1. The Railroad Essential Questions: What was the Pacific Railway Act?
Who built the railroad?
What was the impact of the railroad?

2. The Transcontinental Railroad
It linked Omaha, Nebraska with Sacramento, California
A decade long project to unite the country
One of the crowning achievements of Abraham Lincoln’s presidency
Considered the greatest technological feat of the 19th century

3. The Pacific Railway Act
The need for the Railroad
Unite the country, East to West
A secessionist movement in California was slowly becoming more popular
The Union needed the gold and silver from California and Nevada
In May 1862, the Senate approved an act that called for the construction of the railroad
The act established two main lines:
The Central Pacific
Started in the West, Sacramento, CA
The Union Pacific
Started in the East, Omaha, Nebraska

4. The Pacific Railway Act
It said that each railway was required to build only 50 miles each year
The government offered each railway:
Land grants- 160 acres per mile of track laid
Help to pay for the construction depending on the terrain
Soon both railroads began to see which company could build the longest section of track
The route followed the main trails used for the opening of the West such as the Oregon trail

5. Laborers Union Pacific track was built by:
Irish laborers
Veterans of the Union and Confederate armies
Central Pacific track was built primarily by Chinese immigrants
At first Chinese laborers were thought to be too weak or fragile
But soon thousands of Chinese immigrants were hired to build the railroad
Thousands more were ‘imported’ from China

6. Golden Spike
Six years after the construction began the two railroads met at Promontory Summit, Utah
On May 10, 1869 the Golden Spike was driven into the track
It symbolized the completion of the transcontinental railroad
The world's first ‘live’ media event
The hammers and spike were wired to the telegraph line
Each hammer stroke was heard as a click at telegraph stations nationwide

7. Impact of the Railroad
Travel from coast-to-coast was cut from 6 months to just 1 week
Reduced the price of goods
Psychologically united East and West
Population Explosion:
Settlers rushed into the west
By 1890 the US Census declared the American frontier was gone
Served as a symbol that American ingenuity, money, determination, and organization could accomplish great tasks