Overview
This lecture explores the creation of America's first Transcontinental Railroad, highlighting its engineering feats, economic impact, political controversies, labor struggles, and its profound effects on the American landscape and peoples.
Origins and Vision
- The idea for a transcontinental railroad emerged in the 1830s, promoting national unity and economic opportunity.
- Early surveys and Congressional debates focused on potential routes and the immense cost and difficulty of construction.
- Theodore Judah, a passionate civil engineer, played a key early role in advocating and planning the railroad.
Funding and Legislation
- The 1862 Pacific Railroad Act authorized the Central Pacific (from Sacramento) and Union Pacific (from the Missouri River) and granted land and bonds to incentivize construction.
- Rivalries between politicians and business interests influenced route decisions and funding allocation.
- Significant government incentives led to corruption, such as the Crédit Mobilier scandal, involving self-dealing and Congressional bribery.
Construction Challenges and Workforce
- The terrain posed massive engineering challenges: tunneling through the Sierra Nevada, bridging rivers, and battling severe weather.
- The Central Pacific relied heavily on Chinese immigrant labor, while the Union Pacific employed Civil War veterans, Irish immigrants, and others.
- Workers endured dangerous conditions, long hours, low pay, and frequent accidents; many died, particularly among Chinese crews.
Impact on Native Americans and the West
- Railroad construction and settlement devastated Plains Indian tribes, eroding their lands and decimating buffalo herds.
- Violent conflict and forced removal of Native populations intensified as settlers, towns, and rail lines advanced westward.
- End-of-track towns ("Hell on Wheels") became centers of crime, vice, and lawlessness.
Race to Completion and Aftermath
- Both companies competed fiercely, sometimes building parallel or substandard tracks to claim land and subsidies.
- Central Pacific and Union Pacific crews finally met at Promontory Summit, Utah, on May 10, 1869, symbolizing the nation’s coast-to-coast unity.
- The railroad transformed travel and commerce, but was marred by financial shortcuts, labor exploitation, and lasting negative consequences for Native Americans and Chinese workers.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Transcontinental Railroad — A railway line connecting the East and West coasts of the United States.
- Pacific Railroad Act (1862) — Law providing federal support for railroad construction via land grants and bonds.
- Central Pacific Railroad — Company building eastward from Sacramento, California.
- Union Pacific Railroad — Company building westward from the Missouri River.
- Crédit Mobilier — A construction company used to siphon profits and bribe officials during railroad construction.
- Hell on Wheels — Mobile, often lawless towns that followed the railroad’s westward progress.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review related primary sources on the labor force and impact on Native Americans.
- Read about the Crédit Mobilier scandal for a deeper understanding of railroad-era corruption.
- Prepare questions on how the railroad changed the social and economic fabric of the United States.