The Transcontinental Railroad Essay -- Transportation, Railroad Compa

The Transcontinental stun could be defined as the most monumental change in the States in the 19th century. The railroad played a significant subroutine in westward expansion and on the growth and development of the American economy (Gillon p.653). However, the pull of the transcontinental railroad may not afford occurred if not for the generous support of the federal government. The federal government provided nation grants and financial subsidies to railroad companies to ensure the construction. The transcontinental railroad contributed to the formation of diligence and the market economy in America and forever altered the American lifestyle. The pacific Railroad bill of 1862 launched the transcontinental railroad construction project. The Pacific Railroad bill granted 6,400 acres of public lands and government loans ranging from $16,000 to $48,000 per cc of track completed to the Union Pacific Railroad and Central Pacific Railroad companies. (Pacific Railroad Bill) Following the Pacific Railroad bill a series of federal and state acts between 1862 and 1871 granted more than cxxx million acres of public land and supplied additional monetary loans of round $150 million dollars to the expansion of the railroads. (Gillon p.652)There is no refuting that the railroad companies alter business operations and encouraged industrial expansion. The raw materials required for construction of the transcontinental railroad directly resulted in the expansion of the steel, lumber and orchestra pit industries. (Gillon p.652) The railroad stimulated growth in manufacturing and agriculture providing an efficient path to ship raw materials and products throughout the country. Which in turn, increased consumerism and introduced t... ...ich developed sassy corporations. (Gillon p.652) Many in the railroad industry and these newly developed corporations were criminate of price fixing, providing illegal kick- backs and challenging government regulations. (Gil lon p.652-657) Thus, one could argue that the railroad industry and the titans it produced had a monopolistic approach to business that actually challenged the redundant market system. In the end, the transcontinental railroad changed the American landscape two physically and culturally. It formed the foundation for the industrial economy, it produced new business practices and counseling style of large workforces. It helped established government regulations, taxation and support of public transportation. Above all it drastically changed the American lifestyle, changed where people lived, how they shopped, how they ate, and how they worked.