06.01 Advanced Essay
By: Cydney Whitley
In the late 1700's to the early 1800's the only way to travel was by horse and by
boat. This made lots of things very difficult, that is until the invention of the loco-motive.
In 1804 the steam-powered engine was made possible by Richard Trevithick, but was
later perfected and made for railway service by George Stephenson.
There were lots of good things that came out of having a railroad in your town.
You would have the ability to create economic opportunities, and social opportunities.
Trains running through your town would also create jobs, and raise the standard of living
for people. Your town would also most likely get things like medicine, food, and other
cargo faster than by the usual horse and boat. You would also have a much faster travel
time if you were to travel somewhere.
Despite the advantages, there were also many problems with having a train
coming through the town. Things like pollution was a very bad side affect to train use.
Maintaining the railroad tracks was also a serious problem, because the iron would often
rust. Safety, of course was a HUGE problem, sparks from the trains wood and coal fires
burned cars, and boilers exploded. Being that the trains were also extremely loud, that
was also a big problem for people living near by.
Keep in mind that most of these job opportunities were often taken by Chinese,
German, and Irish immigrants. They often fell victim of racial abuse, and many died
because of the extreme working conditions and the hard labor.
As you can see, there were many disadvantages, as there were advantages. So is
all of this worth having a railroad in your town? I would say so. The Transcontinental
Railroad System played a huge part in the industrial revolution and the advancing of
America. I would be honored to have a railroad in my town.
Sources:
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http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/warfare-andlogistics/logistics/railroads.html
Flvs History Lesson 06.01
http://utahdar.org/chapters/goldenspike/
http://history.howstuffworks.com/american-history/old-railroads6.htm
Railroad yard and depot with locomotives in Nashville, Tennessee. (Library of Congress)
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Railroads were the continent's largest consumers of iron and also prodigious users of
wood, paint, wire, machine tools, and all kinds of specialty products.