In the mid-1800s, President Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act near the end of his term with the hope of connecting the Eastern and Western Hemispheres of the United States via a railway. The outbreak of the Civil War had put ideas of a major railroad construction into conflict due to the severity of the divided nation. Smaller railroads were built connecting the North, South, and Midwest, but transporting goods across the country was a time-consuming process. After Lincoln signed the law, the first steps towards improving the country were taken. In itself, the connection between the Union Pacific Railroad and the Central Pacific undoubtedly led the United States toward more seamless industrialization, as well as creating a stronger economy, more jobs, more efficient transportation, westward expansion, and dominance in natural resource industries. Say no to plagiarism. . Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay To begin, the old English proverb that goes “Many hands make light work” proves true when discussing the topic of the transcontinental railroad. The Transcontinental Railroad created many jobs in the 19th century as it required many long days to complete. Fortunately, many immigrants and emigrants from Europe, China, and the United States were rescued from railroad construction and employed in the labor frontier.[footnoteRef:0] When the Union Pacific Company and the Central Pacific Company were called to action , the government became more involved in the economic support of the railway. Portions of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroad underwent construction in several areas of the country soon after the act was signed. Congress oversaw the progress of both railroad companies and generously granted each a sum of about $50,000,000. The government's desire to support the railway was met with strike action and the obstinacy of formally employed Irish workers. Most of the work on some parts of the railway came from Irish immigrants from northern slums in low-paid jobs. Although unskilled and illiterate, the Irish were willing and cut out for the work, but their unruly drunken behavior led to strikes and halted progress. Unfortunately, the labor shortage has affected the co-owners of the companies, leaving them with few options. With doubts in mind, the bosses turned to Chinese immigrant labor due to their presence in San Francisco at the time. In San Francisco, Chinese men and women were given dirty, low-paying jobs as servants, cooks, and gardeners. Through word of mouth, Chinese immigrants learned of job opportunities on the railroad from Chinese merchants who dispersed pamphlets in their home country and throughout San Francisco.[FootnoteRef:3] As more and more Chinese immigrated and joined in the construction of the railway, they proved to be hard workers and capable of carrying out the most strenuous work. Most of the Central Pacific track crews were Chinese immigrants, many of them shipped from China expressly for the construction of the railroad. The Central Pacific was no longer reliant on what was left of Irish immigrants due to the usefulness of Chinese workers. The Chinese workers spoke little English but made up for their disadvantages. The Chinese workers formed work crews and elected a man to receive and translate Crocker's orders, distribute and collect wages, and handle food expenses.The efficiency and independence of the Chinese in their new working environment contributed largely to ending the labor shortage. The relationship between Immigrants and the Railways was directly proportional. As more immigrants were given work, the faster construction went. This relationship was positive because immigrants needed jobs and companies needed loyal workers. By the end of 1865, approximately seven thousand Chinese workers had accepted new jobs on the Central Pacific Railroad and were at work. Chinese immigrants benefit from more opportunities and jobs simply by moving to America. It is widely known and recognized that without them (immigrants), the Transcontinental Railroad would have remained a dream, but their resistance and perseverance did great things for the Nation. The completion of the Transcontinental Railroad had a direct impact on the United States in terms of natural resources. abundance and shipping. Before the construction of the railway there was a clear separation between the Eastern and Western markets. At the time, the North and South were based on agriculture and textiles, which was advantageous because they were geographically aligned and shipped textiles and goods to each other. The railroad introduced the states west of the Mississippi River into industrial relations underway in the East. In California, farms and factories were able to sell to successful markets in the East and overtake the Rocky Mountains. The overtaking of the Rocky Mountains and other areas of the West made it possible to overtake other mountainous states such as Nevada. Companies that owned mines in Nevada were now offered the opportunity to extract more common metal ores such as copper and iron to be shipped east for smelting thanks to the Railroad. minerals like gold and silver because that's what brought them the most profit. Unfortunately, the price of transporting common, reliable minerals like copper was too high, so entrepreneurs only sent the best of what they could find if they were lucky enough. The Transcontinental Railroad allowed mine owners to transport valuable and common minerals because transportation and costs were no longer a burden. This meant that companies were making the most of their operations and were no longer selective of their products due to the available rail line. Throughout the country, copper soon became an important resource that attracted the attention of investors in the east due to its involvement in electrical supply systems whose generators relied on copper. Not far from Nevada, other states benefited from the railroad such as Wyoming and Colorado. Both Colorado and Wyoming were given the opportunity to export their products just as Nevada was. The two states had the ability to ship coal and beef more easily now that railroad construction had been completed. be sent back and forth. Resources in the West that were once limited and expensive to transport were now in abundance for industrial processing plants in the East. As expected, the Transcontinental Railroad dominated trade and transportation in the United States for the next fifty years due to its success. Without the railroad, the country could not have progressed in its industrial fields due to the separation of the eastern and western markets. The development of the Transcontinental Railroad was a key factor in opening the West to America and its citizens. In the early 1800s, ideas of manifest destiny flooded the minds of Americans east of the Mississippi River. Manifest Destiny was the belief that expanding westward and claiming as much land as possible was the duty of theAmerican citizen. Before the construction of the railroad, those seeking to complete Manifest Destiny and move west were limited. Due to limited technology, citizens of the East were forced to cross the Midwest by stagecoach, traveling by boat through Panama, or sailing around the southern tip of America simply to travel west. Many believers in manifest destiny have struggled to realize their aspirations due to multiple risks. The stagecoach had been the most common option, but passengers were subject to violent attacks by Cheyenne Indians. [FootnoteRef:12] The completion of the railroad eliminated the risks to eastern settlers by physically providing a better route. Many people saw the completion of the railroad as an opportunity to put their faith into practice and cultivate new lands. Cross-country travel on the transcontinental line had now turned into a relaxing excursion instead of an exhausting threshold. Stagecoach travel was unreliable and extremely time-consuming due to unpredictable factors such as the condition of the horses and a shortage of resources. Travelers had to choose what to bring, so resources were already limited. The one-way, no-stop rail line took unpredictable factors and eliminated them from the equation. What used to take six to eight weeks turned into an eight-day trip with stops. Rail travelers said the journey was so fast that “you don't even have time to take a bath.” As previously stated, travel west before the railroad was long and dangerous. Within a decade before the railroad's completion, 300,000 settlers had completed the journey west, completing their hopes in Manifest Destiny. In comparison, the success and future of the railway was already demonstrated immediately after the opening of passenger traffic. A year after its opening, 150,000 passengers traveled from the East on the new railroad, taking about a week and a day to arrive. In its first year of operation, the Transcontinental Railroad had carried about half as many passengers and took a decade less to do so. The drastic difference in the years and amount of passenger transportation before and after the railroad demonstrates how great the impact of the railroad was on westward expansion. What lasted 10 years without the railway, with the help of the railway was half overcome in 1 year. Manifest Destiny has become more efficient thanks to the completion of the railway. As more people arrived west, new territories were claimed and industrialization began in those new territories, thus expanding the nation and its size. Along with the growth of industry and westward expansion, the transcontinental railroad stimulated the American economy by making transportation costs cheaper. . More money was saved by companies, individuals and the nation. Before the construction of the railroad, the cost for humans to travel across the continent from one corner to another was about $1,000, with arrival not guaranteed. In the June of the railroad's birth, it cost $136 for a first-class seat, $110 for a second-class seat, and $65 for a third-class or emigrant seat. [footnoteRef:16] What used to cost more than a thousand dollars was now limited to less than a hundred dollars for basic seating. Rich, middle and poor citizens could travel at a cost convenient to them, just as society does to this day. Nonliving items like mail, books, and popular magazines were overpriced and took forever to arrive. These items were shipped at one dollar an ounce until used.