The Railroads Chapter 9 Section 2

Linking the Nation By 1900 the U.S. had over 200,000 miles of rail road. The railroad boom began in 1862 when the Pacific Railway Act was signed. What was the name of the 2 railroads that built the transcontinental railroad?

Four merchants known as the “Big Four” invested in the Central Pacific Railroad. One of these people was Leland Stanford.

Who began the first direct rail service from NYC to Chicago?

Time Zones Before the 1880s, regions set their clocks by the sun’s position in the sky. To make rail service more safe, in 1883 the American Railway Association divided the country into 4 time zones. What are these time zones called?

Land Grant System To encourage railroad constructions the federal government gave land grants to many railroad companies. A land grant is a piece of land that is given to someone. Railroad companies made most of their money by selling government land grants.

Robber Barons Scandals created the impression that railroad entrepreneurs were robber barons, or people who looted an industry and gave nothing back. Jay Gould – practiced “insider trading.” He used information he received as a railroad owner to manipulate stock prices to his benefit.

Credit Mobilier A construction company set up by several stockholders of the Union Pacific. Scandal included many government officials.