads couldn't survive because of corporate abuse, mismanagement, overbuilding, and competition • 1893 - worst depression up to that time. 600 banks had failed. 15,000 businesses had failed. • By 1895, 4 million people had lost their jobs.

  12. Sources • http://api.ning.com/files/6QexpAi2cm*EINprrQKDrAe7QEYcldhUaWvJa4cu*w-inmCa9I9UEkbqK1QlPjxhWkxJM1I*G8DxL3owy8P9bRCbeE9cL-VO/6.2.pdf • http://www.examiner.com/american-history-in-national/credit-mobilier-america-s-greatest-19th-century-scandal • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Pullman • http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=49

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