1. 6.2 The Age of Railroads
How did the growth of the nation’s railroad industry effect the nation?

2. Railroads Span Time and Space
In 1869, the nation completed work on its first transcontinental railroad, which crossed the entire continent
By 1890, more than 200,000 miles of rail lines zigzagged across the United States
Railroads made long-distance travel a possibility for many Americans
However, railroad schedules were hard to keep because each community set its own times based on the movement of the sun

3. Difficulties
Building and running the railroads was difficult and dangerous
Most of the work was done by Chinese and Irish immigrants and desperate out-of-work Civil War veterans
Accidents affected thousands of rail builders each year
By 1888, more than 2000 workers had died and over 20,000 were injured

4. Continued
To fix the time/schedule problem, officials came up with the time zone solution in 1870, which divided the Earth into 24 time zones, one for each hour of the day
Under this plan, the U.S. would contain four time zones: Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific
The railroads and most communities supported this plan

5. Opportunities
Railroads made it easier for people to travel long distances
They also helped many industries (iron, steel, coal, lumber, and glass) grow partly because the railroads needed their products
Railroads also increased trade among many towns and settlements, which allowed them to prosper

6. Continued Railroads led to the creation of new towns
In 1880, George Pullman built a factory on the prairie outside of Chicago, and eventually just created a town, Pullman, for his workers to live in
The industry also offered people the chance to become rich, often through corrupt means
The Credit Mobilier company was created by Union Pacific officers, and essentially paid their own company at 2-3 times the actual cost to lay railroad track
They paid off Congressmen to keep the govt. out, and eventually were uncovered

7. The Grange and the Railroads
One group angered by corruption in the railroad industry were farmers, who thought the railroads kept land from families and set high shipping prices to keep farmers in debt
The Grangers took political action, and convinced Congress to step in and challenge states’ rights to regulate the railroad
Munn v. Illinois in 1877 ruled that the government could regulate private industries in order to protect public interest

8. Continued
In 1887, Congress passed the Interstate Commerce Act, which gave the federal government even more power over the railroads
Rail companies continued to resist even after this legislation
In 1893, a depression struck the country and affected numerous institutions, including the railroads
Many companies failed, and were taken over by financial firms
By 1900, seven companies owned most of the nation’s railways