Railroads Transform the
Nation
Chapter 6 Section 2
transcontinental railroad:
• A railroad that spanned
the entire continent
standard time:
• A system adopted in
1918 that divided the
United States into four
time zones
Why did Americans want to build a
transcontinental railroad?
• Americans wanted to
build a transcontinental
railroad to help settle
West and develop its
economy.
How was the transcontinental railroad
financed (paid for)?
• The transcontinental
railroad was financed by
the government loaning
them millions of dollars,
the government gave
the companies 20
square miles of land for
every mile of track laid
and they could sell the
land to raise money.
Which company/companies built the
transcontinental railroad?
• The Central Pacific and
Union Pacific built the
transcontinental
railroad.
What problems did the Central Pacific
face when hiring workers?
• The problem the
Central Pacific faced
when hiring workers
was most men wanted
to strike it rich in the
California gold fields.
How did Chinese workers benefit the
Central Pacific?
• The Chinese workers
benefitted the Central
Pacific because they
were small, efficient,
fearless, hard working
and drank tea instead of
unboiled water. This
allowed them to stay
healthy.
Where did the Union Pacific get
workers?
• The Union Pacific hired
former soldiers, freed
slaves, Native
Americans, and a lot of
Irish immigrants.
What was unusual about the way the
Union Pacific workers ate their meals?
• The unusual way the
Union Pacific workers
ate their meals was
their plates were nailed
to the table.
How did the Union Pacific and Central Pacific companies
celebrate the completion of the transcontinental railroad?
• The Central Pacific and
Union Pacific celebrated
the completion of the
railroad by putting a
golden spike in where
the two tracks met.
Why did the country need a standard
time?
• The country needed
standard time because
it was too hard to make
train schedules when
every community went
by its own time.
How did the railroads benefit the
economy?
• The railroad benefitted
the economy by linking
the economies of West
and East.
Were there more railroads in the Eastern
or Western half of the country?
• There were more
railroads in the Eastern
half of the country.
What do you think each of the four
time zones was named for?
• The Eastern and Central
zone is named for its
position in the country.
Mountain and Pacific
zone are named for
nearby geographic
locations.