U.S. HISTORY
CHAPTER 9
INDUSTRIALIZATION
Board Questions
1) WHY WAS THE PACIFIC RAILWAY ACT
IMPORTANT?
2) WHY WERE RAILROADS IMPORTANT?
3) IN 1865 HOW MANY MILES OF RAILROAD
TRACK WERE IN THE U.S.?
4) IN 1900 HOW MANY MILES OF RAILROAD
TRACK WERE IN THE U.S.?
5) WHY WERE TIME ZONES NEEDED?
BOARD QUESTIONS
1) WHAT TWO RAILROAD COMPANIES BUILT
THE TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD?
2) WHAT IS A MONOPOLY?
3) WHAT TWO IMMIGRANT GROUPS BUILT
THE TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD?
4) WHO ADOPTED THE TIME ZONE IDEA IN
1918?
THE RAILROADS
• RAILROADS BECOME A VERY
IMPORTANT PART OF THE INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION BY MAKING IT POSSIBLE
FOR GOODS AND PEOPLE TO MOVE
ACROSS THE COUNTRY RAPIDLY.
• THE BAD PART OF RAILROADS IS THEY
TAKE UP LAND AND THE TRACKS
NEED TO GO AS STRAIGHT AS
POSSIBLE.
RAILROAD
COMPANIES
• CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAYS WAS A
VERY TOUGH JOB.
• MOST OF THE WORKS SLEPT OUTSIDE.
• VERY HAZARDOUS WORK.
• MANY WERE IRISH IMMIGRANTS
TRYING TO SAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO
BUY LAND.
RAILROAD
• IN 1865 HAD 35,000 MILES OF
RAILROAD TRACK MOST OF IT WAS
EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI.
• BY 1900 THE U.S. HAD OVER 200,000
MILES OF TRACK.
• BY 1900 RAILROAD TRACK CROSSED
THE U.S. FROM THE ATLANTIC TO THE
PACIFIC.
RAILROAD
• PACIFIC RAILWAY ACT - 1862
PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN
SIGNED THIS ACT MAKING IT POSSIBLE
TO BUILT A TRANSCONTINENTAL
RAILROAD.
• TWO COMPANIES SET OUT TO BUILD
THIS TRACK THE UNION PACIFIC AND
THE CENTRAL PACIFIC.
RAILROAD
• TO ENCOURAGE RAPID
CONSTRUCTION, THE GOVERNMENT
OFFERED EACH COMPANY LAND
ALONG ITS RIGHT OF WAY.
• THIS CAUSE COMPETITION BETWEEN
THE TWO COMPANIES EACH
WANTING TO ACQUIRE AS MUCH
LAND AND MONEY AS POSSIBLE.
THE RAILROAD
COMPANIES
• CENTRAL PACIFIC AND THE BIG FOUR
WAS A CALIFORNIA BASED RAILROAD
THAT THEODORE JUDAH STARTED
AND SOLD STOCK TO FOUR
SACRAMENTO MERCHANTS WHO
BECAME KNOWN AS THE BIG FOUR.
• THEY WOULD EVENTUALLY ALL MAKE
HUGE PROFIT OFF THERE
INVESTMENTS.
THE RAILROAD
• EVENTUALLY THE RAILROAD WOULD
CONNECT THE EAST COAST TO THE
WEST COAST BECOMING A
TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILWAY.
• THIS RAILROAD ALLOWED GOODS
AND PEOPLE TO MOVE ACROSS THE
COUNTRY QUICKLY AND EASILY
COMPARED TO HORSE AND BUGGY.
TIME ZONES
• BECAUSE RAILROADS CROSSED THE
ENTIRE COUNTRY IT CAUSED A
PROBLEM IN THE WAY PEOPLE KEPT
TIME.
• COMMUNITIES SET THEIR CLOCKS BY
THE POSITION OF THE SUN AT HIGH
NOON. WELL OF COURSE THE SUN IS
GOING TO BE AT THE HIGH NOON
POSITION AT DIFFERENT TIMES IN
DIFFERENT CITIES.
TIME ZONES
• BECAUSE SCHEDULES AT DIFFERENT
STATIONS IN CITIES WOULD VARY DO
TO THE POSITION OF THE SUN THIS
MADE TRAVEL DIFFICULT AND SOME
TIMES DANGEROUS BECAUSE TO
TRAINS COULD BE ON THE SAME
TRACK AT THE SAME TIME. (CRASH)
TIME ZONES
• SO TO MAKE RAIL SERVICE SAFER AND
MORE RELIABLE IN 1883 THE
AMERICAN RAILROAD ASSOCIATION
DIVIDED THE COUNTRY IN TO FOUR
TIME ZONES.
• IN 1918 THE U.S. GOVERNMENT
RATIFIED THIS CHANGE.