Role of the Transcontinental Railroad - Essay Example

The Transcontinental Railroad: Origins and Influences Transportation is something which Americans in modern times often take for granted. Whether it is the transportation of people, the transportation of commercial goods, or the transportation of ideas, America's development owes much to the transcontinental railroad. The purpose of this essay is to explore both the origins of the transcontinental railroad and its influence on Americans. Particular attention will be paid to the origins of the transcontinental railroad, the main players in its creation, and the influence it has had in American history. 1.1 Technological Origins As an initial matter, it is necessary to understand the technological context of the time frame within which the railroad evolved as an integral part of the American infrastructure. There were, to be sure, important scientific breakthroughs which made such a continental project feasible. These breakthroughs came in both the United States of America and in Europe. Without these breakthroughs it would be very fair to argue that America might not have developed as quickly and as powerfully as it has in the past two hundred years. In 1769, James Watt, a mechanical engineer from Scotland successfully patented a steam engine which had practical applications. To be sure, this technological breakthrough was not specifically designed for railroads, quite the contrary, it was most commonly associated with prototypes of steamboats in Great Britain. Nonetheless, the steam engine provided the world with a new source of power; prior to this scientific development, "for centuries, people had relied on wind, water, animal, and human power to drive the machines of industry, agriculture, and transportation."1 This new power source would stir the imaginations of leaders in governments and commerce alike. Although the steam engine would revolutionize many fields, it became an essential step in the evolution of the steam locomotive. In 1825, a steam-driven locomotive pulled coal on a nine mile track in England. This experiment demonstrated that railroads and steam locomotives were indeed within the realm of possibility. If coal could be moved nine miles by rail then it could, in theory be moved nine hundred miles. It didn't take long for the concepts and the engineering prowess to take root in America; indeed, in 1830, a mere five years after the successful experiments in England, an American engineer, Peter Cooper, completed the construction of America's first steam locomotive. This steam locomotive was named the Tom Thumb and it carried both commercial goods and passengers along a thirteen mile stretch of railroad track from Baltimore to Ellicott's Mills, Maryland.2 From a technological point of view, the stage was set for the construction of grander and more far-reaching rail systems. 1.2 The Demographic and Intellectual Origins Calls for expanded rail service were frequent and fervent. The origins of the fundamental idea, a transcontinental railroad connecting the Atlantic coast to the Pacific coast, "first surfaced in 1832 in an anonymous letter in the weekly newspaper- The Emigrant published in Ann Arbor Michigan. The idea did not die from that moment on."3 Significantly, this proposal for a transcontinental railroad proceeded even before the United States had settled treaty negotiations regarding the Oregon territory. 4 The speed with which the idea took root was staggering. Barely were the engineering feats accomplished, and with portions of the western territories unsettled or disputed by various powers, and plans were being made to connect the coasts by railroad. These pressures to move westward, and to connect the Atlantic to the Pacific, were in many ways driven by demographic pressures. The demographic origins of the transcontinental railroad can be traced to the westward movement of settlers across the Northern Plains.5 This trail would become an important route for emigration, and would be later denoted more formally as the Oregon Trail. People were attracted to the West. They were attracted to land, to the idea of making new lives for themselves, of escaping positions of social inferiority in the East, and of enriching themselves by mining for gold. The discovery of gold, to be sure was but one of many reasons for moving westwards; nonetheless it was an event which accelerated these demographic shifts westwards. In December of 1848, for instance, President James Polk contributed to the gold rush by announcing the discovery of gold in the Oregon territory. A mere two years later, the gold-rich California was admitted as the nation's thirtieth sate of the Union. Finally, in June of 1859, "discovery of the massive Comstock Lode lures miners to Virginia City, Nevada, in search of gold and silver ore. The news revitalizes the California mining economy, and urges exploration of a road east across the Sierra Nevada."6 In the final analysis, everything was in place for the development of a transcontinental railroad in the United States of America. The engineering acumen was mostly in place, the intellectual concepts were widely published and discussed, and substantial waves of settlers moving westwards provided labor, customers, and people in need of faster and more efficient transportation infrastructure. The question was not so much whether a transcontinental railroad would proceed in some matter; quite the contrary, the issue was whom would control which railroad lines and by what means. 1.3 The Railroad Promoters: Whitney, Judah, and the Pacific Railroad Bill Although his plans and proposals were never accepted by Congress, Asa Whitney was a major voice in efforts to construct a transcontinental railroad line. Indeed, he was recognized as "the Chief promoter of a transcontinental railroad, a New York merchant active in the China trade who was obsessed with the idea of a railroad to the Pacific. In January 1845 he petitioned Congress for a charter and grant of a sixty-mile strip through the public domain to help finance construction."7 Whitney was tireless and creative in his efforts to gain Congressional approval. He suggested the use of both German and Irish laborers, reasoning that they were eager to move West, were available in large numbers, and could be persuaded to work hard given proper incentives.8 One of Whitney's incentives was the substitution of formal money wages with land grants. This was an insightful plan; by granting land, these workers could stop working and create new towns and communities as the railroad developed. It was a symmetrical developmental concept which would cost the United States Treasury very little in monetary terms. Despite his persuasive appeals, and despite the fact that many agreed with his plans and strategies, the funding resolution that Asa Whitney presented to Congress was denied.9 Whitney, it must be noted, was defeated by politics rather than by a disagreement with his ideas. This political opposition has been described "as increased sectionalism and self-interest that distracted the legislature."10 One illustration of this type of self-interested opposition was the behavior of Senator Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri. He favored a western route originating in St. Louis; a route, which would benefit him and his constituents enormously. Whitney thus became nothing more than an important footnote in the history of the transcontinental railroad, though his contributions were quite significant. In the meantime, railroads were constructed and remained largely sectional and detached. Surveys were funded by Congress and conducted by the Army Topographical Corps in order "to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean."11 The reality was that such an effort was feasible, that such an effort was desirable, but that such an effort was hindered by political bickering and commercial competition. Into this deadlock stepped a man named Theodore D. Judah, a railroad engineer whom worked for the Sacramento Valley Railroad. His vision, his power of persuasion, and his engineering prowess would contribute greatly and fundamentally to making the dreams a reality. Judah had previously worked as an engineer for a number of eastern railroads. He came to California after he was hired to build a railroad from Sacramento to Folsom. After completing the railroad, he dedicated himself to Whitney's notion of a legitimate transcontinental line. In the beginning, he sought support through Congress; to this end, In 1859 he organized the Pacific Railroad Convention in San Francisco. The convention sent him on to Washington to lobby congress. Congress was taken in by the charismatic Judah, but the issues of slavery as well as the related questions as to the route of the new railroad stalled any action on the issue12 Judah, however, did not disappear as Whitney had following his rejection by Congress. Instead, Judah turned to prominent and wealthy Californians. He sought to persuade them of the riches to be made, of their place in American history, and of the birth of a more powerful Union. Collis P. Huntington was the first investor to back Judah's railroad; in turn, Huntington brought in an additional four investors, Mark Hopkins, James Bailey, Charles Crocker, and Leland Stanford. Together these six individuals incorporated what became known as the Central Pacific Railroad Company, and they served as the founding Board of Directors. Finally, in 1862, Judah was able to secure much needed support from the United States government. In particular, following a trip back east to lobby for funds, Congress decided to pass and Abraham Lincoln decided to sign what was known as the Pacific Railroad Bill of 1862. Some have argued that this legislative breakthrough came despite rather than as a result of Congressional action The prospect of tapping the wealth of the Nevada mining towns and forthcoming legislation for federal aid to railroads stimulated them to incorporate the Central Pacific Railroad Company of California. This line later merged with the Southern Pacific. It was through Judah's efforts and the support of Abraham Lincoln, who saw military benefits in the lines as well as the bonding of the Pacific Coast to the Union, that the Pacific Railroad finally became a reality. The Railroad Act of 1862 put government support behind the transcontinental railroad and helped create the Union Pacific Railroad, which subsequently joined with the Central Pacific at Promontory, Utah, on May 10, 1869, and signaled the linking of the continent.13 To sum up, the linking of the continent, the creation of the transcontinental railroad, was the result of many scientific developments and the hard work of many people. The main historical developments and individuals have been mentioned. Still, there are many more for which the scope of this essay offers little room. For every Asa Whitney, there are thousands of Chinese workers whose place in the history of the railroad has been slow in being acknowledged. For every Theodore Judah, there are Indians whom were slaughtered and displaced; the immediate and the lasting influences of the transcontinental railroad were and remain substantial for Americans. 1.4 Influences of the Transcontinental Railroad and Conclusions The influences were and remain pervasive. In general terms, the railroad contributed to speed and to efficiency. Everything could be done faster, on a large scale, and with increased benefits. The railroad hastened the settling of the west; in some ways, it also hastened the demise of many native Americans. Commerce flourished and businessmen became wealthy quite quickly. There were huge concentrations of wealth and this no doubt contributed to the formation of powerful and corrupt monopolies. Towns and communities grew up around the railroad and a vast continent became settled much more quickly than was thought possible. There were also important effects which had not been anticipated. The use of Chinese workers, for instance, resulted in strikes. The Chinese workers asked for better wages and for better working conditions; that they were basically unsuccessful does not negate the fact that worker rights were sought and fought over along the railroad. The conditions and the difficulties highlighted very early notions of worker rights, though progress would not come until many, many years later. In addition, there were international influences. Having conquered the continent, America was now able to ship soldiers and arms across the vast continent. This was a deterrent to meddlesome outsiders desiring to reestablish colonial spheres of influence. The transcontinental railroad, symbolized America's coming of age as a nation in the international community. The influences, in short, were pervasive and substantial. The closest modern equivalent, for purposes of comparison might be the internet. Both the transcontinental railroad and the internet have changed how we view time, how we view transportation infrastructure, and how we conduct ourselves personally, professionally, and as nations. Works Cited History of Railroads and Maps. Local Government History Site. Available: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/rrhtml/rrintro.html#N_1_ Louis H. Haney, A Congressional History of Railways, 2 vols. (Madison: University of Wisconsin, 1908-10; reprint ed., New York: Augustus M. Kelley, 1968), 1:234. Memorial of Asa Whitney . . . Praying a Grant of Land, to Enable Him to Construct a Railroad from Lake Michigan to the Pacific Ocean (28th Congress, 2nd Sess., Senate Doc. 69, Serial 451, Jan. 28, 1845). The Building of the Transcontinental Railroad. History Central, Railroad History. Available: http://www.multied.com/railroad/Trans.html Transcontinental Railroad: Timeline 1769-1889. PBS American Experience. Available: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/tcrr/timeline/index.html Read More