Unit 2

 Southerners wanted it from Houston to Los Angeles.  Minister to Mexico bought land that includes Tucson New Mexico called the Gadsden Purchase.  South then seceded – the Northern route was picked  Reason why the South was so poor for so long in the US.

 The Chinese  Warlords taking farmland in China – move here  300,000 between  Bad contracts called pig selling (indentured servitude)  Chinatowns sprang up  The Irish  Both worked for little money and hard conditions.  Had to fight off Indians  No man ever worked harder in more dangerous conditions (6 days a week)

 Central Pacific – built east from Sacramento with Chinese immigrants  Union Pacific built west from Omaha – used Irish, veterans from both sides, former slaves, Jews, and Germans

 No money in building the railroad  Government paid for it  Sold land – 155,504,994 acres  Land divided up alternately along route – government got every other one  Land grants paid for railroad  Received bonds of money and land for every mile, $16,000 for flat and $48,000 for mountain.

 Credit Mobilier – money from bonds to pay UP directors, many which were Congressman  Contract and Finance Company – CP big four directors (Leland Stanford)

 Government never should have granted lands – selling would have covered the entire cost  Land given was worth more than the railroad  Railroads enjoyed monopoly – charged high  Shoddy construction – needed to be rebuilt - $$  Became robber barons  Worked with Republican party, made obscene profits, used profits to dominate politics

 Impressive peacetime engineering  – the best  Welded the West Coast with the US  Paved way for growth of the West  Take 7 days to get to coast to coast – verses sailing, Isthmus, desert – risk your life

 Men no different from soldiers – they are heroes  Huge risk by CP and UP  No bank would lend money  Done faster than the trans Siberian one using slaves  Haste was what the people wanted – led to corruption – built well or fast  Land not worth anything – not enough land to pay costs – wanted to sell to farmers – they would be the ones who used the rail  Most of the land worthless, the land that was only because of the railroad  Winning Civil War, abolishing slavery, railroad next  Took brains, muscle, sweat in quantities and scope never before put into a single project.  It would not have happened without teamwork

 US engineers better than Europe  Europe taught that stuff couldn’t be done  US engineers had a contempt for authority – we can do it  Invented – switchbacks, powerful locomotives, lantern, cowcatcher, snow plow, snow sheds, T- rails, brakes, wheels that turn, and the drilling in mountains