1. Chapter 4: The Transcontinental Railroad
Unit 2

2. Where to build the railroad?
Southerners wanted it from Houston to Los Angeles.
Minister to Mexico bought land that includes Tucson New Mexico called the Gadsden Purchase.
South then seceded – the Northern route was picked
Reason why the South was so poor for so long in the US.

3. Who Built the Railroad The Chinese
Warlords taking farmland in China – move here
300,000 between
Bad contracts called pig selling (indentured servitude)
Chinatowns sprang up
The Irish
Both worked for little money and hard conditions.
Had to fight off Indians
No man ever worked harder in more dangerous conditions (6 days a week)

4. Companies
Central Pacific – built east from Sacramento with Chinese immigrants
Union Pacific built west from Omaha – used Irish, veterans from both sides, former slaves, Jews, and Germans

5. Money? No money in building the railroad Government paid for it
Sold land – 155,504,994 acres
Land divided up alternately along route – government got every other one
Land grants paid for railroad
Received bonds of money and land for every mile, $16,000 for flat and $48,000 for mountain.

6. Scandal
Credit Mobilier – money from bonds to pay UP directors, many which were Congressman
Contract and Finance Company – CP big four directors (Leland Stanford)

7. History
Government never should have granted lands – selling would have covered the entire cost
Land given was worth more than the railroad
Railroads enjoyed monopoly – charged high
Shoddy construction – needed to be rebuilt -$$
Became robber barons
Worked with Republican party, made obscene profits, used profits to dominate politics

8. Conclusions Impressive peacetime engineering – the best
Welded the West Coast with the US
Paved way for growth of the West
Take 7 days to get to coast to coast – verses sailing, Isthmus, desert – risk your life

9. Ambrose’s Conclusion Men no different from soldiers – they are heroes
Huge risk by CP and UP
No bank would lend money
Done faster than the trans Siberian one using slaves
Haste was what the people wanted – led to corruption – built well or fast
Land not worth anything – not enough land to pay costs – wanted to sell to farmers – they would be the ones who used the rail
Most of the land worthless, the land that was only because of the railroad
Winning Civil War, abolishing slavery, railroad next
Took brains, muscle, sweat in quantities and scope never before put into a single project.
It would not have happened without teamwork

10. Final Thoughts US engineers better than Europe
Europe taught that stuff couldn’t be done
US engineers had a contempt for authority – we can do it
Invented – switchbacks, powerful locomotives, lantern, cowcatcher, snow plow, snow sheds, T-rails, brakes, wheels that turn, and the drilling in mountains