The Transcontinental Railroad
Oh what a moment in time! On May 10, 1869, two sides of the United States met at Promontory Point, Utah. It was the place and the moment in time when two sets of railroad tracks met.
Leland Stanford, whose railroad company had laid tracks east from Sacramento, California, shook hands with Thomas Durant, whose railroad company had laid tracks west from Omaha, Nebraska. The two tracks finally met in the middle. Two trains traveling each direction on each track carefully met in the middle. Where the two trains touched, the men both raised silver hammers to pound in the final golden spike to complete the joining of the two tracks. There were loud cheers, parades and celebrations all across the United States.
At that very moment in time, the goal President Abraham Lincoln had with the Pacific Railroad Act had finally been accomplished. The hard work of so many people was completed. Armed with shovels, picks and dynamite, the workers had labored and labored, through heat and freezing cold to complete the enormous task. Now, there was a railroad track that stretched all the way across the continent from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and back. The people in the United States could now travel from coast to coast in just 10 days. Of course, they had to change trains at stations several times, but the covered wagons which had been so important would now be unnecessary.
That is the way with many inventions and accomplishments. For their time they are invaluable. But then something else even more helpful comes along and replaces it making it unnecessary. The railroad would replace covered wagons.
For example, think about transportation today when so many people are using airplanes for travel. Airplanes have now replaced trains for long distance
travel of people in many instances. This is an example of how we understand historical context. In the context of history, words, ideas or inventions are
important because they fit the time. Trains fit the late 1800s while airplanes now fit our time. When things change there can be another set of words, or
ideas, or inventions to fit a new time in history. Whether or not we value something has to do with when it is placed in historical time, or historical
context.
The Transcontinental Railroad in 1869 was enormously important to people in that historical context. It was a newer, safer, faster way to transport people
from place to place and goods from place to place. Remember how the Civil War had divided the country? Railroads helped to make the United States into a united country. All at once people could travel easily to see their families, or to view the beautiful plains, rivers, and mountains of the western frontier.
People could quickly get all kinds of important goods from one coast to the other for the first time. People from other parts of the nation got to know one
another. Immigrants could travel easily for jobs. It made the country seem smaller and closer. Placed in historical context, the Transcontinental Railroad
was life-changing economically and socially for people living in the United States.
The Transcontinental Railroad linked west and east coasts: vital link for trade, commerce, and travel.
Oh what a moment in time! On May 10, 1869, two sides of the United States met at Promontory Point, Utah. It was the place and the moment in time when two sets of railroad tracks met.
Leland Stanford, whose railroad company had laid tracks east from Sacramento, California, shook hands with Thomas Durant, whose railroad company had laid tracks west from Omaha, Nebraska. The two tracks finally met in the middle. Two trains traveling each direction on each track carefully met in the middle. Where the two trains touched, the men both raised silver hammers to pound in the final golden spike to complete the joining of the two tracks. There were loud cheers, parades and celebrations all across the United States.
At that very moment in time, the goal President Abraham Lincoln had with the Pacific Railroad Act had finally been accomplished. The hard work of so many people was completed. Armed with shovels, picks and dynamite, the workers had labored and labored, through heat and freezing cold to complete the enormous task. Now, there was a railroad track that stretched all the way across the continent from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and back. The people in the United States could now travel from coast to coast in just 10 days. Of course, they had to change trains at stations several times, but the covered wagons which had been so important would now be unnecessary.
That is the way with many inventions and accomplishments. For their time they are invaluable. But then something else even more helpful comes along and replaces it making it unnecessary. The railroad would replace covered wagons.
For example, think about transportation today when so many people are using airplanes for travel. Airplanes have now replaced trains for long distance
travel of people in many instances. This is an example of how we understand historical context. In the context of history, words, ideas or inventions are
important because they fit the time. Trains fit the late 1800s while airplanes now fit our time. When things change there can be another set of words, or
ideas, or inventions to fit a new time in history. Whether or not we value something has to do with when it is placed in historical time, or historical
context.
The Transcontinental Railroad in 1869 was enormously important to people in that historical context. It was a newer, safer, faster way to transport people
from place to place and goods from place to place. Remember how the Civil War had divided the country? Railroads helped to make the United States into a united country. All at once people could travel easily to see their families, or to view the beautiful plains, rivers, and mountains of the western frontier.
People could quickly get all kinds of important goods from one coast to the other for the first time. People from other parts of the nation got to know one
another. Immigrants could travel easily for jobs. It made the country seem smaller and closer. Placed in historical context, the Transcontinental Railroad
was life-changing economically and socially for people living in the United States.
The Transcontinental Railroad linked west and east coasts: vital link for trade, commerce, and travel.